WASHINGTON — Having just been granted permission to wear his trademark hoodies and shorts on the Senate floor, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman promised Wednesday to wear a suit if House Republicans agree to keep the federal government open past the end of the month.
“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,” Mr. Fetterman, D-Pa., said in a statement.
Mr. Fetterman presided over the Senate on Wednesday without a suit, leading his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, to tweet that “the world did not end.”
this may shock you, but john just presided over the senate without a suit on and the world did not end https://t.co/HhCJUPxHvg
— Adam Jentleson (@AJentleson) September 20, 2023
Republicans in both chambers erupted in outrage after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., relaxed the dress code, thus allowing Mr. Fetterman to shun a jacket and tie. Almost every Senate Republican signed a letter of protest to Mr. Schumer, while House GOP members have taken to social media in opposition.
Meanwhile, Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a government shutdown. House Republicans have rejected the budget agreement that prevented a debt default in June, while Senate Democrats and Republicans have negotiated bipartisan spending bills for the 12 months beginning Oct. 1.
The House GOP has demanded, instead, that even a temporary spending bill to keep the government open include deeper spending cuts and conservative priorities that have no chance of clearing the Senate or being signed into law by President Joe Biden. But they don’t even have enough support among their own members to pass any legislation.
Jonathan D. Salant: jsalant@post-gazette.com, @JDSalant
First Published: September 20, 2023, 4:59 p.m.
Updated: September 21, 2023, 4:50 p.m.
