Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joked Monday that she would ‘wear a bikini’ on the floor of the Senate following Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s, D-N.Y., directive that the body would no longer enforce a dress code for its members.

Her comments were first reported by an NBC News reporter, but were confirmed by Fox News Digital. Collins made the comments while slamming the dress code directive, arguing it ‘debases the institution,’ which still requires others entering the chamber to comply with the dress code, including coats and ties for men, and business attire for women.

‘Obviously, I’m not going to wear a bikini,’ Collins said. ‘But the fact is, as I understand it, I could!’

Fox News Digital confirmed the dress code changes on Sunday after Schumer secretly sent the directive to the Senate’s sergeant at arms.

The change will allow Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., to continue wearing his trademark hoodies and gym shorts he is often seen wearing around Capitol Hill after returning from a six-week hospitalization for depression earlier this year.

He had previously found a workaround to the legislative body’s dress code rules by voting from the doorway of the Democrat cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his vote is recorded before ducking out.

Fetterman was blasted by conservatives following the change, with some suggesting the move was made to appease him. 

Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., attacked a journalist who defended how he dresses, baffling social media users.

The senator took a shot at Nate Silver, the founder of the data news site FiveThirtyEight, after Silver posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, defending Fetterman against people who criticize him over his outfits, which regularly consists of hoodies and gym shorts.

‘Starting a new political party for people who don’t give a s— either about how John Fetterman dresses or what Lauren Boebert does in a theater,’ Silver wrote.

Fetterman, however, responded to the message by insulting him. ‘I dress like you predict,’ Fetterman said to Silver, who is an election and political statistician.

Fetterman’s insult confused social media users, given Silver’s message supported the Democrat.

‘So Fetterman’s handlers decided to insult a guy who defended him by admitting that their boss dresses like s—???’ Greg Price wrote.

‘John Fetterman finds it hilarious that he’s turned the senate into a coddling daycare for an emotionally stunted man-child with severely arrested development,’ former President Donald Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller said. 

‘In which [John Fetterman] attacks [Nate Silver] for arguing that the controversy over his wardrobe is driven by partisans,’ Mediaite staff writer Isaac Schorr wrote. ‘Oh, and in which he ‘dunks’ on him by asserting that Silver’s work is as shoddy as his attire? Bizarre all the way around.’

The U.S. Senate recently dropped its dress code requirement, sparking criticism from many conservatives both online and in Congress who suggested the move was made to appease Fetterman.

Fox News Digital on Sunday confirmed that the Senate will no longer enforce a dress code for members of Congress’ upper chamber. Senators will now be allowed to wear whatever they want, but others entering the chamber must comply with the dress code: coats and ties for men and business attire for women. 

Conservatives also responded on X criticizing Fetterman, who has regularly worn casual attire in the building and found a workaround to the legislative body’s dress code rules by voting from the doorway of the Democrat cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his vote is recorded before leaving.

‘The Senate no longer enforcing a dress code for Senators to appease Fetterman is disgraceful,’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted on X. ‘Dress code is one of society’s standards that set etiquette and respect for our institutions. Stop lowering the bar!’

‘If my interns can put on a suit so can a U.S. Senator,’ Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., wrote.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

House Republicans held a members-only conference call with Freedom Caucus members on Sunday night in an attempt to avert a government shutdown, Fox News has learned.

The goal of the call, which took place at 8 p.m., was to agree on a continuing resolution to fund the government for another month. The Freedom Caucus and House Republican leadership have been disputing over what a funding package could look like.

Before the call took place, sources told Fox News Digital that there has been ‘good progress’ between Freedom Caucus members and other Republicans.

The interim spending bill, which is good for 31 days, is expected to renew current funding while incorporating more border and immigration-related spending. The House aims to vote on it on Thursday.

The continuing resolution would also fund veteran and military spending at current levels while marking a 1% cut from fiscal year 2023 discretionary spending levels. House Republicans are hoping to pass their defense spending bill this week.

The defense spending bill will also be coupled with House Resolution 2 (HR 2), which is intended to limit asylum provisions and tighten up border security.

Notably, the defense bill does not include additional disaster relief money for Ukraine, which has been requested by the White House. It also does not include an E-Verify provision requiring employers to document the employment eligibility of their workers, which has been previously discussed.

