LGBTQ Pride flags to be banned at U.S. embassies as part of deal to avoid government shutdown
A ban on U.S. embassies flying LGBTQ Pride flags is part of a bipartisan funding deal to avoid a government shutdown ahead of a weekend deadline.
The bipartisan measure to avert a government shutdown includes a provision that would effectively ban LGBTQ Pride flags from flying over U.S. embassies.
Although the $1.2 trillion, 1,012-page-package does not explicitly mention barring Pride flags from flying at U.S. embassies, its text embraces a Republican-led effort to prohibit the display of the LGBTQ Pride flag at government buildings.
“None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended to fly or display a flag over a facility of the United States Department of State” other than the U.S. flag, the POW/MIA flag, the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag, flag of a state, flag of an Indian Tribal government, official branded flag of a U.S. agency or the sovereign flag of other countries, the text reads.
The provision does not address the display of these flags in other locations, such as on embassy grounds or in offices, a source familiar told NBC News.
The Biden administration urged Congress to pass the spending bill, describing it as a “compromise between Republicans and Democrats” in a statement the White House released Thursday. The measure would keep the government funded through Sept. 30 ahead of a midnight deadline.
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