Capitol Hill has plenty of culture problems. Rep. Jared Moskowitz thinks he can bring some change — starting with sneakers.
Moskowitz founded the Congressional Sneaker Caucus and hosted its third annual “Sneaker Day on the Hill” on Wednesday. The event is a celebration of the politicos who’d rather trade in their pair of sleek oxfords for a more laid back (read: comfortable) pair of Adidas Sambas or Nike kicks to go about their day. It’s also a way to recognize the younger generation’s efforts to challenge the status quo.
“Tradition has changed here so much,” the Florida Democrat said on Wednesday. “To see [wearing sneakers] become normalized, especially with staff, that brings me joy. Because we’re changing the culture. We’re becoming younger. We’re still dressed appropriately, but we’ve allowed maybe a little more relaxed fit to walk around all of the marble floors and stairs.”
Moskowitz said he got the idea to start the caucus before he was elected, when he met House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Moskowitz was wearing what he called his “funeral shoes” and Jeffries was wearing a pair of sneakers.
When Moskowitz told Jeffries he wished he’d known wearing sneakers to meet his party’s leader was an appropriate shoe option, the Democratic leader told him that members didn’t have a dress code for footwear on the House floor.
“So I just started wearing them,” Moskowitz said.
In the time since he started the caucus in 2023, he says the number of people who’ve been following his fashion lead between staffers and members has “doubled, tripled.” The bipartisan caucus has grown to 13 members, including Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Anna Paulina Luna.
Moskowitz has been a champion of loosening Hill dress codes, including the ban on wearing sneakers in the Speaker’s Lobby. Moskowitz said he has written to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and current Speaker Mike Johnson proposing this change, to no avail. (Johnson’s office did not respond to a request for comment.)
But Moskowitz isn’t giving up.
“Perhaps when we get Speaker Jeffries,” he said. “Perhaps that’s when it’ll change.”
At the Wednesday event, attendees displayed an array of snazzy footwear. Moskowitz wore a pair of white Air Jordan 4 Retro “What the 4” sneakers. One staffer wore Betsey Johnson platform sneakers with colorful flowers embroidered on black velvet fabric. And then as things would go at any sneakerhead event, there was no shortage of different renditions of the ever-popular Nike Jordan high-top sneakers.
Big wigs from the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America also gave presentations about their work in the footwear industry, including Wilson Smith III, who famously worked with tennis superstar Serena Williams on her shoe designs when he was a design director at Nike. Matt Priest, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America’s CEO, told NOTUS the organization works with lawmakers on shoe donations and drives, as well as tariffs and trade policy.
Moskowitz hosted a competition that awarded the five individuals with the best pair of sneakers. Laura Whitaker, the staffer with the Betsey Johnsons, was one of the winners.
“I set out to show and represent that you can come here and enjoy work, be comfortable and look good,” Whitaker, who is a supervisor in the House’s IT department, told NOTUS.
Moskowitz used his breaks in between media interviews to peruse online for his next pair of sneakers (in 2023, he owned 150 pairs).
His choice between Nike and Adidas? Nike. Fila or Puma? Puma, he answered. And if he were to pick between a pair of New Balances or Vans? New Balances.
Moskowitz said the most overrated sneakers are Yeezys — a shot he took at brand founder Kanye West, who has a documented history of antisemitic comments.
“It’s unfortunate. The Yeezys are actually very cool, but now they’re the most overrated,” he said.