If it passes the House, the All-American Flag Act will ensure the government doesn’t buy flags made with imported materials.
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved the All-American Flag Act, legislation to require that the federal government only buy flags that are 100% produced in the United States.
Right now, the government is able to purchase flags that contain only 50% materials that are produced in the United States. That undermines American manufacturers who source their materials in the United States, and it means that America’s taxpayer dollars could be spent on American flags that are partially made overseas.
Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) introduced the legislation — on Flag Day, no less. Brown first introduced the legislation in 2011.
“American flags should be made in America, period,” Brown said in a statement released after the bill’s passage. “Today, we are one step closer to ensuring the flags the federal government buys are entirely produced and manufactured in America, by American workers. This is just the beginning. Ensuring Made In America, whenever taxpayer money is involved, puts America to work.”
There are several U.S. manufacturers of American flags and many of these flags can even be found in big box stores, including Annin, Valley Forge and The National Flag Company, which makes its flags in Brown’s home state of Ohio.
But despite the plethora of American-made options, imported flags remain big business. About 10 million of them were imported to the United States in 2017; all but 50,000 came from China.
The All-American Flag Act now heads to the House.