Editorial: Is the Senate dress code that big a deal?

People in Pennsylvania knew who they were electing to the U.S. Senate in 2022.

After a knock-down, drag-out statewide battle that included Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz talking about the price of crudité and then Lt. Gov. John Fetterman trolling him all over social media, Fetterman had a stroke days before the primary that prompted criticism from Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon.

But when the cringe-worthy debate was done and the votes were counted, Pennsylvanians picked Fetterman — treetop-tall former mayor of Braddock known for his hoodies-and-shorts fashion sense in a world of tailored suits. They did it by a margin of 51.2% to 46.3%.

The early days of Fetterman’s term saw him donning suits like his colleagues. Shortly thereafter, he was hospitalized for clinical depression. When he came back, so did his hoodies. His casual college-dorm wardrobe is now a regular feature of the Senate — except in the chamber, where debate occurs and votes are cast.

That changed Monday when the dress code changed. Under the new rules, a pair of pants or lack of jacket aren’t a hurdle to elected officials doing the job for which they were elected.

Related

• U.S. Senate loosens dress code, scoring win for casually dressed Fetterman
• Tom Purcell: Dressing up for Senate success
• Back in hoodies and gym shorts, Fetterman tackles Senate life after depression treatment

Is it a big deal? Not really. It’s an outfit, not foreign policy. Do critics like U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, have a point when they say it could reflect on the decorum of the office and the respect for the chamber? Maybe.

However, worse has happened in that room and by its officials than failing to tie a Windsor knot. The dress code has been changed in the past, accommodating changing styles, different cultures and the election of women.

What would be better would be getting things done. Real things.

Washington is one bated breath away from what would be the fourth government shutdown in 10 years. However, the most substantive thing that has been accomplished in the U.S. Capitol in the last week is deciding what clothes someone can wear in which room.

The people of Pennsylvania knew what Fetterman wore to work long before they sent him to Washington. It should surprise no one that he wears the same uniform that he did in Braddock or Harrisburg.

But Pennsylvanians also sent a lot more legislators to Washington and Harrisburg to get real work done without getting a lot of return on that investment. That seems like a bigger breach of decorum.