Brown, Richland County Veteran and Labor Leaders Celebrate New Law to Ensure Taxpayer-Funded American Flags are 100% Made in America

MANSFIELD, OH - Today,U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Richland County veteran and labor leaders gathered at the AMVETS Post 26 in Mansfield to celebrate Brown's new law, the All-American Flag Act, which requires the federal government to only buy American flags completely produced and manufactured in the United States. The legislation was signed into law by the President last week.

"American flags - bought with American taxpayer dollars - should be made in America, period. And now they will be," said Brown. "Because of our years of effort, American flags bought by the federal government will be produced and manufactured in America, by American workers with American materials."

"Having been a soldier, I know it's truly meaningful to carry the colors and honor the fallen with our nation's colors draped over their casket. Ensuring that American flags are made in America, especially for those heroes, is a significant step. Senator Sherrod Brown's leadership on this issue highlights the importance of honoring our heroes with American-made flags, reflecting their service and sacrifice. Thank you for making sure that our nation's symbols remain a true testament to those who have served," said Norm Shoemaker, President of Mid-Ohio Area Labor Council.

"As a proud military veteran who served this country for more than 35 years, I'm thrilled to stand with my old schoolmate Sherrod Brown and tell him and our community how gratifying it is to see this bipartisan common sense legislation become law," said Bill Myers, Commander of VFW 9943.

Brown long led efforts to ensure American flags are American-made. He first introduced the bill in 2011 and the Senate quickly passed it. Brown reintroduced it in 2013 and the Senate again passed the legislation. Brown continued to introduce his All American Flag Act and in 2023, the Senate passed the bill for the third and final time. The House passed it last month.

Prior to Brown's law, the federal government was only required to buy flags that contain just 50 percent American-made materials, meaning half of the materials in flags flown at our military bases and other federal buildings can be made in China. The law now requires the government to buy flags that are produced entirely with American-made materials and manufactured completely in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Census Data, in 2015 the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags was $4.4 million. Of that amount, $4 million of imported flags came from China. In 2017, the U.S. imported 10 million American flags. Of those, all but 50,000 came from China.

The law goes into effect in 180 days after the President signed the bill.

Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

###