The White House is aiming to derail Democratic lawmakers who are trying to derail House GOP efforts to make President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico permanent.
The House Rules Committee, which is the final step before a bill goes to the full House for a vote, is reviewing a bill that seeks to solidify Trump’s decision to stop referring to the body of water off the U.S. Southeast coast as the Gulf of Mexico.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly criticized Democrats, accusing them of letting their “Trump Derangement Syndrome” influence their efforts to block the President’s agenda.
Kelly told Fox News Digital, “Democrats are so obsessed with obstructing the President’s agenda that they will always put America last.”
She continued, “As President Trump said, the Gulf of America has long been an integral asset to our nation. All future generations should be able to recognize this beautiful body of water as a symbol of American greatness.”
Despite the White House’s support, four Democratic lawmakers have introduced amendments aimed at reversing or modifying the legislation, though they are unlikely to pass due to the Republican majority in the committee.
One of the amendments, led by Rep. Jared Huffman of California, would reverse a similar Trump decision to rename Mt. McKinley in Alaska.
This move follows a previous executive order by President Barack Obama, who renamed the mountain Mt. Denali to honor the name originally given by the area’s indigenous people. Trump’s executive order earlier this year restored the name Mt. McKinley.
Another amendment, submitted by Rep. Darren Soto of Florida, seeks to restrict Trump’s ability to issue oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf region.
Rep. Maxine Dexter from Oregon has also introduced an amendment that would prevent the Trump administration from retaliating against news organizations that continue to refer to the region as the Gulf of Mexico.
This follows an incident earlier this year when the White House blocked access for an Associated Press journalist after the outlet continued using the Gulf’s former name, even after Trump’s executive order. A federal judge ruled that the White House had to reverse this decision last month.
The fourth amendment, led by Rep. Luz Rivas from California, would delay the name change until the Department of the Interior completes an assessment to determine if the change would benefit the economy.
In response, Rivas called the Gulf of America renaming a “vanity project” that “accomplishes nothing,” arguing that it distracts from real issues such as healthcare costs and housing affordability.
Rivas also pointed out that millions of Americans are struggling due to Trump’s economic policies, and Republicans in Congress have yet to present a proposal to address these challenges.
The bill to make Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of America permanent is expected to be voted on later this week. It is part of a series of legislative efforts by House Republicans to make several of Trump’s executive orders permanent, and it’s one of the first actions taken by Trump during his second term.
The remaining three Democratic offices contacted by Fox News Digital for comment had not responded by press time.
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