Gov. Abbott recognizes the ‘Gulf of America.’ Many Texas websites still say ‘Gulf of Mexico’
A Star-Telegram analysis shows many Texas agencies have yet to comply with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order requiring the federal government to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
We surveyed several Texas official websites and found that none have made an official update to the waterway’s original name.
State lawmakers have noticed the inactivity, however.
Rep. Briscoe Cain, R- Deer Park, argued that “For too long, we have referred to the body of water bordering our great state as the Gulf of Mexico — when in reality, it belongs to America,” in a statement posted to scial media site X on Jan. 29.
Cain recently introduced House Bill 2246, a measure mandating that all Texas state agencies and political subdivisions change their websites, regulations, and documentation to “apply ‘Gulf of America’ by April 2026.”
“Texas must lead the charge in affirming our national identity and rejecting the globalist mindset that seeks to diminish our greatness,” Cain’s statement said.
Another bill mandating the official name change to Gulf of America, Senate Bill 1410, was filed by Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, on Feb. 19.
Only a few internal legislative tools, like legislative bill-tracking portals, show the new terminology in the meantime.
Major state agencies like the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Texas General Land Office continue to use the Gulf of Mexico name in their content online.
Are there any consequences for not complying with the name change?
Without a binding state law, agencies are under no formal obligation to change their official language — and changing every reference on Texas’ multiple state agency websites could take a while.
However, Gov. Greg Abbott did recognize the name change in a post on X on Feb. 12.
“There it is. Officially recognized by the state of Texas,” he posted.
Numerous big tech companies with map functions —such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft—have changed their platforms to say “Gulf of America,” citing their responsibility to follow the Geographic Names Information System, which lists the official names of places, features, and areas in the 50 states.
This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM.
