Two weeks ago, following the House passage of the multi-billion dollar Ukraine aid package, a handful of Members waved Ukrainian flags on the U.S. House Floor. This is wholly unacceptable. My 428 colleagues and I are Members of the United States House of Representatives, not the parliament of another nation. We cannot let our nation or our flag be disrespected like that again.

That is why I signed on as an original cosponsor of H.Res. 1170 to prohibit Members of the House of Representatives from bringing or displaying a foreign nation’s flag on the House Floor. During my time in the military I only wore one flag on my uniform, and that is the same and only flag that should be flown in the People’s House – the American flag.

Every Member of the House is an American before they are a Republican or Democrat. There are many ways to show respect to our friends and allies around the world, but displaying their flags on the House Floor is not one of them. I will always put America and our flag first, and I hope to see all of my Republican and Democrat colleagues do the same.