At a House Freedom Caucus media briefing Wednesday, Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania said Republican midterm setbacks stemmed from a failure to deliver on commitments—not from being insufficiently liberal. “Nobody listened to us,” Perry said, arguing the party now has “roughly a month and a half” to act before Democrats take control of the House in January.
‘We warned you’
Perry said Freedom Caucus members raised alarms early this year. “This group of individuals sent the conference, sent the president, and sent the Senate a letter last January outlining all the things that needed to happen so that we would deliver for the American people and we wouldn’t suffer the devastating effects of last Tuesday,” he said. “Nobody listened to us.”
Not about moving left
“It’s not because we didn’t do enough liberal things that we had the result last Tuesday,” Perry said. “It’s because we didn’t deliver on the things that we told America we were going to do.” He added that Freedom Caucus members “were in for the fight” and argued many worked despite political costs. “The people who lost because they cared more about the country than fighting for their own survival in an election are the ones that have a plan,” he said.
House action, Senate stalemate—according to Perry
Perry offered some credit to House Speaker Mike Johnson, saying Johnson “did as much as he could,” while pointing to the Senate as a roadblock. He highlighted the SAVE America Act, which he said the House passed four times, claiming the Senate did not act on it.
Six weeks to move priorities
Perry said Republicans still have a window to address priorities before the shift in House control, listing immigration enforcement, military funding, and preventing changes to federal prison policies. He argued that Democrats could use government funding negotiations to pressure President Donald Trump and undo Republican accomplishments.
‘Get the hell to work’
Perry closed with a warning to GOP leaders: “We’re calling now on the leaders of this House and the members of this House and the leaders and the members of the Senate to get the hell to work.” He added, “You squandered the last year. We told you then—do not squander the last month and a half.”
