Topline
The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday to reinstate its formal dress code, following bipartisan backlash to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) decision to nix the longtime requirement for formal attire in the Senate chamber.
US Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, arrives at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on … [+]
Key Facts
The resolution, which passed the Senate with unanimous consent, will restore the requirement for all men to wear coats and ties and women to wear suits and dresses.
Schumer quietly got rid of the dress code earlier this month in what was widely seen as an accommodation for Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who often votes from the doorways in his preferred attire of shorts.
After bipartisan uproar surrounding the change, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) introduced a resolution last week to return to the old dress code.
Fetterman responded to the reinstated dress code by issuing a statement that includes a single photo of actor Kevin James smirking on the set of The King of Queens in 1998, which has become a widely used internet meme in recent weeks.
Key Background
Schumer said last week that he had effectively eliminated the dress code, which is not an official written rule but was followed in practice by all senators. The move was widely mocked by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and became fodder for conservative pundits to attack Democrats as unserious. Manchin and Romney introduced the resolution after a group of 46 Republican senators, representing all but three, wrote a letter to Schumer demanding he reimplement the dress code.
Tangent
The House changed its dress code rules in 2017 to allow women to wear sleeveless dresses, following a revolt among female lawmakers. It also voted to allow women to wear religious headwear on the House floor in 2019 on the same day the first two female Muslim representatives in Congress, Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) took office.
Further Reading
Senate Dress Code Could Return As Lawmakers Plan Revolt Against Controversial Move (Forbes)
Senate Ditches Its Dress Code: Here’s What That Means (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/09/27/dress-to-impress-senate-formal-wear-policy-reinstated-after-bipartisan-backlash/