Does the Senate really need a dress code?

“The 360” shows you diverse perspectives on the day’s top stories and debates.

What’s happening

The U.S. Senate relaxed its dress code this week after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer directed the chamber’s sergeant at arms to no longer enforce its unwritten code of business attire.

“Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor,” Schumer said in a statement, adding: “I will continue to wear a suit.”

The dress code only applies to senators, not staff, meaning that aides to Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, would not be allowed to mimic his gym-ready attire if they were to follow him into the chamber for a vote.

Why there’s debate

The move did not sit well with many conservative members of Congress and some Democrats who feel that informal attire will demean the dignity of the upper chamber.

“The world watches us on that floor, and we must protect the sanctity of that place at all costs,” read a letter, which was signed by all but three Republican senators, urging Schumer to reconsider. “Allowing casual clothing on the Senate floor disrespects the institution we serve and the American families we represent.”

“It bothers me big time,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said. “You got people walking around in shorts — that don’t fly with me.”

Sen. Susan Collins joked that she planned to “wear a bikini” to work this week.

“I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate,” Collins told reporters. “And to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution.”

Some members of the House GOP agreed.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia accused Schumer of catering to Fetterman, who has often been seen in his trademark hoodie and shorts on Capitol Hill following treatment for clinical depression earlier this year.

“The Senate no longer enforcing a dress code for Senators to appease Fetterman is disgraceful,” she wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Dress code is one of society’s standards that set etiquette and respect for our institutions. Stop lowering the bar!” added Greene.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has been known to cast votes in his workout clothes from the edge of Senate floor, seemed less bothered by the change.

“Every senator will have to decide how he or she dresses,” Cruz told Bloomberg. “In the 11 years I’ve been in the Senate, I’ve only been on the Senate floor in a suit and tie, and as far as I’m concerned, I will continue to only wear a suit and tie on the Senate floor.”

And not all Democrats were supportive of the change.

“I don’t like it,” Sen. Mark Kelly said when asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper about the relaxed rules.

Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat, told the New York Times he thought it was wrong and that he would do everything in his power to “try to hold the decorum” of the Senate.

What’s next

Fetterman dismissed the outrage from his Republican colleagues over the new Senate dress code.

“They’re freaking out, I don’t understand it,” he told reporters. “Like, aren’t there more important things we should be working on right now instead of, you know, that I might be dressing like a slob?”

He also mocked House Republicans who he said seemed more concerned with his attire than averting a government shutdown at the end of the month.

“If those jagoffs in the House stop trying to shut our government down, and fully support Ukraine, then I will save democracy by wearing a suit on the Senate floor next week,” Fetterman wrote in a post on X.

Perspectives

A casual new dress code doesn’t suit the Senate

“Dressing formally conveys respect for the sanctity of the institution and for the real-world impact of the policies it advances. Putting on a suit creates an occasion for lawmakers to reflect, just for a moment, on the special responsibilities with which the people have entrusted them and on a deliberative process that at least aspires to solemnity. Judges are perfectly able to choose what they wear while on the bench, but court wouldn’t be court unless they put on black robes.”

— The Washington Post editorial board

Fetterman’s "slovenly disrespect of Congress is a disgrace"

“Few would submit that the United States Senate is not an institution worthy of respect and observation of its traditions. The room where constitutional amendments have been approved, civil rights acts have been passed, and Supreme Court Justices have been confirmed is deserving of deference. After all, if Henry Clay, Charles Sumter, John Kennedy, and John McCain put pride aside and dressed in their Sunday best to do the people’s business, so too can John Fetterman.”

— Isaac Schorr, the Telegraph

But most Americans are dressing less formal at work

“The truth is the Senate is just following the trends toward less formal attire that we’re seeing throughout the workforce. Take a look at a Gallup survey from earlier this year. Just 3% of men said they wear business dress (such as suits) on most days. That is down from 14% about a decade ago. Women largely follow the same trend. Only 3% of them normally wore a suit or business clothing to work in 2023.”

— Harry Enten, CNN

And this isn’t the first time the dress code has been challenged

“There was a call to arms for female reporters when former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., ran the show. Chamber security personnel prohibited female reporters from entering the Speaker’s Lobby because their arms weren’t covered. Ryan then eased the policy, granting women a right to bare arms.”

— Chad Pergram, Fox News