Wearing wrinkled basketball shorts and a burgundy Carhartt hoodie, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) met on May 3 with Julie Su, President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of labor.
“We need a secretary of labor who will fight for workers. It was an honor to meet with Acting Labor Secretary Su,” Fetterman said in a statement. “I know she is the labor ally we need in this position. I will be voting yes on her confirmation, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same.”
Fetterman has been very supportive of labor unions.
Su served as secretary of the California Department of Labor from 2011 to 2018 and was confirmed as deputy secretary of labor in 2021. On April 26, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee favorably reported Su’s nomination to the full Senate.
If confirmed, Su would be the first Asian American Cabinet secretary to serve in Biden’s administration.
Casual Attire
Freshman senator Fetterman has dressed comfortably many workdays in his Senate office, and his communications team often provides photos of him at work.On April 28, freshman Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) brought Fetterman a “Yinzer” sign to hang outside his Senate office. Yinzer is a nickname for people from Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania. They shared an Iron City beer in a photo opportunity.
“Repping Western PA down here in D.C. is a huge honor,” Deluzio said in a statement. “I’ve been welcoming folks to my Capitol Hill office for a while now with a Yinzer sign on the door, and I kept thinking: John needs one of these signs in the Senate. He’s one of the biggest Yinzers I know. So, I paid him a visit, cracked open an Iron City, and got him a Yinzer sign of his own.”
In this photo, Fetterman wore navy blue drawstring basketball shorts that were wrinkled, and the blue hoodie, a Carhartt brand, was also wrinkled.
It is not a surprise to Pennsylvania voters. Fetterman often dressed casually on the campaign trail.
His black campaign hoodie may be the same one he wore for his intereviw with Jane Pauley on CBS News Sunday Morning. The interview was at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, where he was being treated for depression.
After suffering a stroke last year on the Senate campaign trail, Fetterman’s health came into question. Since the stroke, his speech has never returned to its previous confidence.
In February he checked into George Washington University Hospital in Washington with symptoms of lightheadedness. A week after checking out there, he checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for severe symptoms of depression.
He had low energy and motivation, minimal speech, poor sleep, slowed thinking, slowed movement, and feelings of guilt and worthlessness, according to a doctor’s report his team released. His symptoms had progressively worsened and he had stopped eating and drinking, causing him to develop low blood pressure, which potentially affected brain circulation.
When leaving the hospital on March 31, Fetterman wore his blue hoodie, possibly the same one he wore in the beer photo op.
Suits for Some Occasions
Since returning to work, his team has sent out more press releases than before, showing Fetterman working, with wording that emphasizes his busy schedule.He does own several suits, photos show, which he wears on the Senate floor, in meetings, and at galas.
“Fetterman wrapped up his first week back in the Senate. Sen. Fetterman spent his time in Washington speaking at a press conference, questioning administration nominees, meeting with constituents, and chairing a subcommittee hearing,” a recent press release said.
He co-sponsored the Closing the Meal Gap Act. That is legislation that would raise the baseline benefit for all households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and allocate more food funds to those with large medical and housing expenses.
Many of his tweets also show Fetterman in a hoodie.
