Democrat Rep. Maxine Dibert has offered a bill that is being fast-tracked through the House Rules Committee, asking President Donald Trump to change his mind on the restoration of the name of Alaska’s tallest mountain.
In his first week in office, Trump reversed the name change that had been one of Democrat President Barack Obama’s executive actions in 2015.
According to Dibert, it should be up to Alaskans and not the federal government or the president what the name of the geographic features are in the state, even if those features are on federal land.
“Denali is the traditional Koyukon Athabaskan name for the tallest mountain in North America; and … the name Denali is deeply ingrained in the state’s culture and identity,” she says in her resolution.
In addition, “President McKinley, after whom the mountain was previously named, never visited the mountain and has no significant historical connection to the mountain or to the state,” her resolution says.
President Trump’s order is already signed and even the Associated Press, a liberal news organization, has acknowledged the name change is now law. Thus, the effort by the Democrat from Fairbanks is largely symbolic and intended to force legislators to take a vote on something that has little to do with the state’s economy, budget, infrastructure, or educational outcomes.
The Alaska House and Senate, although they have more Republicans than Democrats, are ruled by Democrats with the help of turncoat Republicans who abandoned their party to join with the Democrats and form a majority. The resolution requires no action from the governor and would be sent to the Trump Administration and the Alaska congressional delegation, if it passes.
Read the resolution in full at this link.
