Flags in Iowa will be raised for one day this month, going against federal statutes to lower them to half-staff following the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday that all state buildings must raise flags to full-staff on Inauguration Day to honor President-elect Donald Trump. Her order only applies to the Iowa State Capitol and state buildings.
Iowa isn’t the only state to defy the federal mandate. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a similar order Monday for the state of Texas to honor the incoming president.
“On Monday, President Donald J. Trump will be officially sworn into office as the 47th President of the United States,” Reynolds said in a news release. “Iowa will celebrate and recognize this historic change in our country’s leadership by raising our flags.”
Trump’s inauguration is Jan. 20. Flags will rise to full-staff from sunrise to sunset on inauguration day.
Flags around the country have been at half-staff since the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
After the inauguration, flags at Iowa state buildings will lower to half-staff and remain there until Jan. 28, according to the governor’s office. U.S. Code specifies that flags should fly at half-staff for 30 days after the death of a former president.
Half-mast is used when the flag is flown from a flagpole, typically referring to a ship mast or similar structures, according to Federal Flags. Half-mast means the flag is flown two-thirds up between the top and bottom of the flagstaff.
Half-staff is the term used for flags on land, particularly in the United States. Half-staff describes a flag that is raised halfway, between the top and bottom of the flagpole.
When the American flag is flown at half-staff, it conveys a message of respect and mourning. Federal Flags says this custom is most often observed following the death of a government official, military personnel or in response to a national tragedy.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
