The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution sponsored by Sen. Mitt Romney and Sen. Joe Manchin to codify a dress code, requiring senators to dress in business attire while on the floor of the chamber. The resolution does not specify business attire for women. The resolution, known as the SHow Our Respect To the Senate (SHORTS) Resolution, designates the Senate Sergeant at Arms as the fashion police and requires a two-thirds vote to change the dress code again.
Co-hosts of "The View" debated whether Senator John Fetterman should be allowed to wear hoodies and shorts instead of traditional Senate attire. Some argued that Fetterman should meet a certain level of decorum, while others defended his right to dress as he pleases. The U.S. Senate recently confirmed that it will no longer enforce a dress code for senators, causing division among Democrats and Republicans. However, some co-hosts expressed that there are more pressing issues to focus on than this debate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing backlash from both Democratic and Republican colleagues for loosening the Senate's dress code, allowing senators to wear whatever they want on the Senate floor. Senators, including Schumer's deputy Dick Durbin and centrist Joe Manchin, are pushing for the reinstatement of the dress code, which would require senators to wear a coat and tie or business attire. Several Senate Republicans have already signed onto Manchin's resolution to reverse Schumer's decision. The Washington Post criticized the reform, calling for more measured change and debate. Some senators argue that maintaining decorum and respect for the institution is important, while others believe the uproar over the dress code is excessive.
House Democrats burst into laughter when Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right Republican, called for "decorum" while presiding over the House. Greene has courted controversy and confrontation, including voicing antisemitic conspiracy theories and harassing political opponents. Democrats stripped Greene of committee assignments in 2021 but they were restored after Republicans took the House. Greene has made headlines by standing to catcall, jeer and boo during Joe Biden's last two appearances in the House chamber. Many Democrats mocked Greene's call for decorum, with one saying "Irony died today on the House Floor, but comedy triumphed as the GOP chose MTG as their keeper of 'decorum'."
A correspondent for Today News Africa, Simon Ateba, disrupted a White House press briefing featuring the cast of "Ted Lasso" by repeatedly interjecting and claiming discrimination. Other reporters pushed back, and the White House Correspondents Association condemned the "extreme breakdown of decorum." Ateba has disrupted previous briefings and has been warned of possible expulsion. The incident drew apologies from other reporters and frustration from those trying to do their job.
Simon Ateba, a reporter for Today News Africa, caused chaos during a White House press briefing by berating White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for not taking enough of his questions. Ateba accused Jean-Pierre of "making a mockery of your profession" and complained that it had been seven months since he had last been called on to ask a question. Fellow journalists stepped in to shut him down, with one reporter telling him to "mind your manners" and another describing his behavior as "unacceptable."
A journalist interrupted a White House press briefing during a visit by the cast of AppleTV's Ted Lasso, shouting down press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Other reporters remonstrated with the heckler, saying he was impeding their ability to work. The journalist complained that Ms Jean-Pierre hadn't called on him for seven months and claimed she was "discriminating" against him and other individuals in the press corps because she doesn't "like them". After the fighting died down, Ms Jean-Pierre reminded members of the press to show respect in the briefing room.
During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy accused Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen of lying about President Joe Biden's willingness to meet with Republicans to discuss Social Security. Cassidy's accusation drew an admonishment from the committee's Democratic chairman, Ron Wyden, who said it was "over the line." Another Republican senator, Ron Johnson, also exhibited impatience with Yellen during the hearing.
