President Donald Trump’s surprise directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America set off confusion and internal turmoil at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the agency responsible for managing geographic names, according to a new report from NOTUS.
Trump announced the name change on January 7, just weeks before his second inauguration. The announcement triggered a flood of media inquiries to the USGS, but agency staff were told to go completely silent.
In an internal message reviewed by NOTUS, Michael Tischler, who heads the USGS National Geospatial Program, told employees that the public affairs office had issued a strict gag order: “I don’t mean ‘no comment at this time’ — I mean do not respond at all.”
Even agency leadership appeared to be in the dark. Tischler himself questioned how the renaming would work in practice, asking the State Department in an email whether the change applied to the entire body of water or just part of it.
USGS officials also reached out to the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, after reporters began pressing the UN for its position on the change. The group considered issuing a statement but ultimately did not, according to NOTUS.
Journalists Left in the Dark
The USGS’s refusal to comment led to sharp criticism from press advocates. Caroline Hendrie, executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists, accused the agency of deliberately stonewalling.
“It’s unacceptable for public officials, especially those in taxpayer-funded communication roles, to simply ignore journalists’ questions,” she told NOTUS.
In response to the backlash, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees USGS, defended the agency, saying it had followed protocol by referring all questions to department leadership.
“The suggestion that USGS staff acted improperly or withheld information is categorically false,” the spokesperson said.
Interior Department spokeswoman Alyse Sharpe later called the NOTUS reporting “flawed and misleading,” adding that while USGS regularly shares public feedback with department leadership, it’s neither “practical nor standard” to respond to every individual inquiry.
Congress Weighs In
Although Trump made the renaming official via executive order, some Republican lawmakers are now trying to codify it into law.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a bill that would require federal agencies to update all maps and documents to reflect the new name within six months. The bill passed the House in May on a party-line vote, with only one Republican — Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska — voting against it. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it’s unlikely to advance due to strong Democratic opposition.
More Renaming Moves by Trump
The Gulf of Mexico isn’t the only landmark targeted by Trump. In a separate move this January, he signed an executive order to revert Denali, North America’s tallest mountain, back to its previous name, Mount McKinley — a name honoring President William McKinley, who never visited Alaska.
The Associated Press noted that McKinley was born in Ohio and served as president from 1897 until his assassination in 1901.
As Trump’s naming directives stir both legal and diplomatic questions, federal agencies, journalists, and international groups are left grappling with the implications — and the fallout continues.
