Sponsors
The bill standardizes flag displays on Capitol Grounds and avoids taxpayer-funded foreign flags, but does so by restricting Members’ ability to display foreign flags for recognition and outreach and shifting small costs off federal coffers.
Visitors and federal employees on Capitol Grounds will see only the U.S. national flag, creating a consistent national symbol on federal property.
Taxpayers will not pay for purchases of foreign national flags for congressional offices, preventing use of federal funds for those decorations.
Members of Congress, federal employees, and visitors from immigrant communities will be unable to use foreign flags on Capitol Grounds to symbolically recognize foreign dignitaries, heritage events, or cultural observances.
Members of Congress and their staff will face restrictions on office decor and constituent outreach that use foreign flags to represent immigrant communities or sister‑city/twinning relationships, potentially limiting local representation and outreach practices.
Members, offices, or outside groups that still want foreign flags for events will likely bear modest out‑of‑pocket costs because taxpayer funds cannot be used to purchase them.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits displaying flags of foreign countries anywhere on the United States Capitol Grounds and bars Members of Congress, Members‑elect, and Senators from using official congressional office funds to purchase flags of countries other than the United States. The ban applies to physical display on Capitol Grounds and to use of Members’ Representational Allowance and Senators’ office expense accounts for purchasing foreign national flags. The text relies on existing legal definitions for the Capitol Grounds and the cited congressional office accounts; it does not create a new enforcement mechanism or specify penalties beyond existing authorities.
Introduced March 5, 2025 by Bernardo Moreno · Last progress March 5, 2025