In the tradition-bound halls of the Senate, customs die hard and rules can be next to impossible to change.
But on Monday, with a potential government shutdown days away, a newly begun impeachment inquiry and lawmakers preparing for a visit this week from the president of Ukraine, a major change had the Capitol abuzz.
For the first time in centuries, lawmakers are no longer expected to suit up to conduct business on the Senate floor.
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, has established a new dress code — or rather, done away with the old one — allowing members to take a more business-casual approach to their workwear.
The change, reported earlier by Axios, involved directing the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms — whose job, aside from directing security in the chamber, also entails enforcing outfit standards for all who enter it — that the previous policy that all senators must be clad in business attire when on the floor is no longer to be enforced.
Persons:
Chuck Schumer, Axios
Organizations:
Capitol
Locations:
Ukraine, New York