This week, I read in Google News that Biden signed into law Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio legislation, called the All-American Flag Act which requires all state and federal government agencies to purchase flags that have been completely manufactured in the US. I like the way Google cleverly titled their article, “American flags must now be born in the USA” … cute. I considered plagiarizing it for this blog title.
Hearing this news makes me proud to know that, along with other fellow members of the National Independent Flag Dealers Association (NIFDA), we, via our visit to Washington last June, in some small way, played a part in bringing awareness to the problem of counterfeit imported flags.
Why is it Important?
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 with 90% again coming from China. Today it is even higher.
NIFDA is lobbying for the H.R. 4137 bill called Make American Flags In America. This bill is broader than the one passed Tuesday; here is why:
False Advertising
Currently there are consumer protection and transparency laws for labeling but, without a “Label Czar,” they are impossible to enforce. Consequently, more and more flags from China are having “Made In America” labels sewn in. Because Amazon is at a loss as to how to stop all the counterfeiters, we’ve asked Congress to ban, at the border, all US and military flag imports. This would ensure veterans and other patriots are not being duped.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for free trade, but I am also all for protecting the public. Flag dealers believe that our customers want American-made US and military flags and that flag buyers are being misled with false advertising. When told the truth and given the choice, we believe most citizens would prefer to buy an American-made American flag; even if it was more expensive.
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