'Gulf Of America' Vote Passes: See How Your VA Rep. Voted

VIRGINIA — The House passed a bill Thursday renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The measure also directs federal agencies to update their documents to incorporate the new name.

President Donald Trump already signed an executive order during his first day in office to rename the Gulf. House Republicans are looking to show their support, though it is unclear whether the Senate will go along.

The House bill passed by a vote of 211-206. The Virginia delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the proposal on party lines.

Here’s how Virginia’s representatives voted:

• Rep. Don Beyer (D-eighth district): No
• Rep. Ben Cline (R-sixth district): Yes
• Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th district): Did not vote
• Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-9th district): Yes
• Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-second district): Yes
• Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-fourth district): No
• Rep. John McGuire III (R-fifth district): Yes
• Rep. Bobby Scott (D-third district): No
• Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-10th district): No
• Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-seventh district): No
• Rep. Rob Wittman (R-first district): Yes

Trump's order only carries authority within the United States. Mexico, which shares borders with the body of water, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change.

Democrats said the vote demonstrated that Republicans are not focusing on the priorities of most Americans. New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House's top Democrat, asked Democrats to vote against this "silly, small-minded and sycophantic piece of legislation."

Subramanyam, D-Virginia, put out a satirical video in response to the Gulf of America vote. In the video, the congressman replaces names referencing foreign counties, like the "Italian" on an Italian sandwich and Rep. Jim Jordan's last name with "America."

"Republicans haven't put anything on the floor in Congress this week when it comes to lowering costs, but they have put a bill on the floor to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America," Subramanyam said in the video.

"It's easy to mock this legislation because it's so inane and embarrassing — and we have," said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pennsylvania. "But its very existence and the fact that House Republicans have chosen to waste time and taxpayer dollars to bring it up for a vote, is worth considering."

Republicans said the nomenclature of the Gulf extended back to a time before the U.S. existed and when Spanish influence over Central America and the Caribbean was at its zenith. But now, it is the United States that dominates economic activity in the Gulf.

Griffith, R-Virginia, spoke in support of the Gulf of America. The congressman said historical documentation showed the gulf had various names since the Spanish colonial days.

"This is something that should have happened in the 19th century when the greater portion of the waters or the shores of what is today called the Gulf of Mexico touched parts of the United States of America," said Griffith. "We're all part of North America. "This is the great North American continent, and we're naming it Gulf of America."

"In short, this legislation recognizes the strategic influence America has over this geography, not to mention the existing economic, cultural, and commercial might that we passively exert on the Gulf," said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, a Trump ally and an influential voice in the Republican conference who wore a red "Make American Great Again" hat during last year's State of the Union address.

"The Gulf of America is one of the most important things we can do this Congress," Greene said, adding that it promotes pride in the country.

The Gulf of Mexico name has endured for more than 400 years.

The GOP leadership in the House promoted the legislation during a news conference earlier in the week.

"The American people are footing the bill to protect and secure the Gulf of America. It's only right that it's named appropriately," said House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan.

Several Democrats spoke out against the bill on the House floor.

Rep. George Latimer, D-New York, said that "instead of mind-bending tariffs, giveaways to billionaires, and renaming bodies of water, we should be voting on bills that lower costs for the average family."

"No one is clamoring for a newly named body of water," Latimer said. "They want lower grocery bills."

The Associated Press contributed reporting.