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A few weeks after President Donald Trump ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, GOP lawmakers are considering other name changes. But instead of a body of land, the Republican lieutenant governor of Texas wants to rename the cut of beef known as the “New York Strip” to the “Texas Strip,” in an apparent slight at liberals.
“In a world filled with serious issues that we address every day at the Texas Capitol, this simple resolution will help better market Texas beef,” Lt. Governor Dan Patrick wrote on X on Friday as the state faces its worst measles outbreak in three decades.
Patrick, who holds the second highest executive office in Texas, has made no mention of the measles outbreak on his X page. So far, one child has died.
But he did take the time to discuss the importance of renaming the New York Strip to better reflect Texas’s cattle industry.
“Liberal New York shouldn’t get the credit for our hard-working ranchers,” Patrick wrote. “Just because a New York restaurant named Texas beef a New York Strip in the 19th century doesn’t mean we need to keep doing that.”
Texas produces the largest number of beef cattle in the U.S.
Yet the strip steak is colloquially known as a “New York Strip” because the New York City-based restaurant Delmonico’s offered the short loin cut as its signature dish when it opened in 1827.
Patrick said that to correct this, the Texas Senate will file a resolution to officially change the name of the New York Strip to the “Texas Strip,” which would ask restaurants and grocery stores to change the name on menus.
“We want this to catch on across the country and around the globe,” Patrick added.
Patrick insinuated the idea came after he met with the Texas Cattle Feeders and Cattle Raisers last week. He said multiple employees cited the New York Strip as their favorite cut of meat.
Meanwhile, people in West Texas are on alert amid a measles outbreak, where at least 146 people across nine counties have been infected with the highly contagious virus. Most of the infections are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to reports.
At least 20 people have been hospitalized and one child, an unvaccinated school-aged child, has died.
Measles were initially declared eliminated in the U.S. in the year 2000, thanks to the introduction and implementation of the measles vaccine, which is effective and safe.
But declining vaccination rates have contributed to breakouts in areas of the country.
Recently appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK Jr., who has espoused anti-vaccine beliefs, finally urged people to get their measles jab in an op-ed for Fox News on Sunday. He had previously downplayed the severity of the outbreak