Despite the attempt to rally Republicans behind the new continuing resolution, several GOP lawmakers expressed on social media that they would be voting ‘no’ when the bill faces a vote.

‘I’m a NO,’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. ‘No money for Ukraine, COVID, or weaponized Gov.’

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., echoed: ‘I’m a HARD NO!’

Mills, among others, has expressed that he wants government spending to return to pre-pandemic levels.

‘I’m sick of the DC backroom deals to appease 61 in the Senate and not going to play this game,’ the Floridian continued. ‘Our job is to fund the US and take care of the American people. I was not elected by overseas interests like others. Enough is Enough!’

Rep. Dan Bishop, R-NC, added: ‘I’m with Cory. No CR. Pass the damn approps bills. Roll back the crazy bureaucracy to pre-COVID levels. Now.’

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., also expressed he was among those who opposed the bill.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., argued that the current spending levels were decided by President Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, therefore Republicans, who are in control of the House, should take the responsibility to set new levels. 

‘For months, I have made it very clear that I will not be supporting a CR. And this week is no different,’ he wrote on X. ‘A CR is a continuation of Nancy Pelosi’s budget and Joe Biden’s policies.’

Rosendale added: ‘We were assured in January that we weren’t going to use the Democrats’ gimmicks to fund government and that we would deliver the 12 appropriations bills, thereby funding government responsibly and transparently, which is why I will be voting against the CR this week.’

McCarthy has said he will bring the continuing resolution to the House floor for a vote, whether he has the votes to pass it or not. The tactic is often used to put members on the record. 

Republicans, who have 222 members, can only afford four holdouts and still pass a bill with 218 votes. They appear well above that number for the continuing resolution.

Main Street Caucus Chairman Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., Vice Chair Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., and Executive Board Representative Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., told Fox News that they are working with Freedom Caucus members to build support for the continuing resolution.

‘Congress must keep government open and secure the border,’ the statement reads. ‘That’s why we’ve worked with leaders of the House Freedom Caucus to introduce a 31-day continuing resolution laser-focused on fixing the crisis at our southern border.’

‘We want to thank members of both the Republican Main Street Caucus and House Freedom Caucus, as well as a broad cross-section of other members from across the Republican conference for their contributions to this effort,’ the statement continues.

After the contentious debate in the House is settled, the bill will head to the Senate.

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EXCLUSIVE: A former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret and combat veteran announced Monday he was joining the race to try and flip what could be one of 2024’s most competitive congressional seats from the Democrats.

Republican Derrick Anderson, who served six tours of duty throughout the Middle East as part of the Global War on Terror, told Fox News Digital he could ‘no longer remain silent on the sidelines.’ Anderson added he is running to bring leadership to Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which he argues is lacking under Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger.

‘I have spent my life serving this country overseas, including combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Watching President Biden and Washington Democrats squander 22 years of sacrifices made by our service members and their families was the final straw for me,’ Anderson said.

‘President Biden and career politicians are putting politics and their own gains in front of fighting for what’s best for the American people: safer streets, better paying jobs and cheaper goods, a secure border and an education system that teaches our children how to think, not what to think,’ he said. 

Anderson served in the Army from 2006 to 2014 before his first run for Congress in 2022. That year he narrowly lost the Republican primary to former congressional candidate Yesli Vega. Spanberger, a former CIA operative, went on to defeat Vega in the general election by just under 5%, securing her third term after she was first elected in the 2018 midterms.

According to Politico, Spanberger has said she will run for governor of Virginia in 2025 and will forego running for a fourth term in Congress next year.

Virginia’s 7th Congressional District has remained one of the Republican Party’s top targets to flip from the Democrats and is, once again, considered a potential swing district going into the 2024 elections. A potential absence of Spanberger on the ballot could make that more obtainable and Anderson feels he is the candidate who can finally move Republicans across the finish line.

‘Though I no longer wear a United States Army uniform, it does not mean I can no longer serve this nation. I pledge to be the representative the people of Virginia’s 7th District deserve and are owed,’ he told Fox. ‘I will run a tireless, heartfelt and genuine campaign the people of the 7th district, the place that raised me, can be proud of.’

In the video Anderson released as part of his campaign launch, he touts his childhood mopping floors and washing dishes in his mother’s local Spotsylvania County restaurant before going on to Virginia Tech on an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship, where he became the first person in his family to graduate from college.

