Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) circulated a proposal to reverse Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) relaxation of the Senate dress code, according to a news report published Thursday.
Schumer's order allowed senators to wear whatever they want on the Senate floor instead of the suits and ties for men and business attire for women, to which senators are accustomed. Critics of the relaxation claim Schumer's decision was to appease Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is known for wearing hoodies and basketball shorts while on Capitol Hill.
HOUSE GOP LEADERS SIGNAL POSSIBLE FUNDING BREAKTHROUGH WITH CONSERVATIVE HOLDOUTS
“I’ve signed it,” an unnamed senator, who explained it would “define what the dress code is,” told the Hill.
The proposal, if approved, would revert the dress code back to what it was before the weekend.
Critics of Schumer's decision, which went into effect on Monday, argued that the Senate should have standards when it comes to what constitutes appropriate clothing but admitted that there could be discussion on what those standards should be.
“The senator in question from Pennsylvania is a personal friend," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) told “The Briefing with Steve Scully," referring to Fetterman. "But I think we need to have standards when it comes to what we’re wearing on the floor of the Senate, and we’re in the process of discussing that right now as to what those standards will be."
Fetterman has pushed back on the criticism, claiming there were "more important" issues facing the upper chamber than his choice of clothing.
“The Republicans think I’m just going to burst in through the doors and start break dancing on the floor, you know, in shorts, and it really wasn’t a big issue," Fetterman said. “It's mystifying. I mean, there's certain much more important kinds of issues we should be addressing. Instead of like, how if I dress like a bum."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said he predicts the topic will come to a floor vote.
“It’s just ridiculous that we should have to conform the dress code to the lowest common denominator,” Cornyn said.