The United States Senate voted Wednesday to codify a business casual dress code for the Senate floor.
The vote came just days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer directed the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms to stop enforcing the unwritten dress code, a change that engendered backlash from many senators. Much of the focus was on Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who is known for wearing shorts and hooded sweatshirts in formal settings.
Following Schumer’s decision, forty-six Republicans sent a letter to the Majority Leader demanding he reverse the change.
The recently passed resolution, a bipartisan measure from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, requires that men wear a “coat, tie, and slacks or other long pants” when on the Senate floor.
Prior to the resolution, the dress code was unwritten.
Romney said the dress code drama is “not the biggest thing going on in Washington today,” but added that “it’s an important thing and makes a difference to a lot of people.”
The bill passed unanimously.
