John Fetterman has given a hilarious response to the Senate’s passage of a resolution that now requires men to wear formal dress on the floor of the chambers.
The Democratic senator became a talking point for wearing homewear around the Senate, after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer chose to stop enforcing the unwritten requirement for formalwear.
Several right-wing figures then took issue with Mr Fetterman sporting his trademark hoodie and shorts in the chambers, with the senator responding that he valued “comfort” and that the dress code “was not the biggest issue”.
On Wednesday, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah brought forward a bipartisan bill to enforce a dress code.
The resolution passed that night by unanimous consent, meaning that men are now required to wear business attire including a coat, tie, and slacks or other long pants. It does not specify what is deemed as business attire for women.
Following its passage, Mr Fetterman delivered a typical less than serious response, posting a meme on X.
The iconic image shows actor Kevin James shrugging.
Mr Fetterman also sent out a press release featuring the meme.
The senator’s trademark hoodie and shorts had made him quite the sight among the typically uniform appearance of lawmakers in the chambers.
Mr Schumer said after the resolution passed that Mr Fetterman had been cooperating with the changes and had agreed to suit up.
“Though we’ve never had an official dress code, the events over the past week have made us all feel as though formalising one is the right path forward,” he said.
Mr Fetterman, who represents Pennsylvania, recently hit out at the complaints about his attire.
John Fetterman might not be wearing a hoodie so often— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
“Don’t we have more important things that we should be addressing?” he asked CNN while wearing a hoodie.
“Nobody has come to me and said the world will burn if you wear a hoodie. I have had conversations on both sides of the aisle.”
He added: “[It’s for] comfort. And it’s hard to find suits of my size. I believe it’s not the person that is made by how they dress.
“It can also be expensive with dry cleaning and everything. Staff are working incredibly hard and I also want my staff to feel comfortable.”
