Persian Gulf Act

The Persian Gulf Act, introduced in the House on May 13, 2025 by Ms. Ansari, would prevent the U.S. federal government from using or distributing funds to rename the Persian Gulf. It also would require that no federal law, map, regulation, document, or other official record refer to the body of water by any name other than “Persian Gulf” unless Congress explicitly authorizes a different name. In short, the bill seeks to preserve the current name in all federal usage and to put a Ministerial-level constraint on any renaming, effectively giving Congress control over any proposed changes to the name in federal records. Potential impact includes tighter control over naming in all federally funded or produced materials and records, potentially affecting federal agencies, contractors, and any official documentation or mapping that would otherwise use an alternate name. The bill does not address private sector usage or non-federal naming outside of official U.S. records.