Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) announced plans Thursday to introduce legislation aimed at reversing a new executive order that renames Lake Ontario to "Lake America." The proposed one-page "Hands Off Our Great Lakes Act" would mandate that the renaming order have no legal force and would restore the original name of the water body. Dingell stated that the bill will be formally introduced on Monday.
The legislative move follows President Trump’s signing of an executive order on Thursday to rename the lake, which is positioned between New York and Canada. The president described the action as effective immediately, though the order includes administrative steps for federal agencies to follow. The change comes during a period of heightened trade tension, after the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on various Canadian goods following a breakdown in negotiations.
The executive order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a database used to standardize geographic names for federal government use. While the president cannot compel international bodies or other nations to adopt the new name, federal agencies are required to use the standardized names provided by the GNIS. President Trump stated the renaming was a response to trade difficulties with Canada, describing the country as "the worst to deal with on trade."
For residents and local governments, the renaming would primarily be noticed in federal documentation, maps, and official communications from the U.S. government. While the federal mandate applies only to government entities, some private businesses adopted the "Gulf of America" name following a similar executive order for the Gulf of Mexico last year. The conflict has also drawn internal political opposition; Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) characterized the tariffs on Canada as a mistake earlier this week.
The next steps for the "Hands Off Our Great Lakes Act" involve its formal introduction in the House of Representatives on Monday. Meanwhile, the trade conflict is scheduled to escalate on September 8, when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to implement matching taxes on U.S. goods. It is currently not reported when the federal government will complete the administrative updates to its geographic naming databases or how many private entities will voluntarily adopt the new name for the lake.