Sept. 27 (UPI) — Business attire is back in the U.S. Senate, following backlash and the senators’ unanimous consent Wednesday on a resolution that requires men to wear a “coat, tie and slacks or other long pants.”
The “Senate floor dress code” was adopted following an uproar over Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer’s relaxation of the chamber’s unwritten dress rule, as Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., frequently sported shorts and hoodies.
“Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit,” Schumer, D-N.Y., announced last week.
Wednesday’s bipartisan resolution to overturn Schumer’s decision, and to codify what had long been an informal rule, was co-sponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mitt Romney, D-Utah.
“For 234 years, every senator that has had the honor of serving in the Senate has assumed there were some basic written rules of decorum, conduct and civility,” Manchin said in a post Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“My bipartisan resolution with Sen. Romney codifies the long-standing practice into a Senate rule.”
For 234 years, every Senator that has had the honor of serving in the Senate has assumed there were some basic written rules of decorum, conduct and civility. My bipartisan resolution w/ @SenatorRomney codifies the long-standing practice into a Senate Rule https://t.co/gtkmb97MoI— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) September 28, 2023
Manchin said he learned last week that “there were not in fact any written rules about the senators, and what they could and could not wear on the floor.”
“We want those who serve inside this room, in this hall to show a level of dignity and respect, which is consistent with the sacrifice they made and the beauty of the surroundings,” Romney said Wednesday on the Senate floor.
While the rule addressed men’s attire, it does not dictate what female senators should wear.
“Though we’ve never had an official dress code, the events over the past week have made us all feel as though formalizing one is the right path forward,” Schumer said Wednesday.
“I deeply appreciate Sen. Fetterman working with me to come to an agreement that we all find acceptable, and of course I appreciate Sen. Manchin’s and Sen. Romney’s leadership on this issue.”
