Washington, July 31 : United States President Joe Biden has signed an "All-American Flag Act," which mandates the federal purchase of flags completely manufactured in the US.

The new act prohibits federal agencies from purchasing US flags that are not domestically manufactured, with certain specified exceptions, according to the White House, Xinhua news agency reported.

Currently, the federal government is only required to buy flags that have just 50 per cent of American-made materials. Supporters of the proposal said the change will support American jobs and manufacturers.

The US imports millions of American flags from overseas, mostly from China. It imported approximately 10 million American flags in 2017, with 99.5 per cent of them coming from China, ABC News reported.

The new act will go into effect in about six months.

/IANS