Requires government agencies to buy American-manufactured and -sourced stars and stripes
Foreign or Domestic?
Patriotism is typically presented as a lofty sentiment, a standard appealed to by wanting to shape (or shame) behavior. But where the rubber meets the road, it can be a messy business.
Consequently, we've spent plenty of digital ink writing about how love of country intersects with advertising, specifically as it involves the sometimes complicated, often fraught claims businesses make about where their products are sourced and manufactured.
"Made in the USA" is a big deal.
Anyone who's been awake the past few years is painfully aware of the hyperpoliticization of American life and culture. The idea of what constitutes an "authentic" American identity isn't just up for grabs – it's being wrestled over, sometimes violently. And because politicians, for better or worse, are also brands, the origin and manufacture of the flag itself have become a matter for public dispute.
A recent bill sponsored by Ohio's Senator Sherrod Brown and Maine's Senator Susan Collins tackles the issue yet again. (Note: He's a Democrat, she's a Republican; will they be able to put aside their differences and carry out their plan?)
The Takeaway
The All-American Flag Act, which has been introduced several times before but failed to pass, would demand that government agencies purchase flags that have been "100 percent manufactured in the United States from articles, materials, or supplies that have been grown or 100 percent produced or manufactured in the United States." There's an oddly broad "presidential" exemption that allows the president to waive the requirement "if the President determines that a waiver is necessary to comply with any trade agreement to which the United States is a party."
Aside from this flag-specific bill, businesses which claim to sell products that are made in the USA should take steps to ensure that the claim is true and consistent with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidance. In order to claim that products are made in the USA, "all or virtually all" of the significant parts and processing must be of U.S. origin. Furthermore, businesses need to have competent and reliable evidence to back up this claim. Businesses can find the FTC's guidance on complying with the Made in the USA standard here and here.
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