Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Wednesday said he would "save democracy by wearing a suit on the Senate floor next week" if House Republicans "stop trying to shut our government down." Fetterman made the comments poking fun at his Republican colleagues, whom he referred to as "those jagoffs in the House," while presiding over the Senate in shorts and a short-sleeve button-down sans tie, NBC News reports.
"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," Fetterman, a first-term senator whose often seen at the Capitol in casual attire, wrote in full on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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
His casual attire on the floor and challenge to his conservative peers comes after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. redefined the chamber's informal dress code to allow members to wear whatever they wish to, a guideline that went into effect Monday. The dress code previously required lawmakers to dress in business attire, though it was often disregarded.
"The world didn't spin off its axis," he told reporters on Wednesday.
Fetterman says he “felt a tear in the time continuum” after presiding over the Senate without a suit
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) September 20, 2023
“The world didn’t spin off its axis” pic.twitter.com/It2PCqrizQ
The relaxed dress code drew criticism from Republicans, who have been unable to reach a compromise to pass a funding bill by Congress' Sept. 30 deadline, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who called the change "disgraceful" and called out Fetterman by name. "Well her platform, really— she runs on more and more ding-a-ling, pics, you know in the meetings over in the Congress," Fetterman told MSNBC's Chris Hayes in responses to Greene's comments on Monday. "So, again, I'm not really sure why she cares how I dress, but you know, she really takes it a different way."
