Utah state lawmakers advance bill naming highway after Trump

A bill to name a highway in southern Utah after President Trump was approved by a committee of Utah state legislators on Monday, according to multiple reports.

State Rep. Michael Noel (R) on Thursday introduced the bill, which would rename the National Parks Highway the “Donald J. Trump Utah National Parks Highway” to recognize the president’s decision in December to shrink the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.

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“This is a president who actually delivered on his promises. He has done great things for the state of Utah,” Noel said, according to Deseret News.

The panel advanced the bill on a 9-2 vote, the newspaper reported.

Noel said he expects to face some opposition from Democrats and the public.

“Normally, we reserve commemorations like this for people who have served the country well and ably and for a long period of time,” Democratic House Minority Whip Joel Briscoe said, according to KTAR News. “I don’t think that fits this president.”

Trump’s announcement on the monuments drew the ire of environmental groups and Native American tribes, and the action is currently being challenged in federal court.

The Sierra Club, which has been highly critical of the president, said Trump isn’t worthy of the highway being named after him, The Associated Press reported.

If the bill becomes law, the president’s name would be featured on road signs and future state maps.