Sponsors (2)
The bill standardizes federal usage of the name 'Persian Gulf' to reduce inconsistency and avoid renaming expenses, at the cost of limiting executive flexibility, risking diplomatic friction, and imposing modest administrative compliance costs.
Federal employees and agencies will use a single, specified name — 'Persian Gulf' — which reduces inconsistency across U.S. maps, documents, and communications.
Taxpayers are less likely to fund official renaming efforts or extensive reprinting/renaming projects because federal funds are prevented from being used to change the name.
Federal executives and agencies lose flexibility to update geographic nomenclature or respond quickly to diplomatic or geopolitical changes without new congressional action.
U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic relations could be strained if allies, partners, or regional actors use different names, potentially complicating coordination and creating friction.
Agencies may incur administrative costs to review and update records and systems to ensure compliance with the mandated name, imposing modest costs on agencies and, indirectly, taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires federal funds and official U.S. records to refer to the body of water only as the "Persian Gulf," unless Congress expressly authorizes another name.
Official title: To prohibit the use of Federal funds to rename the Persian Gulf, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 13, 2025 by Yassamin Ansari · Last progress May 13, 2025
Prohibits use of federal funds to rename the Persian Gulf and requires that all official U.S. laws, maps, regulations, documents, and records refer to it as the “Persian Gulf” unless Congress explicitly authorizes a different name. Establishes the short title "Persian Gulf Act."