Napa Valley Register - Thompson's ˜buy American' flag amendment passes House

Rep. Mike Thompson's bipartisan provision requiring every American flag purchased by the Department of Defense to be 100 percent manufactured in the United States was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this week.

"Every American flag the DOD buys should be made in America, by American workers with American products," Thompson, who represents Napa County, said in a news release. "At a time when our manufacturing sector is struggling and millions in our country are out of work, it is a slap in the face to all Americans to have their tax dollars spent on U.S. flags that are made overseas."

Thompson's provision passed as part of H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2014.

Precedent already exists for such a provision. Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs is required to only purchase U.S.-made American Flags for servicemembers' funerals.

Thompson's provision was originally introduced in committee as an amendment to the NDAA by Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ-02). A similar Thompson provision was included in the draft Fiscal Year 2014 DOD Appropriations Act, which is scheduled to be considered by the full House of Representatives in the coming weeks.

The legislation will now go to the Senate for approval.