Rep. Bruce Braley introduced a bill Monday that would require the federal government to purchase only American-made U.S. flags.
“American flags should be made in America using American products — period,” said the Iowa Democrat. “A lot of people in Congress pay lip service to the American worker and the quality of goods they produce, but we see little action to back it up.”
The federal government currently is required to purchase flags made only of 50 percent American-made materials.
Mr. Braley, chairman of the House Populist Caucus, introduced a version of the All-American Flag Act in 2009, which passed the House but never got a vote in the Senate.
Commerce Department and U.S. Census data show the dollar value of imported U.S. flags in 2009 was $3 million, Mr. Braley’s office says. Of that amount, $2.5 million of imported flags came from China.
