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In article <uedjm8$2o055$
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The stuffy Senate is now a bit less formal.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that staff for the
chamber’s Sergeant-at-Arms — the Senate’s official clothes police — will no longer enforce a dress code on the Senate floor. The change
comes after Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been
unapologetically wearing shorts as he goes about his duties, voting
from doorways so he doesn’t get in trouble for his more casual
attire.
“There has been an informal dress code that was enforced,” Schumer
said in a statement. “Senators are able to choose what they wear on
the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit.”
Schumer did not mention Fetterman in his statement about the dress
code, which will only apply to senators, not staff.
The changes prompted outrage from some of the chamber’s more formal
members, eroding a bit of the good will that first-term Fetterman
had earned earlier this year when he checked himself into the
hospital for clinical depression. He won bipartisan praise for being
honest about his diagnosis, which came in the wake of a stroke he
suffered on the campaign trail last year. When he returned from
treatment, he started donning the more casual clothes, which he says
make him more comfortable.
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican, said it’s a “sad day in
the Senate” and that the people who Fetterman and Schumer represent
should be embarrassed.
“I represent the people of Kansas, and much like when I get dressed
up to go to a wedding, it’s to honor the bride and groom, you go to
a funeral you get dressed up to honor the family of the deceased,”
Marshall said. Senators should have a certain level of decorum, he
added.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine agreed, arguing that the
relaxed rules debase the institution of the Senate. “I plan to wear
a bikini tomorrow to the Senate floor,” Collins joked.
Walking to Monday evening’s vote in a short-sleeved button-down
shirt and shorts, Fetterman said he wasn’t sure if he’d take
advantage of the new rules just yet.
“It’s nice to have the option, but I’m going to plan to be using it sparingly and not really overusing it,” he said.
Asked about the criticism, Fetterman feigned mock outrage.
“They’re freaking out, I don’t understand it,” he said of his
critics. “Like, aren’t there more important things we should be
working on right now instead of, you know, that I might be dressing
like a slob?”
When Fetterman reached the Senate floor, he still voted from the
doorway. “Baby steps,” he told reporters as he got on the elevator
to go back to his office.
Not all Republicans were upset about the change. Missouri Sen. Josh
Hawley was wearing jeans, boots and no tie on Monday evening, an
outfit he says he normally wears when he flies in from his home
state for the first votes of the week.
“Now I can vote from the Senate floor on Mondays,” Hawley said,
noting that he usually wears a suit and tie every other day.
Nearby, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy was also tieless. The Democrat
said he’s been reprimanded by Sergeant-at-Arms staff in the past for
not wearing a tie on the floor.
“They would tell us when we were doing it wrong,” Murphy said.
It’s unclear if the rules for more formal attire were actually
written down anywhere, but Schumer’s directive means that staff will
no longer scold senators for their choice of clothing or ask them to
vote from the doorway.
For Fetterman, his signature hoodies and gym shorts were a sign of
his recovery. Before he checked himself into the hospital, his staff
had asked him to always wear suits, which he famously hates. But
after a check with the Senate parliamentarian upon his return in
April, it became clear that he could continue wearing the casual
clothes that were often his uniform back at home in Pennsylvania, as
long as he didn’t walk on to the Senate floor. He still wears suits
to committee meetings when they are required.
In recent weeks, the Pennsylvania senator has become more
comfortable joking around in the hallways and answering reporters’
questions. His words are still halting sometimes due to his stroke
and an auditory processing disorder that makes it harder to speak
fluidly and process spoken conversation. He uses iPads and iPhones
in conversations that transcribe spoken words in real time.
“I think we should all want to be more comfortable,” Fetterman told
a group of reporters on Monday. “And now we have that option, and if
people prefer to wear a suit, then that’s great.”
https://whyy.org/articles/us-senate-senator-john-fetterman-pa- dress-code-change-shorts-casual-clothes/
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