The Democrat-controlled Senate recently axed its dress code, which though somewhat informal was enforced by the Sergeant at Arms and required Senators to appear on the Senate floor in business attire, which is to say a suit and tie for men and similarly formal attire for women.
The push for change seems mainly driven by Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who is known for wearing a hoodie and basketball shorts instead of business attire, and has even gone so far as to vote from the doorway of the Senate to avoid wearing a suit.
Predictably, many on the right were furious about the announced rule change and the lack of decorum and respect for office that it symbolizes, with many of those angry conservatives attacking John Fetterman for his informal mode of dress and what it symbolizes.
For example, Sen. Cynthia Lummis disagreed strongly with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision, saying, “This is a terribly sad development for the U.S. Senate. I’ve never seen civility enhanced or a sense of decorum enhanced by dressing like a slob.”
Speaking about Sen. Fetterman’s sloppy attire, Sen. Lummis added, “When you dress like that around here, which is the very sloppiest that a person would dress even if they’re going to a gym by themselves … the bar is lowered. The Senate is degraded. It’s debased. It should not be typical of how we dress when we go to the floor of the United States Senate.”
Sen. Lummis then added that she would reject the new rule by dressing even more formally instead of dressing down like Sen. Fetterman, saying, “I’m actually going to go the other direction. I’m gonna ramp it up. I’m gonna dress more formally.”
Joining her was Sen. Roger Marshall, who characterized the new dress code and Sen. Fettermans’s mode of dress as disrespectful and embarrassing, saying, “This is an embarrassment. The people of Kansas don’t want me showing up in a hoodie. Out of respect, we should have some sense of decorum here.”
Continuing, he added that the Senate needs to be an organization the public looks up to, not a slovenly collection of people like Fetterman, saying, “The Senate is a very important institution that people look up to. I’m here representing the people of Kansas, and to honor them, I feel like I should have a certain level of apparel.”
Sen. Fetterman defended his wearing relaxed attire in a statement to Fox News, saying that the relaxed code of attire should be bipartisan. He said, “I feel it’s a little more freedom, which should be bipartisanship. I don’t know why the right side seems to be losing their minds over it.”
Continuing, he claimed he would only “use it sparingly,” whatever that means given that he is rarely seen in a suit, much less a tie. “I think it’s a good thing, but I’m going to use it sparingly. I hope other colleagues take advantage of it too,” he told Fox News.
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