The US Senate’s relaxed dress code is annoying

– Senators can now choose what they want to wear in the chamber. I will continue to wear the suit.

With those words, Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, unleashed the inner fashionista within his colleagues — or pieces — freely. The decision means that the Senate’s requirements for “formal attire,” meaning formal attire such as a tie and jacket for men and suit-like clothing for women, no longer apply. Therefore the room security guard should stop putting people wearing the wrong clothes at the door.

He sticks his head in

Many interpret the move as a concession to independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who often wears bold, bright-colored dresses, and Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. The latter always wears a jacket and shorts. During his time as a senator, he used to vote from the entrance to the chamber by sticking his head inside and giving a thumbs up or down, while keeping one foot outside.

Still, Fetterman, who was mayor of Braddock and spoke publicly earlier this year about being diagnosed with depression, seemed reasonably enthusiastic about reform.

– It is nice to have the opportunity (to enter the Senate in “normal” clothes), but I intend to use it in moderation, as he said this week, according to American media.

Disrespect?

But his fellow Republicans were angry. in mail To Schumer, written by Florida’s Rick Scott and signed by 46 of them, they expressed “deep disappointment and unequivocal disapproval” and urged him to reverse the resolution.

-We must maintain a certain dignity in the Senate. Susan Collins, a Republican representative from Maine, told the newspaper that removing the dress code would bring down the vote USA Today After joking that she might show up in the room in a bikini.

Florida Governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis was even angrier.

– Lack of respect for the institution. . . We have to raise the bar, not lower it, he said in a growling voice.

More important information

It took a toll on John Fetterman, who responded tweet He dresses like DeSantis campaigns.

– We have more important things to work on than focusing on whether I dress like a slob, the Associated Press reported.

The Senate dress code has made headlines before. This includes 1993, when women were given the green light to wear trousers in the room, and 2019, when sleeveless dresses and open shoes were allowed, according to reports. NPR. In the same year, religious headdresses were also inaugurated.

The debate over clothing rages at the same time that Congress has eleven days to come up with a budget, otherwise the US government apparatus is threatened with closure.