Washington Post condemns Senate dress code change

The editorial board of The Washington Post is criticizing a change to the Senate rules on dress code implemented this week allowing lawmakers to dress down in the upper chamber.

“Dressing formally conveys respect for the sanctity of the institution and for the real-world impact of the policies it advances,” the newspaper wrote in an editorial published Tuesday. “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.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced over the weekend that the body would relax its unwritten dress code, with many critics pointing to the usual wardrobe of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) as a potential reason the change was made.

Fetterman has made baggy and dressed-down clothing, including hoodies and gym shorts, a part of his blue-collar populist brand, the Post noted.

The editorial board pointed out that such attire would disqualify him from working as a teacher in many schools — or even some fast food restaurants.

“Ultracasual though it is, Mr. Fetterman’s clothing probably doesn’t represent the bottom of the slippery slope upon which Mr. Schumer has set Senate style,” the Post warned. “It is, however, all too imaginable that attention-seeking lawmakers will don T-shirts emblazoned with the names and mascots of their hometown sports franchises — or inflammatory partisan messages — hoping to go viral on social media and garner small-dollar donations.”

The Senate, the Post wrote, “might want to avoid looking even a tiny bit more like a high school cafeteria.”

Fetterman has dismissed the criticism of the way he dressed and denied he is the driving force behind the rule change.