Latest news with #GulfofAmericaAct
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mexico sues Google over ‘Gulf of America' label change
Mexico has sued technology company Google over its decision to update its maps platforms to match President Trump's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Friday. Sheinbaum told reporters Friday that a suit was filed against Google but did not provide further details, The Associated Press reported. Google did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. The reported lawsuit makes good on Sheinbaum's threat from February, shortly after Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico on his first day in office. Shortly after the order, the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) made the change official, prompting Google Maps to follow suit for U.S. users. Currently, those in the U.S. only see the label Gulf of America on the map while users in Mexico see the name as Gulf of Mexico. Those elsewhere see the label 'Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).' Sheinbaum's announcement comes one day after House Republicans took the first step in codifying the executive order to rename the body of water. The legislation, titled the Gulf of America Act, cleared the House in a 211-206 vote and now heads to the Senate, where its future looks murky. At least seven Democrats would need to join all Republicans in supporting the legislation. Amid the backlash earlier this year, Google maintained it has a long-standing practice of applying name changes when they are updated in official government sources, like the GNIS. In a case where official names vary between nations, Google's policy states users will see their official local names. Sheinbaum argues Trump's executive order only applied to the area of the continental shelf under U.S. control. 'What Google is doing here is changing the name of the continental shelf of Mexico and Cuba, which has nothing to do with Trump's decree, which applied only to the U.S. continental shelf,' Sheinbaum said in February. According to Sovereign Limits, a database of international boundaries, the U.S. has control over about 46 percent of the Gulf, while Mexico controls about 49 percent and Cuba about 5 percent. Mexico's foreign relations ministry sent letters to Google earlier this year, urging the company not to implement the changes. In February, Sheinbaum shared Google's response from its vice president of government affairs and public policy, Cris Turner, who said the company will not change its policy after Trump signed the order, the AP reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Mexico sues Google over ‘Gulf of America' label change
Mexico has sued technology company Google over its decision to update its maps platforms to match President Trump's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America,' Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Friday. Sheinbaum told reporters on Friday that a suit was filed against Google, but did not provide further details, the Associated Press reported. Google did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. The reported suit makes good on Sheinbaum's threat from February, shortly after Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico on his first day in office. Shortly after the order, the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) made the change official, prompting Google Maps to follow suit for U.S. users. Currently, those in the U.S. only see the label 'Gulf of America' on the map while users in Mexico see the name as 'Gulf of Mexico.' Those elsewhere see the label 'Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America.' Sheinbaum's announcement comes one day after House Republicans took the first step in codifying the executive order to rename the body of water. The legislation, titled the 'Gulf of America Act,' cleared the House in a 211-206 vote and now heads to Senate, where its future looks murky. At least seven Democrats would need to join all Republicans in supporting the legislation. Amid the backlash earlier this year, Google maintained it has a long-standing practice of applying name changes when they are updated in official government sources, like the GNIS. In a case where official names vary between nations, Google's policy states users will see their official local names. Sheinbaum argues Trump's executive order only applied to the area of the continental shelf under U.S. control. 'What Google is doing here is changing the name of the continental shelf of Mexico and Cuba, which has nothing to do with Trump's decree, which applied only to the U.S. continental shelf,' Sheinbaum said in February. According to Sovereign Limits, a database of international boundaries, the U.S. has control over about 46 percent of the Gulf, while Mexico controls about 49 percent and Cuba about 5 percent. Mexico's Foreign Relations ministry sent letters to Google earlier this year, urging the company not to implement the changes. In February, Sheinbaum shared Google's response from its vice president of government affairs and public policy, Cris Turner, who said the company will not change its policy after Trump signed the order, the AP reported.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MTG's Gulf of America Act passed by U.S. House, moves on to Senate
The Brief The U.S. House passed the Gulf of America Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." The legislation would require federal agencies to update maps and documents with the new name, formalizing an executive order by President Donald Trump. Critics, including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, argue the bill is a distraction from pressing economic issues; the measure now moves to the Senate. WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a controversial bill that would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." What we know The legislation, known as the Gulf of America Act, was introduced by Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and would require all federal agencies to update maps and official documents to reflect the new name. RELATED:Marjorie Taylor Greene talks 2026 run, women's sports bill, gulf name change The bill aims to solidify an earlier executive order issued by President Donald Trump. It passed the House on Thursday and now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain. RELATED: Google Maps will show 'Gulf of America,' 'Mount McKinley' after government updates What they're saying Critics, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, questioned the bill's timing and priorities. "It's extraordinary that this is the top of the Republican agenda at a time when they are crashing the economy and hurting everyday Americans, raising costs and driving us toward a recession," Jeffries said. What's next The Senate has not yet scheduled a vote on the bill.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill renaming Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America passes US House, on way to GOP-led Senate
