Signed Into Law: Brown's Bill to Ensure American Flags Purchased by the Federal Government are 100% Made in America

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that his bipartisan All-American Flag Act was signed into law.

The law requires the federal government to only buy American flags completely produced and manufactured in the United States, with 100 percent American-made materials.

Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the legislation. In November 2023, the Senate unanimously passed Brown's legislation after the bill passed with a bipartisan vote out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

"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. The flags that fly over federal buildings and military bases will now be completely American made. And the flags given to families honoring their loved one's service and sacrifice for our country will finally be completely made in America."

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.

Prior to Brown's legislation, 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 will go into effect in 180 days.

Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

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