U.S. Rep Calls FDNY Coat 'Fashion with a Purpose'

June 16, 2019
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) took to wearing a custom FDNY turnout coat during recent hearings to make the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent.

A U.S. congresswoman from New York has been getting attention for her fashion sense: an FDNY turnout coat.

The custom jacket was given to Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) in February as a gift from firefighters of the department, and she wore it during the recent congressional hearings to make the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent to draw attention to the measure and its importance. The bill was moved out of committee Wednesday, thanks in part to shaming testimony from former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart.

“I consider it fashion with a purpose,” Maloney told The Washington Post.

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    This isn't the first time the Democrat congresswoman has donned turnout gear in defense of the 9/11 victims fund. Maloney sported a different coat in 2015 during a congressional battle to extend the bill, the Post reports. When it comes to her new FDNY paraphernalia, she's recently worn the jacket at various press conferences, TV interviews and during the swanky, celebrity-attended Met Gala in May in New York City.

    “I said, ‘I’m going to wear this until I pass the bill!’” Maloney told the Post following Wednesday's vote.