WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — Before Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman checked himself in to the hospital for clinical depression in February, he walked the halls of the Senate stone-faced and dressed in formal suits.

These days, he’s back to wearing the hoodies and gym shorts he was known for before he became a senator.

Male senators are expected to wear a jacket and tie on the Senate floor. But as a workaround, Fetterman votes from the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his “yay” or “nay” is recorded before ducking back out. In between votes this past week, Fetterman's hoodie stayed on for a news conference with Democratic colleagues in suits, the 6-foot-8 Fetterman towering over his colleagues.

The senator’s staff had asked him to always wear suits, and he has done so on occasion. But after checking with the Senate parliamentarian, they concluded he could continue wearing the casual attire that was his choice at home in Pennsylvania, as long as he didn’t walk on to the Senate floor.

Fetterman isn’t the only one who has voted in casual clothing — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, for example, is known for sometimes arriving in gym clothes.

People close to Fetterman say his recent social interaction and work activity means the senator is making a recovery after six weeks of inpatient treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. During that time, his clinical depression was treated with medication and he was fitted for hearing aids to help compensate for hearing loss.

Fetterman had a stroke during his Senate campaign, and continues to recover from that situation.


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