Advocating for Transparency, Fair Competition, and American Jobs

The National Independent Flag Dealers Association (NIFDA) is committed to protecting American flag manufacturers, ensuring fair competition, and promoting transparency in the marketplace. Our advocacy efforts focus on strengthening domestic manufacturing and eliminating deceptive practices that harm American businesses and consumers.

📢 Why This Matters

🇺🇸 The American flag is more than just fabric—it’s a symbol of our nation’s values, history, and sacrifices. Yet today, deceptive imports, weak enforcement, and outdated trade policies threaten the integrity of American flag manufacturing.

⚠️ Foreign manufacturers exploit loopholes, flood the U.S. market with falsely labeled flags, and undercut American businesses—all while benefiting from subsidies and lax regulations. Without action, we risk losing the jobs, craftsmanship, and transparency that define our industry.

✅ By closing loopholes, strengthening enforcement, and ensuring truth in labeling, we can protect American workers, uphold consumer trust, and ensure that flags representing our nation are made by the people who call it home.

📢 It’s time to stand up for American flag makers and demand policies that put integrity, transparency, and fair competition first.

Our Advocacy Priorities

Closing the De Minimis Loophole
🔹 Stopping unfair foreign competition and trans-shipments

Under current U.S. trade law, the De Minimis entry exemption allows packages valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free with minimal oversight. This loophole is exploited by foreign sellers to flood the U.S. market with cheap, mislabeled American flags while avoiding tariffs and customs scrutiny.

✅ Our Position: Advocate for eliminating the De Minimis exemption for all U.S. flags, ensuring fair trade practices and stronger enforcement to prevent deceptive imports.

Higher Penalty Duties on Imported U.S. Flags
🔹 Leveling the playing field against artificially low-cost imports

China's heavily subsidized textile industry enables unfair competition, making it impossible for American flag manufacturers to compete on price alone. Current import duties are too low to offset these subsidies.

✅ Our Position: Push for significant penalty duties on imported U.S. flags to protect American jobs and domestic manufacturers from predatory trade practices.

Stronger CBP & FTC Enforcement of Country-of-Origin Labeling
🔹 Holding importers accountable for false or missing labels

Country-of-origin labeling laws exist, but enforcement is weak from Customs & Border Patrol (CBP) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Many foreign-made flags are fraudulently labeled as "Made in USA" or lack any labeling at all, deceiving consumers and undercutting U.S. businesses.

✅ Our Position: Demand stricter penalties and fines for falsely labeled or unlabeled imported flags.

Ensuring U.S.-Made Flags in Government Purchases
🔹 Closing procurement loopholes and strengthening enforcement

Despite federal laws encouraging Buy American policies, many government agencies still unknowingly purchase imported flags due to loopholes and lax enforcement.

✅ Our Position:

  • Push for clear enforcement measures that require all federal agencies to purchase U.S.-made flags, regardless of procurement size.
  • Establish procurement guidelines for state and local governments to mirror federal requirements.

E-Commerce Transparency: Ending Deceptive Online Sales
🔹 Ensuring online marketplaces meet the same transparency standards as brick-and-mortar stores

Many online platforms fail to disclose country-of-origin and business details for sellers, making it easy for foreign companies to mislead consumers about the origin of U.S. flags.

✅ Our Position: Advocate for legislation requiring online sellers of U.S. flags to prominently display country-of-origin information.