Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 20 / Friday, January 31, 2025 / Presidential Documents 8629 

Executive Order 14172 of January 20, 2025 

Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness 

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the 

laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: 

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. It is in the national interest to promote 

the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of 

American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. The naming 

of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic 

works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic 

Americans in our Nation’s rich past. 

Sec. 2. Appointments to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. (a) Within 

seven days of the date of this order, each agency head with authority 

to appoint members to the Board on Geographic Names (Board) pursuant 

to 43 U.S.C. 364a, shall review their respective appointees and consider 

replacing those appointees in accordance with applicable law. 

(b) The Secretary of the Interior shall review and consider additional 

appointments to the Board to assist in fulfilling all aspects of this order, 

subject to all applicable laws. 

(c) With respect to all applications for naming and renaming submitted 

to the newly constituted Board, the Board shall advance the policy established in section 1 of this order to honor the contributions of visionary 

and patriotic Americans and may update its principles, policies, and procedures as needed to achieve this policy. 

(d) Where Congressional action is required to establish a renaming in 

public law, following Board approval on renaming, the Board shall provide 

guidance to all relevant Federal agencies to use the Board-approved name 

in the interim in federal documents and achieve consistency across the 

federal government. 

Sec. 3. Renaming of Mount McKinley. (a) President William McKinley, the 

25th President of the United States, heroically led our Nation to victory 

in the Spanish-American War. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of 

territorial gains for the Nation. President McKinley championed tariffs to 

protect U.S. manufacturing, boost domestic production, and drive U.S. industrialization and global reach to new heights. He was tragically assassinated 

in an attack on our Nation’s values and our success, and he should be 

honored for his steadfast commitment to American greatness. 

In 1917, the country officially honored President McKinley through the 

naming of North America’s highest peak. Yet after nearly a century, President 

Obama’s administration, in 2015, stripped the McKinley name from federal 

nomenclature, an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements, 

and his sacrifice. 

This order honors President McKinley for giving his life for our great Nation 

and dutifully recognizes his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests 

and generating enormous wealth for all Americans. 

(b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior 

shall, consistent with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f, reinstate the name ‘‘Mount 

McKinley.’’ The Secretary shall subsequently update the Geographic Names 

Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming and reinstatement of 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PRESDOC-E1
8630 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 20 / Friday, January 31, 2025 / Presidential Documents 

Mount McKinley. The national park area surrounding Mount McKinley shall 

retain the name Denali National Park and Preserve. 

(c) The Secretary of the Interior shall work with Alaska Native entities 

and state and local organizations to adopt names for landmarks to honor 

the history and culture of the Alaskan people. 

Sec. 4. Gulf of America. (a) The area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico 

has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has 

remained an indelible part of America. The Gulf was a crucial artery for 

America’s early trade and global commerce. It is the largest gulf in the 

world, and the United States coastline along this remarkable body of water 

spans over 1,700 miles and contains nearly 160 million acres. Its natural 

resources and wildlife remain central to America’s economy today. The 

bountiful geology of this basin has made it one of the most prodigious 

oil and gas regions in the world, providing roughly 14% of our Nation’s 

crude-oil production and an abundance of natural gas, and consistently 

driving new and innovative technologies that have allowed us to tap into 

some of the deepest and richest oil reservoirs in the world. The Gulf is 

also home to vibrant American fisheries teeming with snapper, shrimp, 

grouper, stone crab, and other species, and it is recognized as one of the 

most productive fisheries in the world, with the second largest volume 

of commercial fishing landings by region in the Nation, contributing millions 

of dollars to local American economies. The Gulf is also a favorite destination 

for American tourism and recreation activities. Further, the Gulf is a vital 

region for the multi-billion-dollar U.S. maritime industry, providing some 

of the largest and most impressive ports in the world. The Gulf will continue 

to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, 

and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical 

importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that 

it officially be renamed the Gulf of America. 

(b) As such, within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary 

of the Interior shall, consistent with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f, take all 

appropriate actions to rename as the ‘‘Gulf of America’’ the U.S. Continental 

Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the States 

of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and extending to 

the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba in the area formerly named 

as the Gulf of Mexico. The Secretary shall subsequently update the GNIS 

to reflect the renaming of the Gulf and remove all references to the Gulf 

of Mexico from the GNIS, consistent with applicable law. The Board shall 

provide guidance to ensure all federal references to the Gulf of America, 

including on agency maps, contracts, and other documents and communications shall reflect its renaming. 

Sec. 5. Additional Action. The Secretary of Interior may solicit public and 

intergovernmental input regarding additional patriots to honor, particularly 

in light of America’s semiquincentennial celebration, and shall recommend 

action to me, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. 

Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed 

to impair or otherwise affect: 

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, 

or the head thereof; or 

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 

relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. 

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and 

subject to the availability of appropriations. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PRESDOC-E1
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 20 / Friday, January 31, 2025 / Presidential Documents 8631 

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, 

substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party 

against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, 

employees, or agents, or any other person. 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

January 20, 2025. 

[FR Doc. 2025–02096 

Filed 1–30–25; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PRESDOC-E1Trump.EPS</GPH>