John Fetterman says that he will return to wearing a suit in Congress if his “jagoff” Republican critics stop threatening to shut down the government.
The US senator from Pennsylvania has come under fire after the high chamber relaxed its dress code to seemingly allow the burly Democrat to wear his trademark shorts and hoodie on the floor.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made the change, telling the sergeant at arms to no longer enforce the tradition of male senators wearing a jacket and tie on the floor.
“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,” the Democrat wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Mr Fetterman, at 6’9”, is currently the tallest US senator and has spent this week taking on all of his sartorial critics.
“I dress like you predict,” he told election expert and data analyst Nate Silver, who tweeted that he was “Starting a new political party for people who don’t give a s*** either about how John Fetterman dresses or what Lauren Boebert does in a theatre.”
Florida governor Ron DeSantis also took a shot at Mr Fetterman’s appearance as he campaigned for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
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.
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) September 20, 2023
“The US Senate just eliminated its dress code because you got this guy from Pennsylvania who’s got a lot of problems ... he wears, like, sweatshirts and hoodies and shorts ... We need to be lifting up our standards in this country, not dumbing down,” he told supporters.
Mr Fetterman in turn mocked the Republican hopeful’s faltering challenge to Donald Trump, by tweeting: “I dress like he campaigns.”
Federal government funding is set to expire on 30 September with House Republicans, who have a majority, trying to push through a plan to temporarily fund the government and increase border security.
The White House has warned that active-duty military personnel and federal law enforcement agents will have to work without pay unless the government is funded.
