Ilhan Omar is one of the first Muslim people to enter Congress. Along with this huge step forward comes a question concerning nothing less than the dress code. For nearly 200 years, congressional dress codes banned any sort of headwear inside the House of Representatives. Now Democrats are rallying to change that rule, so that Omar (and women who follow in her footsteps) can wear a headscarf, in accordance with her religious beliefs.
The Minnesota representative-elect tweeted about her goal, and her perspective:
In the House Rules Committee Democrats’ draft proposal to lift the ban on headwear, the argument rested heavily on ensuring freedom of “religious expression.” Alongside Omar, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (who wrote the draft) and Democratic Massachusetts Representative Jim McGover (of the Rules Committee) are backing the proposal.
The proposal comes with an even broader message. In addition to religious expression, Democrats have pledged to encourage diversity on the Hill, especially in terms of discrimination based on sexuality and gender.
The proposal has support from one of the Trumps as well. This afternoon, White House adviser Ivanka Trump tweeted her support for the proposal, calling it an “important rule change”:
Given that Democrats finally regained control of the House (effective next year), the party is likely to be able to implement a new set of rules. In the midterms, they swept up 37 seats, making it a lot easier for them to push inclusive rules and policies forward.