Senate Bill 1717 ( SB 1717 ) and Senate Joint Resolution 63 ( SJR 63 ), both introduced by Republican Senator Mayes Middleton of Galveston, were the subject of my testimony before the Texas Senate on Monday. In this bill, the phrase” Gulf of Mexico” is removed from Texas rules and the Texas Constitution and replaced with” Gulf of America.”
It’s a wise and nationalist choice. With its robust democracy and 367 km of coastline, Texas is the ideal position to lead the charge. Put Sen. Donna Campbell’s SB 1410 to this Lone Star combination of common feeling.
Let’s get to the why. The” Gulf of Mexico” is a sandy remnant of Spanish colonialism, a name that settlers like Hernán Cortés slapped on drawings after toppling the Aztecs in 1521. Yes, it persisted; in 1554 Giovanni Battista Ramusio incorporated it into topographic history, but that was a half-millennium back. Since then, Texas has become a major financial hub thanks to the United States. Why should we continue to use the title for a fading dynasty when America’s legacy is what is important right now?
President Donald J. Trump made the right decision on January 20 when he renamed the U.S. Continental Shelf region of this sea the” Gulf of America” with Executive Order 14172. Trump made the perfect statement in his Feb. 9 statement for the first” Gulf of America Day”:” This area has long been an integral part of our when burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America. He is correct in no way. This coast has been more about America’s future than it has been about Mexico’s history since Texas joined the Union in 1845. This national press is not just symbolic; it is also a reputation of reality.
The evidence is solid in the figures. The United States is the world’s biggest economy superstar, the Gulf of America. Trade through Gulf Coast slots like Houston, New Orleans, and Mobile surpassed$ 550 billion in 2023. Think of refined items, petrochemicals, and fuel. Compare Altamira, Tampico, Tuxpan, Coatzacoalcos, Mexico’s south coast ports, which combined brought in$ 157.500 billion in trade. Yes, U.S. Gulf industry is 3.5 days bigger. America’s backbone is not Mexico’s; it is America’s.
The Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ ), where nations assert their claims under international law, is another. The Gulf, which accounts for 45 % of its entire area, is governed by the United States, which controls 268, 341 square miles of it. Mexico leads us slightly ( 48 % ), while Cuba lags behind with 31 394 square miles, while Mexico has 285, 716 square miles ( 48 % ). The relaxation? Unused “doughnut holes” in international lakes. No one has control over the lot, but America has a sizable play, and Texas, with its towering coast, supports that declare. It’s arithmetic to call it the” Gulf of America,” not pride.
There is precedence everywhere in history. Nation names landscape in order to indicate power and identification. The Malvinas of Argentina are the South. Depending on who is speaking, the Persian Gulf changes into the Arabian Gulf. South Korea pushes” East Sea” over” Sea of Japan” in Japan. Yet the English Channel changes its name to” La Manche” across the network. With over 100 for dual-name problems occurring globally, Texas’s change from” Gulf of Mexico” to” Gulf of America” is not at all extreme. It is customary.
Simple rules apply to SJR 63 and SB 1717. The” Gulf of America Statutory Language Initiative,” or” Gulf of America Statutory Language Initiative,” is the name change that the bill makes in Texas statutes to reflect the change. Citizens on Nov. 4, 2025, will be able to vote on a constitutional amendment in the decision.
Together, they’re a one-two blow to upgrade Texas law and align it with Trump’s perspective.
Critics may yell foul, citing” history.” Allow them. Although tradition didn’t prevent us from taming the boundary or exploding the fuel that supplies the world. The Gulf of America is more than just a body of water; it is also a testament to Texas perseverance, American ingenuity, and the defeat of the free market.
Writing the following paragraph is not about erasing record; it’s about writing the second paragraph. The Gulf of America embodies who we are now: a country that rules its life rather than one bound to a map of the 16th century. This rename this gulf in honor of the nation and the condition that made it wonderful. America is anxious.
