Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said on Wednesday that if House Republicans “stop trying to shut down our government,” he will “save democracy by donning a suit on the Senate floor next week.”
As he presided over the Senate while wearing shorts, a short-sleeve button-down shirt, and no tie, Fetterman made the statement in an apparent dig at congressional Republicans, or as he described it, “those jagoffs in the House.”
Just a few days prior, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, discreetly modified the Senate’s informal dress code to permit senators to wear anything they like on the floor. Previously, both men and women had to wear professional attire, however, this rule was frequently broken.
A notable beneficiary of the new restriction is Fetterman, a first-term senator who is frequently spotted at the Capitol wearing shorts and a hoodie.
Republicans have mocked the relaxed dress code.
The West Virginia senator Shelley Moore Capito described the modifications as “terrible.” It stinks, said Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and it really upsets me, said Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
To prevent a government shutdown at the end of the month, House Republicans are scrambling to find a solution. Congress must adopt a funding package by September 30; however, the center-right and far-right wing of the party have been unable to reach an agreement.
It wasn’t the first time Fetterman had mocked his fashion sense while also attacking a Republican.
After Florida governor and Republican presidential contender Ron DeSantis claimed on Monday that Fetterman “has got a lot of problems” and that his attire is “dumbing down” standards, Fetterman tweeted out the video with the caption, “I dress as he campaigns.”