Hinds Today

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi has joined forces with Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas to introduce the One Flag for All Act (S.576). This proposed legislation aims to restrict the display of any flag other than the American flag on federal buildings. The bill comes as a response to an incident in 2023 when former President Biden displayed an LGBTQ Pride flag between two U.S. flags at the White House, which was seen as a breach of U.S. Flag Code.

Senator Hyde-Smith expressed that "too many brave men and women have given their lives for what our American flag represents—liberty, justice, democracy, and freedom." She emphasized that these principles should take precedence over any ideological or social movement.

Senator Marshall echoed this sentiment, stating, "Never again should a flag that promotes radical gender ideology be flown, draped, or displayed outside the White House or any other federal building." He highlighted the importance of maintaining the American flag as the primary symbol over government property.

The legislation seeks to expand and formalize President Trump's previous "One Flag Policy," ensuring only the Stars and Stripes are flown at U.S. outposts domestically and internationally. The Senate Judiciary Committee is currently reviewing S.576.

Exemptions in the bill allow for certain flags to be displayed alongside the U.S. flag. These include state flags, military branch flags, flags representing visiting diplomats' nations, religious organizations under specific conditions, Indian Tribes' flags, local jurisdictional flags where buildings are located, federal agency flags, commemorative observance flags like those for 9/11 or Remembrance Day, and historically significant flags such as the Betsy Ross flag.

In 2023, Hyde-Smith also advocated against an LGBTQ flag being flown at Biloxi National Cemetery's entrance—a site typically reserved for a U.S. flag—and later requested then-President Biden to demonstrate inclusivity by flying a Pro-Life Flag during Respect Life Month in October. That request went unanswered.