At US embassies, pride flags are no longer allowed to fly. President Biden signed a $1.2 trillion budget bill on Saturday, which included the ban.
In a news statement, Biden stated, “The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security.” “This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted.”
“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,” reads the Republican-led legislation in the 1,012-page package.Republicans and Democrats have been debating the flying of pride flags at US embassies for years. According to Forbes, they were originally flown at US embassies under President Obama’s administration before being outlawed by the Trump administration in 2019. According to Forbes, the Biden administration restored the ability in 2021. The following is a statement that a Biden representative provided to CBS News on Saturday: “Biden believes it was inappropriate to abuse the process that was essential to keep the government open by including this policy targeting LGBTQI+ Americans.” Biden did not immediately reply to a request for comment from FOX Business. According to CBS News, the White House declared that it would look for a means to lift the prohibition.
The decision was not unexpected.
A spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, Brandon Wolf, stated in a statement on Friday that “it poses absolutely no limits to other displays of a pride flag, hosting LGBTQ+ events, or embassy employees’ ability to display Pride flags in their work spaces.”
