Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., reintroduced the All-American Flag Act in the new session of Congress. The bill would bar the federal government from buying U.S. flags made anywhere other than the USA.
What the bill would do
Bustos described the bill on February 23, 2015, during a visit to a veterans’ home in Peoria, Illinois. She said a requirement from the previous session covering flags bought by the Department of Defense expired at the end of the budget year. Her bill would make the requirement permanent and extend it to all flags bought by the federal government, not just the Pentagon.
The Peoria Journal Star reported that the bill drew nearly 100 sponsors from both parties in the House.
Why Bustos says it matters
Bustos said the idea came from veterans who told her some U.S. flags can be made in China. She said the federal government was spending about $4 million a year on flags made in China.
“It’s somewhat symbolic (because) in the scheme of things $4 million is not huge. But it’s the symbolism of the American flag,” Bustos said.
The bill did not become law in that Congress. The All-American Flag Act was reintroduced several times and was finally signed into law in 2024 (our coverage). Florida passed its own USA-made flag law in 2015 (our coverage).
Source & credit
Source: Peoria Journal Star: “Congresswoman Cheri Bustos has high-flying pride for ‘Made in USA’”, February 23, 2015.