AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday ordered flags to be flown at full-staff during President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Since former President Jimmy Carter died on Dec. 29, flags have been kept half-staff, in accordance with flag code. But the code does not apply to state governmental buildings, and a state's governor has the power to order flags to half-staff.
Citing a section of flag code that lists holidays and other notable occasions when flags should be at full-staff, Abbott said the flag should be displayed that way on Inauguration Day while Texas continues to mourn Carter.
The code says “the flag should be displayed on all days, especially on…Inauguration Day, January 20.”
“While we honor the service of a former President, we must also celebrate the service of an incoming President and the bright future ahead for the United States of America,” Abbott said.
In a proclamation announcing Carter’s death, President Joe Biden cited the 30-day period in which flags are required to be at half-staff at the federal level to mourn a sitting or former president.