Michigan GOP introduce bill mandating ‘Gulf of America’ for state references
Republicans in the Michigan state legislature introduced a bill last month that would require all state references to the “Gulf of Mexico” to be changed to the “Gulf of America.”
Republicans in the Michigan state legislature introduced a bill last month that would require all state references to the “Gulf of Mexico” to be changed to the “Gulf of America.”
House Bill 4244 was introduced by state Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford) on March 19. According to the bill’s text, it would “modify the utilization of certain terms by public bodies,” which are defined as a “department, board, commission, office, agency or other unit of state.”
State Rep. Matt Maddock (R) has a new bill to require Michigan agencies to use the name Gulf of America, beginning July 4. https://t.co/97BOkgGQoZ pic.twitter.com/KMq0gxVmdy
— Craig Mauger (@CraigDMauger) March 19, 2025
President Donald Trump has made renaming the body of water an area of focus in the early days of his second administration, signing an executive order on Jan. 20 directing the interior secretary to adopt the new name. Trump also declared Feb. 9, 2025 “Gulf of America Day.”
A Marquette University Poll released on Feb. 12 found that 71% of respondents opposed the renaming effort, with other polls from Harvard CAPS-Harris and YouGov finding similar results.
Despite the unpopularity, two Michigan state representatives from competitive districts —Ron Robinson (R-Utica) and Jaime Greene (R-Richmond) — are cosponsors on the legislation. Robinson won reelection last November by just 2,986 votes. Robinson and Greene did not respond to a request to comment for this story.
