Republicans are expressing strong disapproval of the relaxed dress code in the Senate.
Republicans are displeased with the recently implemented dress code policy by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), which grants senators the freedom to wear attire of their choice while on the Senate floor.
According to Axios, the new policy is scheduled to be implemented this week. It will eliminate the requirement for members to wear coats or business attire in the upper chamber, which is currently enforced by the Senate Sergeant at Arms.
Schumer stated that senators have the freedom to select their attire while on the Senate floor, and he personally intends to keep wearing a suit.
The policy will allow Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who often wears a hoodie or a short-sleeve shirt along with shorts around the Capitol, to enter the Senate chamber and vote in the well alongside other senators. The Pennsylvania Democrat, who suffered a stroke in 2022, casts his votes by ducking his head through the Senate doors.
However, the new regulations will not be applicable to employees or external guests.
A number of Republican senators expressed their dissatisfaction with the alteration on X, the online platform previously recognized as Twitter.
“I cannot reword”
Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, stated that the policy was indeed altered to accommodate Fetterman. He further expressed his disapproval, claiming that Fetterman’s refusal to wear a suit on the Senate floor is highly disrespectful.
“I have the same dislike for wearing a suit as anyone else, but it is important to show respect for the position we hold,” Mullin stated in an interview on Fox News.
When senators are not on the Senate floor or traveling between D.C. and their home states, they usually dress in more casual clothing in the Capitol. It has been observed that certain GOP senators vote while wearing gym or basketball attire, even though they do not physically enter the floor.
Fetterman on Monday responded to another GOP critic ― Ga. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ― by referencing a hearing in which the congresswoman showed what appeared to be sexually explicit images of Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.
