Senate Democrats have ditched the dress code in favor of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s casual clothing.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that it will no longer enforce a dress code on the Senate floor after Fetterman was infamously seen wearing shorts as he went about his duties.
“There has been an informal dress code that was enforced,” Schumer said in a statement last week. “Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit.”
The change prompted outrage among critics, with many accusing Schumer of changing the rules solely for fellow Democrat Fetterman.
“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,” said Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, adding that senators should have a certain level of decorum.
“He must be a very fragile person that he can’t dress up in a coat and tie without somehow feeling threatened or abused or awkward,” said Fox News contributor Karl Rove. “This is just pathetic.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also slammed the move during his campaign event recently.
“The U.S. Senate just eliminated its dress code because you got this guy from Pennsylvania – who’s got a lot of problems… he wears, like, sweatshirts and hoodies and shorts…we need to be lifting up our standards in this country, not dumbing down,” DeSantis said.
Fetterman, meanwhile, dismissed the mock outrage and said that there are more important issues at hand.
“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?”
This comes after Fetterman checked himself into the hospital on Feb. 16 to get treatment for a “severe” bout of clinical depression. He also recently recovered from a stroke that occurred in May of last year, just days before the primary election.