‘I’m running for Congress to fight for you, and to serve the country I love once again,’ he says, before listing the policies he would prioritize as the district’s representative.

Anderson is now one of five candidates vying for the Republican nomination for the district.

Republicans currently hold a slim five-seat majority in the House of Representatives and are hoping to build on that next year, partly by capitalizing on the unpopularity of President Biden. The party gained control of the chamber following the 2022 midterm elections, but performed well below expectations.

The U.S. Senate will no longer enforce a dress code for members of the upper house elected by those they serve.

‘However, others entering the chamber must comply with the dress code. Coats/ties for men. Business attire for women,’ tweeted Chad Pergram, Fox News senior congressional correspondent.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., quietly sent the directive to the Senate’s sergeant at arms, news website Axios reported.

The change allows Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., to continue to wear his trademark hooded sweatshirts and gym shorts while working for Americans.

Fetterman was previously praised for ‘turning heads’ and ‘redefining fashion in the stuffy Senate’ during his recovery after a six-week stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was treated for ‘clinical depression’ and ‘fitted for hearing aids for hearing loss that had made it harder for him to communicate,’ according to an AP story from May.

The senator even found a workaround to the legislative body’s dress code rules by voting from the doorway of the Democrat cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his vote is recorded before ducking out, per the AP report.

‘He’s setting a new dress code,’ Democrat Vermont Sen. Peter Welch joked to AP in May. ‘He was struggling. And now he’s a joyful person to be around.’

Fetterman faced some backlash against his casual dress code, even from his own staff, according to AP, who ‘had originally asked him to always wear suits, which he famously hates.’

‘Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit,’ Schumer said in a statement to Axios. The news website added that Senate officials said the updated rule will go into effect this week.

Fox News’ Jeffrey Clark and Patrick Hauf contributed to this report.

–>

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to make his second trip to the United States Tuesday, 18 months since the start of the war in Ukraine, as more Republican lawmakers question additional American assistance amid Kyiv’s slow-moving and inconclusive counteroffensive.

Zelenskyy will come to New York and speak before the 78th opening of the United Nations General Assembly where he is expected to pitch himself before developing nations who have swayed in allegiance toward Russia, the New York Times reported. 

President Biden also will be in New York through Wednesday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed at a White House press conference Friday.

‘[Biden’s] eager to use this trip to advance U.S. interests on a range of issues from mobilizing financial resources for the global south for development and infrastructure, to galvanizing cooperation to tackle the climate crisis, to strengthening global support for Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal invasion,’ Sullivan said.

Ukraine’s president will also travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional leadership and visit the White House. 

Sullivan said Biden will host Zelenskyy during what will be their third meeting at the White House as ‘Russia desperately seeks help from North Korea for its brutal war in Ukraine as Ukrainian forces continue to make progress in their counteroffensive and just after the next Ukraine defense contact room meeting that Secretary [of Defense Llyod] Austin is organizing with dozens of our allies and partners in Europe earlier next week as we continue to coordinate the provision of arms and equipment to help Ukrainian forces.’

Zelenskyy’s visit comes as Congress considers Biden’s latest request for $24 billion in added military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. The Times reported that Zelenskyy is expected to shift the tone of his messaging after he was criticized for scolding his allies and appearing ungrateful as he demanded more weapons from them. 

At the NATO summit hosted in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July, the then-British defense minister Ben Wallace remarked, ‘Like it or not, people want to see a bit more gratitude.’ At the same summit, Sullivan publicly agreed that ‘the American people do deserve a degree of gratitude’ for ammunition, air-defense systems, armored vehicles and mine-clearing equipment.

Biden’s address to the UN Tuesday will lay out the ‘steps he and his administration has taken to advance a vision of American leadership that is built on the premise of working with others to solve the world’s most pressing problems,’ Sullivan said Friday. This comes on the heels of Biden’s trip to the G-20 summit.

Meanwhile, six Ukrainian deputy defense ministers were fired Monday following the dismissal two weeks ago of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in a corruption scandal, officials said, as heavy fighting continued in the east. Deputy defense ministers including Hanna Maliar, Vitalii Deyneha and Denys Sharapov, as well as state secretary of the Ministry of Defense Kostiantyn Vashchenko, were fired, according to the Telegram account of Taras Melnychuk, permanent representative of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Melnychuk provided no explanation of the firings, but the government has been investigating accusations of corruption in the military related to purchasing equipment, according to the Associated Press. Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker who took over as defense minister, did not immediately issue a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Lawmakers in both the House and Senate are set to return to Capitol Hill on Monday afternoon, with less than two weeks to hash out some sort of deal to fund the government past Sept. 30.