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that backs President Donald Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, sponsored the Gulf of America Act, which was also backed by GOP leadership. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, was the only Republican lawmaker to vote with Democrats against the bill on May 8. It passed 211-206 and is now up for consideration in the GOP-majority Senate. There are 45 Democrats, 53 Republicans and two Independents in the chamber. It will require 60 votes to become law. If passed, the law will require federal agencies to use Gulf of America when talking about the body of water for "any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States." Trump made the move to rename the gulf in an executive order signed on his first day in office. He also changed the name of Denali, a mountain in Alaska, back to Mount McKinley. (The president later designated Feb. 9 the "first ever" Gulf of America Day, saying there should be celebrations.) It's not the first time someone has tried to rebrand the area. A Mississippi lawmaker had a failed attempt to rename it the Gulf of America more than a decade ago. Trump's name changes will only apply to maps in the United States of America, and the Trump administration is working to enforce use of the gulf's updated name. The White House has kept Associated Press reporters from events in an ongoing battle over the organization's refusal to use Trump's preferred name for the body of water off the southern coast of the U.S. The United States and Google and Apple already officially updated maps to the Gulf of America. Here's what we know about the name change and how it's been handled so far. 'We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring,' Trump said in a Jan. 7 news conference at his his Florida home at Mar-a-Lago. 'That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name. And it's appropriate.' Changes created under the "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness" executive order signed Jan. 20 were to go into effect within 30 days, according to the text. In 2012, Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, introduced a bill at the state level to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America.' Holland reportedly said he was poking fun at anti-immigration talking points. The bill was unsuccessful. In the U.S., the U.S. Board on Geographic Names determines what places go on government maps. It uses local names and often uses one preferred by the most people locally. The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names helps countries standardize names similarly at the global level. Short answer, no. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has said they will ignore it. She threatened legal action against Google over the move in February. 'If a country wants to change the designation of something in the sea, it would only apply up to 12 nautical miles. It cannot apply to the rest, in this case, the Gulf of Mexico. This is what we explained in detail to Google,' she said in a January news conference. Every country doesn't have to agree to the same names. There are workarounds. If two or more countries use different names for a body of water, Google Earth uses both and designates which country prefers each option. For example, South Korea's East Sea and Japan's Sea of Japan are the same area. Contributing: Sudiksha Kochi Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: House passes bill to back Trump, rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans advance bill to formally rename ‘Gulf of America'
WASHINGTON — The House advanced a proposal to formally rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in all federal documents, marking the first of President Donald Trump's executive orders to be voted on by Congress. Lawmakers voted 211-206 along party lines to approve the Gulf of America Act, which was introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., earlier this year. The bill would require federal agencies to adopt the name change and refer to the Gulf of America in any 'law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record.' 'OUR military defends its waters, OUR business owners support its economy, & the AMERICAN PEOPLE fund its protection,' Greene said in a post on X after the bill passed. 'This is one of President Trump's MANY executive orders that needs to be codified into law. I now urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass this bill and send it straight to President Trump's desk!' The bill passed with nearly unanimous Republican support, with only one GOP lawmaker voting against: Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it's unclear if it can gain enough Democratic support to pass. The Gulf of America Act comes in response to an executive order issued by Trump on his first day in office to formally rename the oceanic basin situated in the southeast region of the country. Trump cited the gulf's 'flourishing' economic advantages as a main reason to rename the gulf, arguing it holds 'critical importance to our Nation's economy and its people.' Still, the proposed name change has not been without controversy. Shortly after Trump's executive order was issued, The Associated Press announced it would continue with its traditional style to refer to the basin as the Gulf of Mexico, although the outlet noted it would mention Trump's order. However, the Trump administration denounced that style decision, even going so far as to block The Associated Press from covering White House events inside the Oval Office and on Air Force One. A judge has since ruled that The Associated Press' access must be restored but the Trump administration has appealed that ruling.
