
Sen. Susan Collins (R‑ME) joked on Monday that she planned “to wear a bikini” on the Senate floor after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D‑NY) abolished the business dress code for members.
Schumer directed the chamber’s sergeant at arms on Friday to abolish the centuries-old rule requiring senators to wear a suit and tie on the Senate floor. The dress code, which has been described by aides as becoming “informal” over the last 20 years, will still apply to staffers and visitors.
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“I plan to wear a bikini tomorrow to the Senate floor and [Sen.] Chris Coons [D‑DE] is gonna wear shorts because there’s no dress code anymore,” Collins jokingly told reporters on Monday.
Asked why the change bothered her, Collins replied, “Because I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate, and to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution.”
Sen. Susan Collins, R‑Maine, speaks with reporters as she arrives for a vote on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
“Now, obviously, I’m not gonna wear a bikini,” she added. “But of all the issues that we have to deal with right now, ranging from the possibility of the governme …