The Senate passed a bipartisan resolution on Wednesday to restore a formal dress code in the chamber following a relaxation of informal rules.
Under the resolution, which passed unanimously, senators will again be required to wear business attire on the floor.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) approved the repeal of the dress code last week and the measure was quickly dubbed the “Fetterman Rule” over Senator John Fetterman’s penchant for wearing hoodies and baggy shorts.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who publicly split with Fetterman (D-Penn.) over his loose wardrobe, sponsored the resolution, along with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).
“As senators, we should show a high level of respect for the institutions we serve—and our attire is one of the most basic expressions of that,” Romney said in a statement.
“I’m proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to call for a return to the level of dress in the Senate,” Romney continued.
Earlier Wednesday, before the resolution passed, Fetterman assured his fellow Democrats that he would wear a suit when speaking or presiding on the Senate floor, Punchbowl News reported.
Last week, Fetterman took advantage of the loose dress code and presided over Senate proceedings in his classic baggy shirt and oversized shorts.
He is also known for wearing hoodies around the Capitol complex.
But under the resolution, men on the Senate floor must wear “coats, ties and trousers or other long pants.”
The Senate passed a resolution on Wednesday to restore the formal dress code in the chamber following the relaxation of the rule. The Washington Post via Getty Images
Many senators voiced outrage at the drop in standards.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.), for example, joked about wearing a bikini.
Almost every Republican senator signed a letter complaining about the change. Senate Democrats No. 2, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Il.), even voiced his disapproval of the measure.
Under the resolution, which passed unanimously, senators will again be required to wear business attire on the floor.REUTERS
Notably the relaxation of the dress code only applies to senators.
Visitors and staff are still required to wear formal coats and dress.
Manchin claims to have expressed his doubts about the change to Fetterman himself, before moving to reverse the change.
Manchin told me he spoke with Fetterman today about the Senate dress code change
“I said ‘John, I think it’s wrong & there’s no way I can abide by it’…Wanted to tell him straight up that I’m totally against it & I’ll do everything I can to try to uphold the decency of the Senate”
— Ursula Perano (@UrsulaPerano) September 19, 2023
Prior to the repeal of the Senate dress code, senators often chanted “yes” or “no” votes from the cloakroom to avoid breaking the rules.
In his private address to Democrats on Wednesday, Fetterman said he would continue to vote from the locker room if he didn’t wear a suit, according to Punchbowl.
Fetterman has practically abandoned any semblance of adherence to that code since returning to the Senate from a several-week stint in the hospital for clinical depression.
The 54-year-old senator was first elected to the upper house during the 2022 cycle and marked the only Senate rotation of the year.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
