GOP Rep KICKED OUT Of Congress For THIS!

A Pennsylvania state lawmaker was ordered off the House floor by a security officer for wearing an American flag sport coat — and the Speaker who removed him had just sent an email encouraging members to wear Pride colors.

Story Snapshot

Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton called Rep. Eric Davanzo’s American flag jacket a “costume” that violated House dress rules and had him removed from the floor.
Davanzo says the jacket was a sport coat, not a costume — and that veterans and members from both parties backed him up.
McClinton had previously sent an email urging Democratic members to wear Pride colors during June, creating a clear double standard.
No written rule has been publicly cited that defines what counts as a “costume” under Pennsylvania House dress code.

A Security Officer, a Flag Jacket, and an Order to Leave

On June 27, 2024, Rep. Eric Davanzo of Pennsylvania walked onto the House floor wearing a sport coat covered in an American flag pattern. He did not make it far. A security officer approached him with a message from Speaker McClinton’s office: remove the jacket or leave the floor. Davanzo left. He later told multiple news outlets that the Speaker had called his jacket a “costume” that violated the House dress code requiring formal business attire.

Davanzo pushed back hard on that label. He told Newsmax the jacket was a sport coat — not a flag altered or worn in any disrespectful way. He is the chairman of the America First Caucus, and he framed the removal as something bigger than a dress code dispute. “There is nothing wrong with being an American,” he said. “I love God, and I love my country.” That kind of plain talk resonates, and it should. Wearing your country’s flag to work is not a costume. It is a statement of pride.

The Double Standard That Blew Up the Decorum Argument

The Speaker’s “costume” argument might have held up — if she had applied the rules the same way to everyone. She did not. Davanzo pointed to an email from McClinton’s office encouraging Democratic members to wear Pride colors during June for Pride Month. Think about that for a moment. Wearing themed colors to celebrate a political cause is apparently fine. Wearing an American flag jacket is apparently a costume. That is not a dress code. That is a political preference dressed up as one.

Davanzo also noted that members who wore masks on the floor — clearly non-standard attire — were never told to leave. Rep. Grimm Krupa, another Republican, posted on social media that McClinton had also found his jacket to violate House rules, with the standard described as suits and ties for men and business attire for women. The pattern here is not one of consistent decorum enforcement. It looks like selective enforcement aimed at members whose attire carries a conservative message.

What the Rules Actually Say — and What They Don’t

Pennsylvania House rules do require formal business attire on the floor. Former Speaker Bryan Cutler confirmed that costumes are prohibited on the floor, though he noted they are allowed in offices, hallways, committee meetings, and press conferences. That distinction matters. The floor is treated as the most formal setting in the building. But here is the problem: no one has publicly cited the exact rule text that defines what a “costume” is. The Pennsylvania House Rules document does not define the term. That vagueness gives the Speaker enormous power to decide — on the spot — what crosses the line.

🚨 Pennsylvania Democrats Boot GOP Lawmaker from House Floor for Wearing Patriotic Red White and Blue Jacket

Rep. Eric Davanzo showed up in the Pennsylvania House wearing a red white and blue outfit to honor our flag and America's upcoming 250th birthday. Democratic Speaker… pic.twitter.com/D9zzzoKEgn

— Blue Lives Matter (@bluelivesmtr) July 3, 2026

When a rule is vague, the person enforcing it holds all the cards. And when that person enforces it against a flag jacket but not against Pride-themed attire, the vagueness stops looking like an accident. Davanzo received support from veterans and from colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including the Democratic Appropriations Committee chair. That kind of bipartisan reaction suggests that even some Democrats found the removal hard to defend. Common sense tends to cut through partisan noise, and most people understand the difference between a sport coat and a Halloween costume.

Why This Matters Beyond One Lawmaker’s Jacket

Legislative dress codes have always been a little murky. The U.S. Senate operated under an informal professional attire standard for years before Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer dropped it entirely in 2023. Informal rules enforced by whoever holds the gavel are an invitation to abuse. When the gavel belongs to someone with a political motive, the abuse becomes predictable. Davanzo’s case is a small story about a jacket. But it points to something larger: the slow, steady effort to make expressions of traditional American identity feel out of place — even in the halls of government.