Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate passed U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) bipartisan resolution that would reinstate the business attire dress code on the Senate floor. The Senate passed the resolution by unanimous consent.
“For 234 years, every Senator that has had the honor of serving in this distinguished body has assumed there were some basic written rules of decorum, conduct and civility, one of which was a dress code. Just over a week ago, we all learned that there were not – in fact – any written rules about what Senators could and could not wear on the floor of the Senate. So Senator Romney and I got together and we thought maybe it’s time that we finally codify something that was the precedented rule for 234 years. We drafted this simple two-page resolution that’ll put all of this to bed once and for all, by codifying the long-standing practice into a Senate Rule and making it very clear for the sergeant of arms to enforce,” Senator Manchin said in part during his speech on the Senate floor.
“The United States Capitol is more than just a place of work—it serves as a symbol of freedom and democracy to the world,” said Senator Romney. “Hard work was done, and sacrifices made, to ensure that our legislative branch of government wasn’t just housed in some tent. As senators, we should demonstrate a high level of reverence for the institution in which we serve—and our attire is one of the most basic expressions of that respect. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to call for a return to a level of dress becoming of the Senate.”
