House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he is "deeply disappointed" with President Obama's decision to use executive power to change the name of Alaska's Mount McKinley to Mount Denali.
"There is a reason President McKinley's name has served atop the highest peak in North America for more than 100 years, and that is because it is a testament to his great legacy," Boehner said in a statement issued Sunday night, reported The Hill.
"McKinley served our country with distinction during the Civil War as a member of the Army. He made a difference for his constituents and his state as a member of the House of Representatives and as governor of the great state of Ohio. And he led this nation to prosperity and victory in the Spanish-American War as the 25th president of the United States. I'm deeply disappointed in this decision."
The mountain is the tallest in North America, and, for almost a century, was officially named after the country's 25th president and former Ohio governor, William McKinley, according to The New York Times.
In changing the name, Obama was paying tribute to the Alaskan Native population who have for generations referred to the site as Denali, which means "the Great One," as HNGN reported.
"The mountain was originally named after President William McKinley of Ohio, but President McKinley never visited, nor did he have any significant historical connection to, the mountain or to Alaska," Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said upon signing the name change order, reports Politico.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, also derided the move in a series of tweets sent Sunday night.
"I'm disappointed with the Administration's decision to change the name of Mt. McKinley in Alaska," Portman said. "Pres McKinley was a proud Ohioan, and the mountain was named after him, as a way to remember his rich legacy after his assassination."
He continued: "The naming of the mountain has been a topic of discussion in Congress for many years. This decision by the Administration is yet another example of the President going around Congress."
I urge Admin 2 work w/ me 2 find alternative ways 2 preserve McKinley's legacy somewhere else in the natl park that once bore his name (5/5)
— Rob Portman (@senrobportman) August 31, 2015
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is currently vying for the GOP presidential nomination, also spoke out on the decision, but saw a bit of silver lining.
As POTUS once again oversteps his bounds, Ohio knows every carnation is a monument to our own William McKinley. -John pic.twitter.com/GvQfqnIKOh
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) August 31, 2015
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, on the other hand, praised the news.
Today we are honored to recognize America's highest peak officially as Denali, or 'The Great One.' https://t.co/lxd3HKAOBo
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) August 30, 2015
Murkowski, who is chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sponsored a bill in June to rename the mountain. She said the state banned the name McKinley in 1975 in favor of using Denali, but the name was never made official by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, according to the Washington Examiner.
