Republicans have mocked Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's loosening of the upper chamber's dress code that will allow Senators to wear casual clothing on the Senate floor.
The new rules, which went into effect on Monday, were derided by many Republicans, including 70-year-old Maine Senator Susan Collins telling reporters: “I'll wear a bikini.”
Collins added: “I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate, and to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution.”
Meanwhile, former Auburn University football coach, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, joked that he would dig out his old “coaching outfit” the next time he appeared on the Senate floor.
“It bothers me big time,” Tuberville said.”You got people walking around in shorts that don't fly with me.”
More Important Things To Talk About?
Other Republicans in the upper chamber also voiced their displeasure with the relaxation of the dress code rules. Sen. Lindsey Graham declared he's “not a big fan,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito called them “terrible.” Sen. Chuck Gracey said, “It stinks.”
However, the rule change will allow Republican Sen. John Fetterman to wear his trademark hoodie and shorts on the Senate floor.
In an interview with MSNBC, Fetterman said: “Aren't there more important things we should be talking about rather than if I dress like a slob?”
#NotAllRepublicans
However, some Republicans have taken advantage of the dress code change, with Missouri Senator Josh Hawley walking the floor in jeans and cowboy boots and Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski arriving to vote in her “travel clothes.”
Murkowski told NBC News: “I would not normally wear this on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday,” Murkowski said. “I mean, it's a respect thing. It's like going to church in your jeans or going to a funeral in jeans.”
However, Murkowski conceded: “I'm not so hung up on things to think that every single day a man needs to wear a necktie.”
Meanwhile, Democrats were unphased by the changes. Illinois Senator Durbin joked that he'll “probably” change his attire to a “beret and sweatshirt.”
While Sen. Jon Tester, who often votes from the edge of the floor in clothes he plans to travel home in said. “I don't think it changes for me. We be styling.”