Senators Can Wear Shorts Now. Their Staff Still Can't Afford Suits.

Senators can wear shorts now. That's great for them. I still have to dress up in clothes I can't afford when I go to work.

The Senate recently amended their dress code to allow Senators to wear whatever they want, as first reported by Axios. Members like John Fetterman, famous for his informal dress, will now be able to wear gym clothes like basketball shorts and sweatshirts on the Senate floor. Meanwhile their staffs will still be required to adhere to the former dress code, which means jackets and ties for men. While the dress code is informal, it's still enforced by the Sergeant-at-Arms in both the House and the Senate.

Reactions have been mixed. Some, particularly female lawmakers, have praised the change, as they have with past dress code changes. Senator Fetterman was quick to appear on the Senate floor in shorts. On the other hand, 46 GOP Senators issued a letter condemning the alteration of the dress code. Senator Schumer, who issued the change, has said he'll still wear a suit.

I'm not saying the dress code change is a bad thing. Smashing silly traditions that add nothing to the ability of our lawmakers to govern is something I'm all for. But it doesn't change the fact that while some of the most wealthy caste of our nation's lawmaking bodies can wear whatever they want, the rest of us still have to dress up when we visit the Capitol and when we go to our jobs.

When I got an internship in the legislative branch and found I would be working in person in one of the House office buildings, I instantly felt pressure to upgrade my wardrobe. Since COVID, it had been years since I'd had a formal in-person job and my old clothes, which were purchased from thrift stores, were both worn and out-of-style. But as a grad student living in a studio apartment and freelancing in addition to working to attempt to pay off debt, I didn't have the means to do anything more than go to H&M or pick some items off Amazon in hopes they'd fit (things never really do seem to look as good as they do in the pictures). Although I managed to put together a few outfits, I still felt out of place being clad in rayon and polyester while the people around me were wearing clothes I couldn't afford on a month's pay. I felt like I was wearing my inequity and that everyone would be able to tell.

There's a distinct irony now that those that can afford expensive formal clothes don't have to wear them, yet those that can't have to. It's a sign of a bigger trend of inequity between workers and their bosses. There's no denying that the requirement to work in person, specifically in an office, carries a cost associated with it. Not only are there the hard costs: transportation, food, office supplies, technology, and of course clothing; there are intangible costs too. These include having to switch priorities between work and family, finding time to manage getting kids to school and homework, and fitting in chores and housework in between all that. That's why the pandemic-induced change to work from home was a blessing for some: it allowed more time to manage all this. Women, who historically have been tasked with child-rearing and housework, specifically benefited. So now when bosses are pushing their workers to come back to the office, the disparities between those that can afford to have others do childcare and housework and those that can't are becoming more and more stark.

Bringing it back to the Senate, the wage gap between some staff members and Senators is significant. On top of the fact that most Senators run for office wealthy, they make $174,000 per year. Staff member salaries, on the other hand, can vary wildly by position. While some positions like Chief of Staff can even make more than the Senator, most positions range from $55k to $80k as per a Congressional Research Service report. Interns and other hourly or temporary employees can make much less.

Those "lesser" employees are the ones who would benefit the most from a universal dress code change. When you're making only slightly above minimum wage, if at all, and especially in a city like D.C., every dollar counts. If the Senate is going to amend its dress code, for good or bad, then let it apply to all of us. We the People deserve the ability to wear shorts equally.