If Congress can’t agree on spending priorities for the next fiscal year, or at least on a stopgap spending patch known as a continuing resolution (CR) to extend the current year’s funding, they risk sending the government into a partial shutdown. 

Some GOP groups are discussing a 30-day stopgap CR with some border security measures attached, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.

One senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital that they believe a shutdown is likely but dismissed the notion it would be long term.

‘It might just be that you know, we’re getting close to the deal in the nth hour and it shuts down because it’s Saturday, when this all starts happening. It might be shut down over a weekend, open up on a Monday, that would be a shutdown, technically,’ a senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital on Friday. ‘I don’t think anyone can tell you right now with any degree of certainty that it’s going to be a month-long shutdown.’

Sept. 30, the end of fiscal year 2023, falls on a Saturday this year.

Last week, plans to pass spending bills in both chambers of Congress were upended by conservative concerns. 

In the House, a planned vote on the defense appropriations bill — the second of 12 that House GOP leadership have promised to pass in place of a large ‘omnibus’ spending bill that many Republicans oppose — was scuttled after it became clear that members of the House Freedom Caucus and their allies would not let it pass over their concerns with the spending process.

Meanwhile, the Senate, where spending has so far been a widely bipartisan topic, was stopped from advancing a ‘minibus’ bundling the appropriations bills for Veterans Affairs, agriculture and transportation by lawmaker objections led by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. 

It’s caused discord within both chambers, particularly in the House, where GOP defense appropriators held a press conference on Friday fuming at Republicans holding up the military’s spending bill.

‘You may have issues with policies in other agencies, but if you oppose the rule, which is effectively preventing this bill from moving forward, and if you oppose the passage of this bill, you are enabling the failed defense policies and this of this administration and accelerating the downward trajectory of our nation’s security,’ said Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif. ‘And I don’t envy the person that… votes against this bill when they have to explain to their constituents, and more importantly, to our troops.’

Garcia also voiced opposition to a CR, as he and other defense hawks argue it delays valuable military progress.

But Republican and Democrat leaders in both chambers acknowledged last month that a CR would be necessary to buy lawmakers more time to make a deal. Both the 175-member Republican Study Committee and the hardliner conservative House Freedom Caucus have signaled they will oppose a CR that does not include key GOP policy items.

However, as of Friday afternoon, it appeared the Republican factions are forging ahead with a CR plan without House leadership. Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., leaders of the Main Street Caucus, said on Thursday evening, ‘The Republican Main Street Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus are working together in good faith to establish a plan to lower spending, secure the border, and avoid a government shutdown. The talks have been productive and we’ll continue to work toward a deal.’

A source familiar with the talks confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday that the two groups are working toward a CR whose ‘major contours’ include 30 days of government funding plus core parts of the House GOP’s border security bill.

Those talks are between the Main Street Caucus and Freedom Caucus only, the source said when asked if GOP leaders were involved.

Another Republican aide familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital that GOP leaders are aware of them but allowing the members to sort it out themselves. Leadership is offering them technical support where necessary, the aide said.

The aide said lawmakers are currently debating whether to add disaster relief as well. However, it’s highly unlikely that anything other than a ‘clean’ CR would pass the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed that lawmakers would not leave this week until some kind of spending agreement is passed.

‘We’ve got another week. I’ve told my members that when we come back in, don’t plan on leaving, we’ve got to get business done. History has shown no one wins a shutdown,’ McCarthy said Friday.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a lawsuit against his state’s largest hospital, alleging it violated a patient’s privacy when it leaked news that a 10-year-old girl had crossed state lines for an abortion.

Rokita, a Republican, filed the lawsuit Friday, alleging that the doctor, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, wrongfully outed the 10-year-old girl who traveled from Ohio to Indiana for the abortion.

‘Neither the 10-year-old nor her mother gave the doctor authorization to speak to the media about their case,’ the lawsuit states. ‘Rather than protecting the patient, the hospital chose to protect the doctor, and itself.’

