What's happened
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer's decision to relax the Senate dress code has sparked a heated partisan debate.
Why it matters
The relaxation of the Senate dress code has ignited a debate about decorum, tradition, and respect for institutions, reflecting broader political divisions.
What the papers say
The New York Times emphasizes the partisan divide, with Republicans deploring the change as a lapse in decorum and order, while Democrats dismiss the complaints as distractions from more pressing matters. The NY Post highlights Republican calls to reinstate the dress code, arguing that the change disrespects the institution. The Gulf News and AP News report on the relaxation of the dress code, prompting outrage from some formal members, eroding goodwill earned by Senator Fetterman. The Times discusses the decision to accommodate Senator Fetterman, who had been praised and castigated for defying the rule, sparking criticism from some Republicans.
How we got here
The decision to relax the Senate dress code follows Senator Chuck Schumer's announcement that the Sergeant-at-Arms will no longer enforce the dress code on the Senate floor, prompted by Senator John Fetterman's unapologetic defiance of the rule.
More on these topics
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The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, which, along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—constitutes the legislature of the United States.
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Charles Ellis Schumer is an American and Israeli politician serving as the senior United States Senator from New York, a seat to which he was first elected in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he has also been the Senate Minority Leader since 2017.
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John Fetterman is an American politician who is the 34th and current Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, since January 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, from 2005 to 2019.