The American Flag is displayed at Hampshire College on campus on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016 in Amherst, Mass. The bill was introduced the same week that Hampshire College decided to remove the American flag from the campus. (Dave Roback /The Republican via AP)
GOP bill defunds schools that ban the American flag
Dozens of House Republicans have introduced legislation that would prevent federal funds from being used to fund schools and colleges that ban the American flag.
The bill was introduced the same week that Hampshire College in Massachusetts decided to remove the American flag from the campus.
Initially, the college lowered the flag to protest President-elect Trump's election victory, and student protesters burned the flag the next day. The flag was removed entirely as a form of further protest, and eventually raised again Dec. 2.
That started a petition asking asking that federal funds be removed for any college that takes down the flag. And on Friday, Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, and 52 other House Republicans put forward legislation to accomplish that.
"I am proud to introduce legislation that will protect the American flag from censorship across the country," Turner said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "The American flag is a symbol of freedom throughout the world and should be respected as such. Recent action by Hampshire College to remove the American flag from its campus was a blatant act of censorship. Furthermore, Hampshire College's decision disrespected our servicemembers, veterans, and the liberties our flag embodies. We must work to ensure that such acts of censorship are not supported by the government in the future."
Their bill, the Protect the Flag Act, holds that: "Federal funds may not be made available to an institution of higher education ... that, pursuant to an official policy of the institution to prohibit the display of the flag of the United States by the institution, removes, censors, takes down, prohibits, or otherwise halts display of a flag of the United States."
The prohibition on funding would end once the flag is restored on campus.
It seems unlikely Congress will be able to pass the bill this week. Lawmakers are expected to work this week, mostly on a bill funding the government past Friday, and then leave for the rest of the year.
But the bill has some chance of being passed into law next year. Republicans will control the House and Senate, and Donald Trump last week indicated he was for some form of punishment against anyone who burns a flag, even though the act is seen as a form of constitutionally protected free speech.
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The Obama administration did all it could to ease trade and travel restrictions against Cuba, but the embargo against the island nation is federal law, and can only be undone through an act of Congress. But Tillerson indicated he wouldn't support any such move on his watch.
"If a bill were to pass Congress that would remove the U.S. embargo against Cuba, and there hasn't been democratic changes on the island of Cuba, would you advise the president to veto a bill that lifted the embargo on
Read Turner's bill below:
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