Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s decision to relax the upper chamber’s dress code has run into much dissent, with lawmakers saying the floor is no place for hoodies and shorts.
This week, Mr. Schumer sent a directive to the sergeant at arms to no longer enforce the dress code for members of the Senate. And on Tuesday, nearly every Senate Republican signed a letter to the majority leader to reverse the decision.
“The Senate is a place of honor and tradition, and the Senate floor is where we conduct the business of the American people,” the letter said. “It is where we debate the policies which impact every American family and, when necessary, it is where we must make the gravest decision imaginable — whether to send our fellow Americans into battle to defend the freedoms we all hold dear. The world watches us on that floor and we must protect the sanctity of that place at all costs.”
The letter said that allowing casual clothes in exchange for business attire “disrespects the institution we serve and the American families we represent.”
The change in the dress code brought a lot of attention to Sen. John Fetterman, Pennsylvania Democrat, who dons hoodies and gym shorts while walking through the Capitol. On the floor, he voted while peeking out of the cloakroom so he wouldn’t violate the dress code.
Signing the letter were 46 Republican senators, except Katie Britt of Alabama, Mike Braun of Indiana and Josh Hawley of Missouri.
“I very much disagree with Senator Schumer’s unilateral change to the Senate dress code,” Mrs. Britt said in a statement to The Washington Times. “However, I believe that this is ultimately a disagreement with a colleague and should be handled directly — face-to-face, colleague-to-colleague — not in the media.”
The Times also has reached out to the offices of Mr. Braun and Mr. Hawley.
Mr. Fetterman has not confirmed if he was the driving force behind the change and has taken to joking about it on social media.
He took a jab Wednesday at House Republicans on X for delaying the approval of the spending bill.
“If those jagoffs in the House stop trying to shut our government down, and fully support Ukraine, then I will save democracy by wearing a suit on the Senate floor next week,” Mr. Fetterman posted.
The Washington Post editorial board criticized the dress code change in an editorial published Tuesday that said, “Dressing formally conveys respect for the sanctity of the institution and for the real-world impact of the policies it advances. Putting on a suit creates an occasion for lawmakers to reflect, just for a moment, on the special responsibilities with which the people have entrusted them and on a deliberative process that at least aspires to solemnity.”
The piece acknowledged that judges can choose their attire, but “court wouldn’t be court unless they put on black robes,” and that Mr. Fetterman might not even be able to work in schools or fast-food restaurants with his chosen outfit of shorts and a hoodie.
“One would have thought that, with public trust in government waning, the Senate might want to avoid looking even a tiny bit more like a high school cafeteria,” the editorial board warned.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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