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Sen. Fetterman Presides Over Senate With Sloppy T-Shirt And Shorts


Sen. John Fetterman presided over the Senate on Wednesday while wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

Fetterman’s decision to dress informally inside of the Senate chamber comes after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ended the Senate’s dress code requirements.

After receiving backlash for wearing shorts while presiding over the Senate, Fetterman stated “The world didn’t spin off its axis. You know, I just did it … I think we will still go on.”

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Here’s what The Daily Wire reported:

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) presided over the Senate on Wednesday wearing a short-sleeve shirt, no tie, and shorts days following the controversial decision to stop enforcement of the chamber’s dress code.

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The senator from Pennsylvania took his turn sitting as the presiding officer while some of his GOP colleagues, including Sens. John Thune (R-SD), Rand Paul (R-KY), and John Cornyn (R-TX), delivered remarks on the Senate floor.

Reporters caught up with Fetterman after his session had ended. “The world didn’t spin off its axis. You know, I just did it … I think we will still go on,” he said, according to an NBC News reporter.

In a change first revealed over the weekend that is tailored only to affect senators and not staff members, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) directed the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms to stop enforcement of the informal rules dictating that members wear business attire on the Senate floor.

Per NPR:

There’s a lot for lawmakers to be stressed about these days, from the looming threat of a government shutdown to debates over additional funding for Ukraine. But one of the most divisive issues on Capitol Hill suddenly seems to be what senators can wear to work.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer directed the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms to stop enforcing its unwritten dress code — only for its 100 members — starting this week.

“Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor,” he told Axios, which first reported the news. “I will continue to wear a suit.”

That’s prompted criticism from many Republicans, who say decorum is at stake. Several senators from both sides of the aisle have ditched their ties in recent days, while others vow they will not. And critics within and beyond Capitol Hill say the focus on fashion is overshadowing far more pressing issues.



 

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