The lawsuit names Indiana University Health and IU Healthcare Associates, claiming they violated HIPPA laws.

An Indiana board voted Thursday to reprimand Bernard for performing the abortion and sharing the information about the procedure with the media.

The Indiana State Medical Licensing Board fined Bernard $3,000 after it determined she violated privacy laws by talking publicly about the operation.

The board, however, turned down a request from the attorney general’s office to suspend Bernard’s license.

Bernard attested to her own innocence and repeatedly defended her actions, telling the board Thursday that she followed Indiana’s reporting requirements.

Bernard also said she notified hospital social workers about the child abuse and confirmed the girl’s rape was already being investigated by Ohio authorities. She and her attorneys also argued that she did not release identifying information about the girl.

Board members questioned her during last week’s hearing and asked why she specifically went to a reporter.

‘I think that it’s incredibly important for people to understand the real-world impacts of the laws of this country about abortion,’ Bernard answered. ‘I think it’s important for people to know what patients will have to go through because of legislation that is being passed, and a hypothetical does not make that impact.’

Fox News’ Lawrence Richard and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy responded to polling that shows his unfavorability rising, with one commentator saying Americans find him ‘annoying’ on Sunday.

Ramaswamy responded to the polls during an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday’ with host Shannon Bream. Bream cited a Fox News Poll showing that unfavorable views of Ramaswamy have risen 12% since August.

”Of all the descriptors attached to Vivek Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old political tyro enjoying a bizarre surge in the Republican primary race for second place, the most common one seems to be ‘annoying,’’ Bream quoted from an opinion article.

‘Why do you think, as more people have gotten to know you, that your unfavorables are up too?’ she asked.

‘We have been taking intense criticism, Shannon, over the last several weeks since I performed well on that second debate, and this is part of the process,’ Ramaswamy said.  ‘So I invite the open debate.’

‘The reality is many people are annoyed by my rise and believe that a 38-year-old is too young to be U.S. president,’ he added. ‘The fact of the matter is that Thomas Jefferson was 33 years old when he wrote the U.S. Declaration of Independence. He also invented the swivel chair while he was at it, by the way.’

Ramaswamy remains in third place behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump. Trump maintains a commanding lead over the rest of the GOP field, however.

Ramaswamy insists his campaign is on a path to success, however, pointing to his surge in support over the past several weeks.

‘We came from 0.0% to where we are now,’ he told Bream. ‘I think we’re on track to win this election.’

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., praised automobile workers who are striking against their corporate employers on Sunday, saying the workers are suffering from ‘corporate greed.’

Sanders made the statement during a Sunday morning appearance on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ with host Jake Tapper. The United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against the ‘Big 3’ automakers – Ford, GM and Stellantis – reached its third day on Sunday.

‘Sen. Sanders, Vice President Pence was on the show earlier. He said, when I asked him about the fact that the CEOs make multiples more than their average workers, 362 times more in the case of Ford – I said, do you think that’s fair? He said CEO pay is up to free enterprise. It’s up to shareholders, not the government,’ Tapper said. ‘What’s your response?’

‘I strongly disagree,’ Sanders began. ‘The American people are sick and tired, in my view, Jake – and I have been all over this country – they are sick and tired of corporate greed, in which the very richest people are becoming richer. The head of General Motors now makes $29 million a year, and yet, if you go – if you’re a new worker in the Big Three, you make less than $17 an hour.’

‘So what you’re seeing in the automobile industry, in my view, is what we’re seeing all over this economy, greed on the top, suffering on the part of the working class. And people are tired of it,’ he continued.

Sanders went on to support UAW’s push for a four-day workweek, arguing that the introduction of artificial intelligence will soon boost the productivity of individual workers.

‘I happen to believe that, as a nation, we should begin a serious discussion – and the UAW is doing that – about substantially lowering the workweek. People in America are stressed out for a dozen different reasons,’ Sanders said. ‘And that’s one of the reasons why life expectancy in our country is actually in decline. People are overwhelmed. They got to take care of their kids. They got to worry about health care. They got to worry about housing. They’re worried.’

‘It seems to me that, if new technology is going to make us a more productive society, the benefits should go to the workers,’ he said.

Sanders joined UAW members on the picket line in Detroit on Friday. In addition to shorter workweeks, the union is demanding higher wages and better retirement benefits.