The House of Representatives passed a provision, led by Congressman Brown, to ban the Confederate Battle Flag in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act with strong bipartisan votes in committee and on the floor.
The Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard have all banned the Confederate flag internally. McGovern (MA-02), Grace Meng (NY-06), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Darren Soto (FL-09), Mark Takano (CA-41), Dina Titus (NV-01), Lori Trahan (MA-03), and Nydia M. Kennedy, III (MA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Stephen F. Grijalva (AZ-03), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Joseph P. DelBene (WA-01), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Jesús G. Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Salud O. Speier, Brown, Pappas, Lieu, Gallego, Escobar and Haaland are: Reps. The members continued, “We ask that you immediately revise the new policy on flag display, explicitly ban the Confederate Battle Flag, and ensure that service members can express support for diversity and inclusion through the display of sovereign Native Nations and LGBTQ Pride flags.”
“The resolute ideal that “all men are created equal” is embodied by the victory of the United States Armed Forces in the American Civil War, and the defeat of an armed insurrection that sought to maintain the slavery and oppression of African Americans. The Department must have the strength and courage to be able to simultaneously stand against a symbol of hate and oppression in the Confederate Battle Flag while allowing the display of support for civil rights, equity, and justice,” the members wrote. “The implicit banning of these symbols of diversity and inclusion runs counter to our ideals as a nation and a military. This policy does not explicitly ban the Confederate Battle Flag, and by omission bans sovereign Native Nations and LGBTQ Pride Flags on installations. flag, the flags of states and territories, the POW-MIA flag, those of allied countries, unit flags, senior leader flags and flags flown for protocol purposes. On July 16th, the Department of Defense issued a new policy on the display or depiction of flags through an authorized list of flags able to be flown on Department of Defense property. Congressman Ted Lieu (CA-33), Congressman Reuben Gallego (AZ-07), Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01) also served as co-leads for this effort. The members argue the exclusion of these flags undermines diversity and inclusion efforts. – Subcommittee on Military Personnel Chair Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair and 30-year Army veteran Congressman Anthony Brown (MD-04), Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), and 31 other Members of Congress wrote to Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper to demand he lift the effective ban on sovereign Native Nations and LGBTQ Pride Flags on military installations. Speier, Brown, Pappas and 31 Members Demand Reinstatement of LGBTQ Pride and Sovereign Native Nations Flags on Military Installations, Explicit Ban on Confederate Flag.