Rep. Austin Scott Urges Renaming Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America

House Resolution 377: Rule for Two Bills

• 📜 The House is debating a rule (House Resolution 377) for two pieces of legislation: HR276 and HR881.
• ⏱️ All time yielded during this debate is strictly for discussion purposes.

HR276: The Gulf of America Act

• 🌊 This act permanently renames the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
• ✍️ It directs federal agencies to update all official documents and maps to reflect this new name.
• 🏛️ The renaming is being enacted using the U.S. Congress's Article One authority to acknowledge the Gulf's importance to the country.

HR881: DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes

• 🇨🇳 This bill addresses concerns regarding Confucius Institutes and Chinese entities of concern.
• 🏫 Confucius Institutes, established in 2004, were marketed for cultural exchange but are now understood to be part of a global influence campaign for espionage and intellectual property theft by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
• 💰 US universities have collected over $3 billion from entities connected to the People's Republic of China and the CCP.
• 🚫 HR881 bans eligibility for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding for institutions with ties to Confucius Institutes, Thousand Talents Program, or other Chinese entities of concern, until these relationships are terminated.
• 🤝 The bill is expected to pass in a bipartisan manner.