Flags from each of the states will no longer be displayed in a tunnel under the Capitol after complaints about the Confederate imagery of Mississippi’s state flag, according to the House Administration Committee.
Instead, Michigan Rep. [crscore]Candice Miller[/crscore], the chairman of the committee on House Administration, announced Thursday the tunnel will permanently display a reproduction of the commemorative quarters of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the United States territories.
Last year, the state flags, in the tunnel between the Rayburn House Office Building and the Capitol, were ostensibly removed because of renovation to the area. It happened to come after the national debate over the Confederate flag after the shooting of churchgoers at a black church in Charleston last summer.
In a statement, Miller acknowledged ordering the new display because Mississippi’s flag includes the Confederate battle flag symbol in its upper left corner.
“Prior to the renovation, a flag from each state was on display in the tunnel,” Miller said. “Given the controversy surrounding confederate imagery, I decided to install a new display.”
Miller added: “I am well aware of how many Americans negatively view the Confederate flag, and, personally, I am very sympathetic to these views.”
“However, I also believe that it is not the business of the federal government to dictate what flag each state flies,” Miller said. “This is the ‘People’s House’ where each congressional district sends their designated representative to be their voice in the halls of Congress. With that, it is common practice for each Member of Congress to display their state flag, alongside of the American flag, outside their individual offices and in this way all state flags are displayed on Capitol Hill.”