Biden-Backed Spending Deal Bans LGBTQ Pride Flag at US Embassies

President Joe Biden agreed to ban US embassies from flying the LGBTQ pride flag as part of a $1.2 trillion spending deal to keep most US government agencies open through Sept. 30.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has been promoting the flag prohibition, which was tucked into the funding agreement, as a victory for Republicans as he tries to rally support for the measure within his party.

An American flag and a pride flag on the US embassy in Moscow on June 30, 2022.

Photographer: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP

The White House’s budget office in a statement endorsed the overall deal Thursday and urged swift passage. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the flag provision. ...