Republicans are upset about a new dress code policy from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that will allow senators to wear whatever they choose on the Senate floor.
The new policy is set to go into effect this week, according to Axios, and will no longer require members to wear coats or business attire in the upper chamber, an informal rule that is enforced by the Senate Sergeant at Arms.
“Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit,” Schumer said in a statement.
The policy will allow Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who often wears a hoodie or a short-sleeve shirt along with shorts around the Capitol, to enter the Senate chamber and vote in the well alongside other senators. The Pennsylvania Democrat, who suffered a stroke in 2022, casts his votes by ducking his head through the Senate doors.
The new rules will not apply to staff or outside visitors, however.
Several GOP senators complained about the change on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter.
“It’s just not that hard to wear a jacket and tie,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote. “Pants are also a must — not optional.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said “of course” the policy was changed to accommodate Fetterman, adding that he is being “completely disrespectful” by not wearing a suit on the Senate floor.
“I don’t like wearing a suit more than anybody else but it’s respect for the position that we need to hold high,” Mullin said during an interview on Fox News.
Senators typically wear more casual attire in the Capitol when not on the Senate floor or on days when they are traveling between D.C. and their home states. Some GOP senators have been known to vote in gym or basketball attire without actually stepping foot on the floor.
Fetterman on Monday responded to another GOP critic ― Ga. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ― by referencing a hearing in which the congresswoman showed what appeared to be sexually explicit images of Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.