House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., announced Thursday that he and the House sergeant-at-arms will work to reform the dress code for the chamber and speakers lobby.
Recently female journalists have been denied entry to the speakers lobby, which is a closed-off hallway that leads to the House chamber, due to their open-toed shoes or sleeveless dresses, which they were told violated the dress code.
On Wednesday, Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., drew attention to the dress code at the end of a speech on the House floor, where she pointed out that she was wearing professional attire, "which happens to be a sleeveless dress and open-toes shoes."
According to The Hill, Ryan told reporters Thursday that "The sergeant-at-arms was simply enforcing the same interpretation of the rules as under my predecessors. It's nothing new and certainly not something that I devised. At the same time, that doesn't mean that enforcement couldn't stand to be a bit modernized.”
He added, "Decorum is important, especially for this institution, and a dress code in the chamber and the lobby makes sense. We also don't need to bar otherwise accepted contemporary business attire, so look for a change on that soon."
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