U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson’s (CA-5) bipartisan provision requiring every American flag purchased by the Department of Defense (DOD) to be 100 percent manufactured in the United States, from articles, materials, or supplies that are 100 percent of grown, produced or manufactured in the United States, was again passed by the House of Representatives.

Thompson’s provision passed as part of H.R. 2397, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2014.

The provision was previously included in H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2014, which passed the House of Representatives on June 14, 2013, but has not yet been considered by the Senate.

“Our men and women in uniform should never fight under an American flag made overseas,” said Thompson. “I am going to keep working to make sure that every American flag the DOD buys is made in America, by American workers with American products.”

Specifically, Thompson’s provision applies the Berry Amendment to the American Flag.

The Berry Amendment, originally passed in 1941, prohibits DOD funds from being used to acquire food, clothing, military uniforms, fabrics, stainless steel, and hand or measuring tools that are not grown or produced in the United States, except in rare exceptions.

Thompson’s provision applies the same rules for the DOD’s acquisition of American Flags, which previously were not listed as a covered item.

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

H.R. 2397 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 315-109. The legislation will now go to the Senate for approval.

Congressman Mike Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.