By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-23 00:46:20 | Updated at 2025-01-23 05:55:22
5 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // The Trump State Department issued a “One Flag Policy” Monday, mandating that only the United States flag is authorized to be flown at all State Department buildings both at home and abroad.
The new policy, implemented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, effectively bans Pride and Black Lives Matter (BLM) flags from federal buildings.
The order, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, states: “Starting immediately, only the United States of America flag is authorized to be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad, and featured in U.S. government content.”
“The Trump State Department implemented a landmark "One Flag Policy" policy on Monday, barring U.S. outposts at home and abroad from flying any other flag but the Stars and Stripes. The newly issued order, a copy of which was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, effectively…
— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) January 22, 2025“The flag of the United States of America united all Americans under the universal principles of justice, liberty, and democracy. These values, which are the bedrock of our great country, are shared by all American citizens, past and present,” the order continues.
Two notable exceptions to the new policy are the Prisoner of War / Missing in Action emblem and the Wrongful Detainees Flag, which are still permitted.
Rubio, who was confirmed by the Senate unanimously, issued the order shortly after his swearing-in ceremony Tuesday.
Rubio’s decision aligns with the Trump administration’s goal to restore traditional American ideals.
President Donald Trump signed twenty-six executive orders on his first day in office as he launched his second term.
One order established a new official U.S. policy recognizing only two immutable sexes, CatholicVote previously reported.
The Trump administration also updated several federal agency websites and WhiteHouse.gov to align with the new policy, removing references to “LGBTQ+ identities,” according to a recent report.
The move reversed previous practices under the Biden administration, which allowed U.S. embassies and consulates to fly both Pride and BLM flags and encouraged government-sponsored LGBTQ events.
Just a few months after President Joe Biden was inaugurated in 2021, CatholicVote reported: “Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a directive authorizing U.S. outposts to fly the ‘LGBT Pride’ flag on the same flagpole as the U.S. flag starting in May.”
Throughout Biden’s term in office, U.S. Air Force bases also hosted many pro-LGBTQ events.
According to CatholicVote, “Dr. Tim Huelskamp, senior advisor to CatholicVote and former congressman, said that the FOIA request shows the Biden administration ‘has once again proven that their radical leftist ideology trumps military preparedness and protecting Americans from threats at home and abroad.’”
The debate over the display of flags has been ongoing, with policies shifting across different administrations.
“Pride flags were first flown at U.S. embassies during former President Barack Obama’s administration, and were later banned by former President Donald Trump in 2019. The ability to fly the flag was reinstituted by the Biden administration two years later,” according to Forbes.
The Trump administration’s “One Flag Policy” memo states: “The U.S. flag is a powerful symbol of pride and it is fitting and respectful that only the U.S. flag be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestically and abroad.”
