SCOOP: Trump ally’s Gulf of America bill sparks frustration in House GOP
A scheduled vote on making President Donald Trump’s Gulf of America name change permanent is causing some heartburn within the House GOP conference.
Multiple House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital said they were frustrated by House GOP leaders’ decision to spend time voting on what they saw as a largely symbolic gesture in an otherwise light legislative week. It comes as GOP negotiators work behind the scenes to iron out divisions on Medicaid, tax policy and green energy subsidies in time to pass Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ by the Fourth of July.
‘This is a time where we should be in our districts, going to graduations, making sure that we’re listening to folks who have tariff issues,’ a more moderate GOP lawmaker, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital.
‘Instead, we’re going to spend time doing this… it’s frustrating for somebody who’s got a lot of pragmatic legislation, waiting in the queue to be heard. Instead, we’re doing posture bills. It’s not what I came here to do.’
But the frustration is not limited to moderate and mainstream Republicans. One conservative GOP lawmaker vented to Fox News Digital, ‘125 other [executive orders], this is the one we pick.’
‘Folks are upset that we’re not doing something more important,’ the conservative lawmaker said.
Two sources familiar with House Republicans’ whip team meeting said at least three GOP lawmakers aired concerns about the bill — Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Glenn Grothman, R-Wis.
One of the sources described their sentiments as, ‘They just think it’s kind of frivolous or not serious.’
‘I’ve heard criticisms from all corners of the conference. Conservatives to pragmatic ones,’ Bacon told Fox News Digital. ‘It seems sophomoric. The United States is bigger and better than this.’
Bacon is among the Republicans pushing hard for a restrained hand on Medicaid cuts in Trump’s multitrillion-dollar bill, while other GOP lawmakers are pushing for more significant cuts.
Grothman would not confirm or deny his concerns, telling Fox News Digital, ‘That’s behind-the-scenes stuff.’
Obernolte’s office did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
While the concerns have not come from a large number of the overall conference, any degree of defections is significant with the GOP’s razor-thin House majority.
With all lawmakers present in the chamber, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can currently lose up to three votes to still pass something along party lines.
It’s also a sign of Trump’s continued dominance on Capitol Hill starting to wear on some Republican lawmakers.
It’s not clear that the lawmakers who expressed concerns will vote against the final bill, however, particularly with pressure from House GOP leaders.
A third House Republican who spoke with Fox News Digital anonymously acknowledged the frustrations, but nevertheless said, ‘It’s not the hill to die on.’
Meanwhile, Trump allies have defended the bill as a core part of the president’s agenda. Trump himself has touted his ‘Gulf of America’ name change several times, and even proclaimed Feb. 9 to be ‘Gulf of America Day.’
It’s worth noting that congressional Republicans have passed several bills promoting Trump’s agenda already, including resolutions to roll back key Biden administration policies.
The budget reconciliation package, Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ is GOP negotiators’ current priority.
The Gulf of America Act was introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a top Trump ally.
When reached for comment on some GOP lawmakers’ concerns, Greene told Fox News Digital, ‘Codifying the rightful renaming of the Gulf of America isn’t just a priority for me and President Trump, it’s a priority for the American people. American taxpayers fund its protection, our military defends its waters, and American businesses fuel its economy. My bill advances President Trump’s America First agenda.’
‘If certain moderate Republicans want to start elsewhere, where do they suggest?’ she continued. ‘I have bills ready for all of it. But let’s be clear, we should be voting to codify every single executive order President Trump issues.’
The House is also voting on a bill this week cracking down on Chinese influence in the U.S. through Confucious Institutes.
The bill is currently slated to get a vote on Thursday morning, and Johnson promoted it during his House GOP leadership press conference on Tuesday.
‘We’re going to pass Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill to permanently rename the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America. And then we’re going to codify dozens more of President Trump’s budget-related executive orders, spending-related executive orders through the budget reconciliation process,’ the speaker said.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., posted on X in response to the speaker, ‘This will be a tremendous economic driver for my district. Families across the country will flock to the Florida Panhandle to be the FIRST to enjoy the Gulf of AMERICA!’
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.