Rep. Martha McSally delivered a defiant rebuttal to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s recent enforcement of the decades-old dress code for the House chamber in a Wednesday morning floor speech.
McSally, R-Ariz., a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, came to the well of the House Wednesday morning to deliver a floor speech about first responders in her district. She wore a sleeveless dress and open-toed shoes, an appearance that is banned under dress code rules that have been intermittently enforced since 1979.
“Before I yield back,” McSally said at the end of the speech. “I want to point out I’m standing here in my professional attire, which happens to be a sleeveless dress and open-toed shoes.”
In June, Ryan, R-Wis., read a vaguely worded dress code rule to members gathered on the House floor. It was prompted by complaints about people donning casual attire on the House floor, including cut-off denim shorts worn by the children of some House lawmakers.
The dress code has also been enforced in the lobby outside the chamber, prompting complaints from female reporters banned from the area for wearing sleeveless outfits with open-toed shoes.
