In The News

Freshly sworn into his latest term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Scott Perry spoke with WGAL about the new Congress, the incoming Trump administration, and comments from the president-elect about potential expansion of the United States in other parts of the world.

Perry, R-PA10, who won re-elected in November's general election, was among the members who helped Speaker Mike Johnson this month narrowly retain his role atop the chamber. The support came despite some reservations about Johnson's ability to enact President-elect Donald Trump's election this fall.

In particular, Perry pointed to a failed bipartisan proposal backed by Johnson to keep the government open. A continuing resolution was eventually passed, but it was pared down from the "1,500 pages" of material Perry said was too bloated and looked more like a "Christmas tree in December."

"He's had to convince us that's not going to happen again, and many of us that haven't had a seat at the table are going to have a seat at the table," he said.

Perry said he also supported Johnson in part because it would also allow for the certification of Trump's election win.

WGAL also asked about Perry's view on the influence of businessman Elon Musk, owner of electric vehicle maker Tesla and social media platform X, on the work of Congress.

Musk emerged in 2024 as a key ally of Trump and was appointed by the president-elect as one of the people running the so-called "Department of Government Efficiency." Through the X platform and his presence on Capitol Hill, he was among those calling for a reduced continuing resolution to keep the U.S. government operational.

Perry said he respected Musk's business acumen and hoped the world's richest man would use his experience to help drastically cut back on government spending but noted they may not always agree.

In particular, Perry pointed to Musk's support for tying a debt ceiling increase to the temporary government funding bill, a provision that didn't make it to the final product passed into law.

"I've been proud of my record of doing the right thing. I'm not going to do the wrong thing because Elon said so. I think he does weigh in on things that are important to him some of which I disagree with and that's why i said to him, 'Welcome to the Republican Party,'" he said.

Perry on President-Elect's Comments about Greenland, Panama Canal, Canada

Perry said he believes President-elect Donald Trump's comments about potential U.S. expansion by acquiring Greenland, re-taking the Panama Canal, and pressuring Canada to join the United States reflect the need to improve America's standing in the world and the influence of China and Russia in international and economic affairs.

In regards to Greenland, Perry said he thinks it would be "awesome" if the people there voted to join the U.S. as a territory but noted there are questions that have to be answered.

"I'd love to see Greenland itself vote to make itself a territory of the United States. I don't know how we'd pay for that, but paying for that would be a concern," he said.

Perry also said he was disappointed when he was younger to see the U.S. relinquish the Panama Canal and could understand Trump wanting to start a discussion about it.

Trump's comments about Canda becoming the 51st state, Perry said, have more to do with the idea that the country's northern neighbor and close ally must be more fair to the United States economically.

"I think being an ally doesn't mean abusing your friend, and while they have been happy to sell their goods into the U.S., their citizens come to the U.S. for healthcare," he said. "We're not going to be abused, and if we're going to have a good relationship, it has to be both ways."

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