US Senate loosening informal dress code

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY-D) has decided that the informal dress code for its members will no longer be enforced, according to a report by Axios. Starting Monday, Sept. 18, members will no longer be required to wear business attire on the Senate floor.

The change only applies to senators, meaning staff members must still abide by the original dress code enforced by the Senate’s Sergeant at Arms. In the past, senators who were not in business attire – coat and tie for men – could still vote from the edge of the floor without violating the dress code.

Sen. John Fetterman (PA-D) has voted this way in the past. After six weeks of inpatient treatment for clinical depression, Fetterman would stand in the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom, make his vote, and step back out while wearing a hoodie and gym shorts.

The change to the dress code would allow Fetterman and senators alike to be on the Senate floor wearing anything they want.

The House rules, while more formal, have also been challenged in recent years. In 2017, the debate over whether women in the House of Representatives should wear sleeves led to discussions about modernizing the dress code entirely.