A North Carolina congressman is continuing in his quest to rename the Department of the Navy, reports the Jacksonville Daily News.
U.S. Rep. Walter Jones has been trying to rebrand the department as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps since 2001, according to the Daily News.
Sixteen years later, the rebranding is included as an amendment to the House Armed Services Committee's version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018. Jones is a member of the committee.
"The Marine Corps is an equal member of this department, and therefore, deserves equal recognition in its title," Jones said in a statement.
Not all of Jones' constituents are in favor of the name change, however. Some see it as merely a symbolic change and an empty gesture that won't impact the relationship between the Navy and the Marines.
"Why change the name? What does it achieve? At the end, I can't think of anything that would improve the stature of the Marine Corps," Retired Marine Col. Pete Grimes, who lives in Jones' district, told the Daily News.
The House is expected to vote on the defense bill later this month, said Jones.
