WASHINGTON – Some were clad in white for reproductive rights. One donned red to represent Washington, DC’s desire to be a state. And former congressman George Santos was in a bedazzled collar.
Lawmakers and their guests used fashion to make a statement on March 7 as Mr Joe Biden’s State of the Union address gave not just the president, but also his audience, their biggest platform of the year.
Yellow and blue, the colours of Ukraine, were the choice for some lawmakers. Legislation that includes US$60 billion (S$80 billion) in aid for Ukraine has been held up by House Republicans for months, a delay that has contributed to some setbacks for Kyiv on the battlefield.
Mr Santos, who was expelled from Congress after a dizzying array of lies about his biography led to his indictment on fraud charges, nonetheless appeared at the speech in a rhinestone-studded collar, a black blazer and white trousers.
He also chose a more subtle touch favoured by several lawmakers: a pin.
His and that worn by other Republican lawmakers were red and in tribute to Ms Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, who was allegedly murdered in February by an undocumented immigrant who was released on parole.
Republicans, who blame Mr Biden and his administration’s border policies for the deaths of Americans killed by illegal migrants, seized on the case.
Firebrand Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wore a “Say Her Name” T-shirt, another reference to Ms Riley. She handed Mr Biden a Riley pin, which he accepted.
Representative Troy Nehls wore a T-shirt emblazoned with former president Donald Trump’s face and the words “never surrender”.
On the other side of the aisle, a handful of Democratic lawmakers, including Representatives Greg Casar and Maxwell Frost, showed their support for a break in the war in Gaza by wearing red-and-white lapel pins reading “Ceasefire”.
Win Without War, a network of activists and organisations that advocates for a more peaceful US foreign policy, said before the speech that about 15 offices requested the pins but it did not know how many members of Congress would wear them to the speech.
Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib also wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves. Ms Tlaib wore watermelon earrings, a show of support for the Palestinian cause.
Former lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords, who was gravely wounded in a 2011 shooting rampage, wore orange to symbolise ending gun violence.
Members of the Democratic Women’s caucus wore white outfits with pins reading “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” to emphasise their support for reproductive rights. REUTERS
