U.S. lawmakers passed a proposal requiring the federal government to purchase U.S. flags made 100 percent in America.
The All-American Flag Act, which Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced, has passed the House of Representatives after passing the Senate in November 2023, and it now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk. Specifically, the legislation requires U.S. federal agencies to only purchase U.S. flags made domestically in the United States of America rather than importing them from elsewhere, including China.
As an example, a press release from Collins’ website reported that the U.S. imported “10 million American flags including 50,000 from China” in 2017 alone. Brown’s press release on the matter noted that the federal government is only currently required to purchase U.S. flags created with just 50 percent of American-made materials.
This means that “half of the materials in flags flown at our military bases and other federal buildings can be made in China,” according to his press release.
The legislation reads, in part:
Except as provided in subsections (b) through (d), funds appropriated or otherwise available to an agency may not be used for the procurement of any flag of the United States, unless such flag has been 100 percent manufactured in the United States from articles, materials, or supplies that have been grown or 100 percent produced or manufactured in the United States.
The legislation adds that the president may issue a waiver for the requirement “if the President determines a waiver is necessary to comply with any trade agreement to which the United States is a party.”
“The American flag serves as a symbol of our identity, resolve, and values as one people. To honor its significance, the federal government should only use flags entirely manufactured in the United States,” Collins said in a statement, adding that the bipartisan legislation would “ensure that the symbol of our nation is preserved while supporting American jobs and manufacturers.”
Brown agreed, stating, “American flags should be made in America, period.”
“Now, because of our years of effort to pass this bill, American flags the federal government buys will be produced and manufactured in America, by American workers. The President needs to sign this bill into law without delay,” he added.
