An interesting news story. Make of it what you will:
The Senate passed a bipartisan resolution Wednesday to restore the formal dress code in the upper chamber following blowback over the loosening of the unofficial rule.
Under the resolution, which passed unanimously, senators will once again be required to wear business attire on the floor.
Does that mean Fetterman voted for it?
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who publicly split with Fetterman (D-Pa.) over the latter’s lax wardrobe, sponsored the resolution, along with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).
“As senators, we should demonstrate a high level of reverence for the institution in which we serve — and our attire is one of the most basic expressions of that respect,” Romney said in a statement.
“I’m proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to call for a return to a level of dress becoming of the Senate,” Romney continued.
Never say Mitt didn’t do anything for the conservative movement.
The Post’s headline says that the Senate restored its dress code after a “massive blowback” against Fetterman’s slovenliness, as had been permitted by Chuck Schumer. But the article itself doesn’t elaborate. I suppose we can infer that a lot of people expect elected officials–senators, anyway–to maintain some kind of cultural standard. I suspect, too, that Fetterman’s fellow Democrats may have been concerned that Fetterman’s bizarre behavior was needlessly calling attention to his mental health struggles, which must be an embarrassment to the his party.
There is a loophole, though: senators are only required to dress properly while on the Senate floor. They have the option of shouting their votes from the Senate cloakroom:
In his private remarks to Democrats on Wednesday, Fetterman said he’ll continue to vote from the cloakroom if he’s not wearing a suit, according to Punchbowl.
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