Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger helped introduced the Preserve Geographic Names Act, which will dissolve the Board on Geographic Names at the Department of the Interior (DOI).
The bill, which was introduced last week, was in response to their recent focus of renaming geographic landmarks across the country that they deem “offensive” or “insensitive”.
The Board on Geographic Names is part of the U.S. Geographical Survey at the DOI and is charged with coordinating uniform names for geographical landmarks and elements across the country, including unincorporated towns.
According to Harshbarger’s report, upon being named Secretary of the Interior, DOI Secretary Deb Haaland politicized the Board of Geographic Names to promote the Biden administration’s woke agenda through her naming commission.
The Preserve Geographic Names Act would rein in Secretary Haaland and other woke bureaucrat’s abilities to rename and reshape our East Tennessee communities, as they did when they renamed the town of Squawberry in Carter County to ‘Partridgeberry’.
“The Biden administration has no business meddling in the names of our towns and our heritage in East Tennessee,” said Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger. “This administration has proven it is incapable of operating this naming commission, or any other government agency, without incorporating their extreme agenda. It’s past time we eliminate politicized government offices like the Board on Geographic Names and take action to preserve our history and values.”
The legislation has been endorsed by local government officials in Tennessee, including Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby.
“The citizens in our communities are proud of their rich history and the heritage of all who have inhabited these lands,” said Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby. These are our communities, our heritage, and our beliefs. The federal government has no place telling us to change the names of roads or communities in our counties. Local government and its leaders that are elected by the people should always represent to people and their voices, not some bureaucratic board.”
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://harshbarger.house.gov/media/in-the-news/harshbarger-co-sponsors-bill-preserve-american-history-1