The image of the Capitol Hill chamber full of senators dressed in suits and ties may have changed forever on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) approved a measure this Monday that relaxes the dress code, allowing senators to wear whatever they want in the chamber.
The clear beneficiary of this rule is John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has been coming to the floor dressed in a sweatshirt and shorts since he returned from depression leave in May. However, in the eyes of the Republican senators, this does not justify relaxing the dress code. In fact, representatives like Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) consider eliminating the dress code "terrible."
Susan Collins is of the same opinion. The senator from Maine mocked the changes that Schumer implemented in the dress code and assured journalists that on Tuesday she would go to Capitol Hill in a "bikini," per NBC:
Tomorrow I plan to wear a bikini to the Senate. ... I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate, and to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), a former football coach, also said he was against relaxing the rule. In statements to American television, he joked that the next time he goes to the Senate he will be dressed on a "coaching outfit": "It bothers me big time. You got people walking around in shorts, that don’t fly with me," he explained to the media.
Outrage on X
Other legislators decided to take to the internet to show their disapproval of this change. Former Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), as well as Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), among others, posted the following on X, formerly Twitter:
Awful. The Senate chamber isn’t your home, a gym, or an outdoor park. If you can’t dress professionally for work on the floor of the Senate of the United States, then do us all a favor and get a different job. https://t.co/Yc90RrMbxm
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) September 17, 2023
The Senate no longer enforcing a dress code for Senators to appease Fetterman is disgraceful.
Dress code is one of society’s standards that set etiquette and respect for our institutions.
Stop lowering the bar!
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) September 17, 2023
Double standard? https://t.co/t9OrRSujlr
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) September 17, 2023
