Republicans are expressing strong disapproval over the relaxed dress code in the Senate.
The new dress code policy implemented by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has caused dissatisfaction among Republicans. This policy permits senators to wear any attire of their preference while on the Senate floor.
According to Axios, the new policy is scheduled to take effect 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 decide their attire while on the Senate floor, but 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 suit Fetterman. He further expressed his disappointment, deeming Fetterman’s decision to not wear a suit on the Senate floor as highly disrespectful.
“I have the same dislike for wearing a suit as anyone else, but we must prioritize showing respect for the position,” Mullin stated in a Fox News interview.
When senators are not on the Senate floor or traveling between D.C. and their home states, they usually dress more casually 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.
On Monday, Fetterman replied to criticism from Ga. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, mentioning a hearing where the congresswoman displayed potentially explicit images of Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.
