WASHINGTON D.C., DC — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced that a bill requiring American flags to be made in America is heading to President Biden's desk to be signed into law.
The All-American Flag Act passed the House of Representatives Monday evening. The bill would require the federal government to only buy American flags completely produced and manufactured in the United States.
The legislation was passed in the Senate unanimously in November 2023 after the bill passed with a bipartisan vote out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Brown's office said.
"American flags should be made in America, period," Brown said. "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."
According to Brown's office, the federal government currently is only required to buy flags that contain 50% American-made materials. The legislation would require the federal government to purchase flags that are produced entirely with American-made materials and manufactured completely in the U.S.
Brown's office said according to the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Census Data, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2015 was $4.4 million. Of that, $4 million of imported flags came from China. In 2017, the U.S. imported 10 million American flags with all but 50,000 coming from China.
For the full text of the legislation, click here.
Want more from WTOL 11 News?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.
➡️ Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!
WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed. Click here to get on the list!