The flags have been at half-staff since Dec. 29, the day of former President Jimmy Carter’s death, and will be returned to that status on Jan. 21, Johnson said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Tuesday that flags at the U.S. Capitol will be returned to full-staff for Inauguration Day and then to half-staff the next day to continue honoring former President Jimmy Carter’s recent passing.
“On January 20th, the flags at the Capitol will fly at full-staff to celebrate our country coming together behind the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald Trump,” Johnson wrote in a post on X.
President Joe Biden ordered flags on all federal grounds—including military posts, naval stations, vessels, embassies, and U.S. territories—to be lowered to half-staff for 30 days to honor the former president, who died on Dec. 29, 2024.
The Biden administration didn’t respond to The Epoch Times’ question on whether it would make an exception for Inauguration Day.
U.S. Flag Code doesn’t require flags to be flown at full-staff on Inauguration Day. It does, however, require that flags be flown at half-staff for 30 days during mourning for a former president.
“The U.S. Flag is otherwise flown at half-staff (or half-mast, on ships) when directed by the President of the United States or a state governor,” the code states.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said on Monday that flags on state grounds will be raised to full-staff for Inauguration Day “to celebrate our democratic tradition of transferring power to a new President.”
“As we unite our country and usher in this new era of leadership, I ordered all flags to be raised to full-staff at the Texas Capitol and all state buildings for the inauguration of President Trump,” Abbott said.
Though the state honors Carter’s leadership, Abbott said, it’s time to celebrate the country’s “bright future ahead.”
Abbot cited a federal statute requiring that the flag be displayed on Inauguration Day.
On Jan. 3, President-elect Donald Trump criticized Biden’s decision to keep flags lowered at half-staff on Inauguration Day.
