GOP Senators Call on Schumer to Reverse His Dress Code Decision

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on April 17, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Senate Republicans are calling on Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to reverse his decision on the Senate dress code.

Mr. Schumer this week relaxed the dress code for the upper congressional chamber for senators while leaving it in place for staffers. This after Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) came under fire for wearing shorts and a hoodie on the Senate side of the Capitol, including on the Senate floor.

“Allowing casual clothing on the Senate floor disrespects the institution we serve and the American families we represent,” wrote 46 of the 49 GOP senators in a Sept. 19 letter to Mr. Schumer.

“We, the undersigned members of the United States Senate, write to express our supreme disappointment and resolute disapproval of your recent decision to abandon the Senate’s longstanding dress code for members, and urge you to immediately reverse this misguided action.”

Mr. Fetterman added it is quite rich for Mr. Trump’s supporters to criticize him for disrespecting the institution, given that Mr. Trump “encouraged his followers to trash the actual institution” on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Pennsylvania lawmaker was dismissive when it was pointed out that former Trump White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin, now a staunch critic of her former boss, also found fault with his clothing choices.

“These are chambers that Abraham Lincoln walked in, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson. There’s a hallowed sort of ground to it—even if, at times, our current representatives defame it a little bit,” said Ms. Griffin on ABC’s “The View” on Sept. 19.

“For me, like, there’s an earnestness to John Fetterman that I really like, but I sort of think, dress for the job you want, and you have signed up for a job that’s historically had this dress code,” she added.

In response, Mr. Fetterman told The Epoch Times, “I can tell you I really don’t spend any time thinking, or caring, about what and how they dress. I’m not sure why they would be obsessed with how I dress.”

GOP senators are not alone in their criticism of the new Senate dress code for senators.

“We need to have standards when it comes to what we’re wearing on the floor of the Senate,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sirius XM.

“I don’t like it,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) told CNN.

“My personal opinion is, you got to dress respectfully,” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) told Axios.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is expected to “file a bipartisan resolution to ensure the Senate dress code remains consistent with previous expectations,” a spokesperson told Axios. The Hill first reported on the resolution.