Reinstatement of Trump-Era Pride Flag Ban Prompts Rubio Bill

US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bill restricting flying any flags, other than the US flag, at official US government property.

Flags other than the US flag may only be flown on diplomatic missions, official residences, official offices, or official vehicles if they are smaller and flown beneath the present US flag. 

Senator Rubio explained the animus for his bill derives from President Joe Biden’s alleged use of official government posts to display flags furthering progressive ideologies. 

“Our flag is a testament to the God-given freedoms endowed to every American citizen and we cannot let woke ideology take that sense of national pride from us,” said Rubio via press release. 

Rubio’s flag bill comes at the heels of reports that President Biden agreed with conservatives in the US House of Representatives to reinstate a pride-flag ban at US government buildings. 

President Donald Trump had originally banned flying pride-flags at US government buildings, a policy subsequently overturned by Biden. 

Earlier this year, Florida legislators introduced bills that would similarly ban pride and other related flags. 

The bill specifically prohibits displaying flags that represent “a political viewpoint, including, but not limited to, a politically partisan, racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology.”

Nationally, Biden’s capitulation on the pride flag issue was one of the compromises made by progressives to gain House Republicans’ support for a $1.2 trillion spending package. 

Despite pushback from some conservatives, the package was ultimately passed.

As reported by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres, Florida’s congressional delegation was split on the vote.

Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart, John Rutherford, Maria Salazar, Neal Dunn, Carlos Gimenez, and Laurel Lee all voted in favor. 

Meanwhile, representatives Cory Mills, Matt Gaetz, Kat Cammack, Greg Steube, Brian Mast, Anna Paulina Luna, Mike Waltz, Byron Donalds, Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Scott Franklin, Daniel Webster, Bill Posey, and Aaron Bean all voted against.