After freshman Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) presided over the Senate in shorts and a short-sleeve button-down shirt, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) led 45 of his colleagues to demand that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “restore decorum” in the upper chamber.
According to NBC News, Sen. Schumer changed the rules just days ago to allow Senators – like Sen. Fetterman – to wear casual attire on the floor.
Sen. Scott and his cohorts wrote that “the world watches us on that floor” and that “we must protect the sanctity of that place at all costs.”
“For more than 230 years, the United States Senate has served the American people with honor and dignity. As members of this esteemed body, we understand the seriousness our positions require,” wrote Sen. Scott and his colleagues. “The Senate is a place of honor and tradition, and the Senate floor is where we conduct the business of the American people. It is where we debate the policies which impact every American family and, when necessary, it is where we must make the gravest decision imaginable – whether to send our fellow Americans into battle to defend the freedoms we all hold dear. The world watches us on that floor and we must protect the sanctity of that place at all costs.”
Finally, they would express their “supreme disappointment” and “resolute disapproval” of the rejection of the Senate dress code.
“Allowing casual clothing on the Senate floor disrespects the institution we serve and the American families we represent. We the undersigned members of the United States Senate write to express our supreme disappointment and resolute disapproval of your recent decision to abandon the Senate’s longstanding dress code for members, and urge you to immediately reverse this misguided action,” the senators concluded.
Of the 45 additional senators that signed the letter, notable names include Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Kennedy (R-LA), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), JD Vance (R-OH), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
