Press Releases

Thank you for contacting me. I understand your disagreement with my vote for Speaker of the House John Boehner and truly appreciate you taking the time to express your views. Although we don’t agree on this particular issue, I really value your input and encourage you to remain engaged.

I’ve emphatically shared my disagreements with Speaker Boehner in the past. As one of the leading conservative Members of the US House, I opposed the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that did nothing to block President Obama’s unilateral amnesty order, and I’ll undoubtedly disagree with him in the future. I fought for tougher stances on out-of-control spending by proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution by requiring that each agency and department’s funding be justified, and was the only member from Pennsylvania to vote against the recent “Cromnibus.” With the 2014 election, for the first time in six years, the Speaker of the House finally has a Senate interested in solving problems instead of protecting a radical left-wing agenda.

The vote for Speaker was not a choice about who was the most conservative, but rather a choice about who effectively can lead a broad coalition of conservative viewpoints to get our country back on track. Voting for a well-meaning individual who offered no plan for Leadership and decided one day in advance to run for the third most powerful office in the land is as irresponsible as voting for a 2,000 page bill that wasn’t read. And not only is it no way to effectively advance a conservative agenda, it also played right into President Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s hands.  While I often wish there were better options, I must make the best decision based on the circumstances presented at the moment, and that’s what I did here.

My decision-making process came down to a few questions: 

• Could we potentially go from someone “not conservative enough” to someone much worse or equally objectionable? 

• Who was running?  The Speaker of the House is a difficult job – as evidenced by so few Members seeking the position; in November, Speaker Boehner was approved by the Conference unanimously because not a single other name came forward.  So what about the 3 Members who announced their run at the last minute (two 2 days before, and one literally 2 HOURS before)? While I respect these three individuals, their last minute decisions - with no prior plan to win or, most importantly, to govern and lead - was unacceptable especially for a position of this magnitude.  When you run for office, you let people know what you stand for and how you plan to do things differently.  This never occurred, and I was extremely frustrated by it.  Going into this with no plan actually could’ve pushed even further from our reach any conservative success and, hence, pushed us from the frying pan into the fire. 

• How do we avert what happened in the PA House a few years ago?  Back when I was a State Representative, Democrat Leader Bill DeWeese decided to make a deal with and support for Speaker of the PA House a very moderate Republican, Dennis O’Brien.  What we got in return was two years of liberal policies coming out of a Republican House from which we reeled for several years afterwards.  I refused to take the chance of seeing this situation repeat itself at the National level – there’s simply too much at stake.

We must unite behind our conservative beliefs – not fight with each other. I advocate for questioning the decisions of any elected official and I respect those who disagree with my decision. But instead of demonizing our fellow conservatives or, in some un-informed cases questioning my integrity, I ask folks to inquire directly before making false assumptions based on some third-hand report. Instead of bickering among allies, we’re better served by focusing on our shared conservative vision of greater freedom and opportunity for all as the key to America’s renewal.

In the last two years, the U.S. House has passed countless bills to reduce government spending and regulation. Without Harry Reid to obstruct for him, the new Republican Congress can now finally force President Obama to show the American people where he stands on these issues. Bills to reduce the size of government, repeal and replace Obamacare and fight unconstitutional executive actions all will be sent to his desk. 

I understand people’s frustration and anger over what’s happening in Washington - believe me.  I fight this battle every single day, but I prefer to fight “armed” and with well thought-out strategies that can win.

Hearing from my constituents is extremely important to me. If you’d like to discuss this or any other issue in more depth, I encourage you to continue to reach out to me.  For your convenience, my Washington, D.C. office may be reached at 202-225-5836.  Once again, thank you for contacting me. I appreciate your concerns and welcome your continued feedback. Please visit my website at perry.house.gov to submit further questions/comments or to sign up for my e-newsletter, Facebook page, and/or Twitter updates.