It's a rule that proved easy to unravel, and for good reason: It wasn't written. On Sunday, September 17, the political news site Axios reported that the Democrat Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer quietly ordered the Senate sergeant at arms to stop enforcing the upper chamber's dress code. This informal code prescribed suits and ties for men and dresses and suits with pants for women. It was based on one rule: "dress to impress." "Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit," added Schumer in all seriousness in a statement to Axios.
For observers of American politics, this decision was for the Senate majority leader a way of making a favor for a lawmaker from his camp: John Fetterman. Aged 54, Fetterman rarely goes unnoticed. He's huge – over two meters tall – bald and bearded. He is best known for his dress style: He never leaves his sports shorts, hooded sweatshirt and sneakers.
Fetterman was one of the figures to emerge from the November 2022 mid-term elections when he was elected Senator of Pennsylvania. Before entering the Senate, he was the mayor (between 2005 and 2019) of Braddock, a small town in Pittsburgh's tough suburbs, and then Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023. The lieutenant governor presided over the State Senate and was the first in the order of succession to the governor if he was incapacitated. On the political spectrum, he blends populism and progressivism, championing criminal justice reform, the abolition of the death penalty, a $15-hour federal minimum wage and the legalization of cannabis.
But this giant is a fragile one: In May 2022, he suffered from a stroke, and a few months later, in February 2023, was admitted to a hospital to treat his depression, where he spent several weeks. Axios pointed out that, prior to this hospitalization, Fetterman used to wear a suit in the Senate. There is no indication that his attire is part of the therapy, even though he claims it is comfortable.
With Republicans and Democrats in Congress already struggling to agree on the federal budget, the issue has turned into yet another sticking point in the cultural war dear to Republicans. Unsurprisingly, several GOP lawmakers were incensed by Schumer's announcement. Even Maine State Senator Susan Collins, a "moderate" Republican, felt that the measure amounted to "debasing the institution" and added that nothing now prevented her from coming in a bikini. More acerbically, Rick Scott, a Republican senator from Florida, and 45 of his Republican colleagues wrote a letter to Schumer expressing their disapproval and asking him to reverse this fashion faux pas.
Sen. Susan Collins pans new Senate dress code: "I plan to wear a bikini tomorrow" https://t.co/1FP43hQ6xN pic.twitter.com/yB7Y8TlmSP
— The Hill (@thehill) September 19, 2023
Ron DeSantis, Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate, lashed out at Fetterman without naming him: "The US Senate just eliminated its dress code because you got this guy from Pennsylvania [Fetterman] 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." Fetterman fired back on X (formerly Twitter): "I dress like he campaigns."
This isn't the first time Fetterman's style has horrified conservatives. In September 2022, during the mid-term election campaign, he was taken to task by Tucker Carlson, then ultraconservative Fox News host, who criticized the Democratic candidate's "stupid little fake tattoos." Fetterman responded to this criticism on NBC News, explaining that the tattoos paid tribute to citizens of his town who "died violently (...). They are reminders of the people we have lost and what I am fighting for."
The Washington Post was also displeased by Schumer's decision: In an op-ed published on Tuesday, the daily newspaper argued that "dressing formally conveys respect for the sanctity of the institution and for the real-world impact of the policies it advances." Yet, as Axios pointed out, the Senate rules make no mention of a dress code. The New York Times concurred: "Unlike most rules that govern the Senate, there is no official, written dress code." Until now, those who didn't abide by this "code" could vote by putting one foot in the upper chamber while keeping the other in the hallway, enabling some to vote in sportswear, golf or other "unconventional" attire.
Not all Republicans are averse to a bit of casualness. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley regularly wears jeans and boots on Mondays when he returns from his home state. In 2019, Senator Amy Klobuchar had already obtained from the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration a relaxation of the dress code so that female senators could come with their shoulders uncovered. In the neighboring House of Representatives, a Republican and a Democrat launched an intergroup of elected officials in the spring with a shared passion for... sneakers, one of the few subjects uniting Americans.
Sartorial concerns, moreover, extend beyond the circle of Congress. Before Fetterman, Barack Obama had already caused a stir in late August 2014 when he hosted a press conference during which he discussed the situation in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq while wearing a beige suit.
And while some in the Senate may question the length of Fetterman's shorts, the White House's Oval Office witnessed another stylistic innovation. On May 17, during a meeting on the debt ceiling, congressional leaders appeared before Joe Biden and Kamala Harris wearing "dress sneakers" and fancy socks.
what looks better? https://t.co/Nxal8Pkq37 pic.twitter.com/9QGQrKmQoJ
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) May 17, 2023
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.