Scott Perry (politician)

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Scott Perry
Scott Perry, official portrait, 116th congress.jpg
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byTodd Russell Platts (Redistricting)
Constituency4th district (2013–2019)
10th district (2019–present)
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 92nd district
In office
January 2, 2007 – November 30, 2012
Preceded byBruce Smith
Succeeded byMike Regan
Personal details
Born
Scott Gordon Perry

(1962-05-27) May 27, 1962 (age 59)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Christy Perry
Children2
EducationPennsylvania State University (BS)
United States Army War College (MS)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1980–2019
RankArmy-USA-OF-06.svg Brigadier general
UnitPennsylvania Army National Guard
Commands2nd Battalion (General Support), 104th Aviation Regiment
166th Regiment (Regional Training Institute)
Fort Indiantown Gap
Battles/warsIraq War

Scott Gordon Perry (born May 27, 1962)[1] is the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district, serving in Congress since 2013. The district, numbered as the 4th district from 2013 to 2019, includes Harrisburg, York and most of their inner suburbs.

A member of the Republican Party, he served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 92nd district from 2007 to 2013. Perry is a retired Pennsylvania Army National Guard brigadier general.

Early life and education[]

Perry was born in San Diego, California. His family moved to Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, a suburb of York, when he was seven.[2] His mother and stepfather often struggled to find work, and their house had no running water or electricity.[2] Perry and his brother began working at an early age to help supplement the family income. From age 13 until he was in his 20s, his jobs included fruit picker, draftsman, dockworker, and insurance agent.[2] In 1980, he graduated from Northern High School, in Dillsburg and Cumberland-Perry Vo-Tech School, in York County, Pennsylvania.[3]

In 1991, Perry obtained a B.S. in business administration and management from Pennsylvania State University. In July 2012, he received a master's degree in strategic planning from the United States Army War College.[4]

Military service[]

Army National Guard[]

Perry began his military career in 1980 when he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.[5] He attended basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey,[5] and graduated from Advanced Individual Training[6] at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, as a technical drafting specialist.[7] He graduated from Pennsylvania's Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery.[5]

After receiving his commission, Perry qualified as a helicopter pilot in the Aviation branch.[8] He served in a variety of staff and command assignments as he advanced through the ranks, including executive officer of 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment during deployment to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2002–3, and commander of 2nd Battalion (General Support), 104th Aviation Regiment beginning in 2008.[9]

War in Iraq[]

In 2009–10, Perry commanded 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment during its pre-deployment training and service in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom.[9] As Task Force Diablo, 2-104th Aviation was credited with flying 1,400 missions, accruing over 13,000 combat flight hours, and transporting over 3 million pounds of cargo and 43,000 soldiers and civilians.[9] Perry was credited with flying 44 missions and accrued nearly 200 combat flight hours.[9]

Post-Iraq[]

Perry in 2015

After returning from Iraq, Perry was promoted to colonel and assigned to command the Pennsylvania National Guard's 166th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) (2010–12).[9] From 2012 to 2014, he commanded the garrison at the Fort Indiantown Gap National Training Center.[9] In May 2014, Perry was assigned as one of the assistant division commanders of the 28th Infantry Division, and he was promoted to brigadier general in November 2015.[5] In May 2016, he was assigned as assistant adjutant general for Army at the Pennsylvania National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters.[9] Perry retired from the Pennsylvania National Guard on March 1, 2019.[10]

Hydro technology career[]

In 1993, Perry founded Hydrotech Mechanical Services, Inc., a mechanical contracting firm in Dillsburg. The firm provides contract construction and maintenance services to municipal and investor-owned utilities from North Carolina to New York, specializing in large meter calibration. In 2002, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection accused the company of altering sewage monitoring reports while doing work for the Memphord Estates Sewage Treatment Company. Perry faced criminal charges of conspiring to falsify state-mandated sewage records. Upon review of the situation and circumstances, he was allowed to complete a diversion program and avoid any criminal charges, which allowed him to keep his U.S security clearance.[11][12]

Pennsylvania House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

In 2006, state representative Bruce Smith of Pennsylvania's 92nd House district decided to retire. Perry won the Republican primary with 41% of the vote.[13] He won the general election with 71% of the vote.[14] He took office on January 2, 2007.[15] In 2008, he was reelected to a second term unopposed.[16] In 2010, he was reelected to a third term unopposed.[16]

Committee assignments[]

  • Appropriations
  • Rules
  • Labor Relations
  • Consumer Affairs
  • Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness[17]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

2012[]

In 2012, Perry gave up his state house seat to run for the 4th congressional district. The district had previously been the 19th district, represented by six-term incumbent Republican Todd Platts, who was giving up the seat to honor a self-imposed term limit. In 2010, when Platts wanted to become U.S. Comptroller General, he spoke to Perry about running for the seat.[18]

Perry won a seven-way primary with over 50% of the vote. Although outspent nearly 2 to 1 in the campaign, he beat his closest competitor with nearly three times as many votes.

On November 6, 2012, Perry defeated the Democratic nominee, Harry Perkinson, 60%–34%.[19]

2014[]

In 2014, Perry was unchallenged in the Republican primary. The Democratic nominee was former Harrisburg mayor Linda D. Thompson. Perry won, 75%–25%.[20]

2016[]

Perry was unchallenged in the 2016 Republican primary. The Democratic nominee was Joshua Burkholder of Harrisburg.[21] Perry won, 66%–34%.[22]

2018[]

After ruling the state's congressional map was an unconstitutional gerrymander, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a new map for the 2018 elections. Perry's district was renumbered the 10th and made significantly more compact than its predecessor. It lost most of the more rural and Republican areas of York County to the neighboring 11th district (the old 16th). To make up for the loss in population, it was pushed slightly to the north, absorbing the remainder of Democratic-leaning Dauphin County that had not been in the old 4th.[23] On paper, the new district was less Republican than its predecessor. Had the district existed in 2016, Donald Trump would have won it with 52% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 43%;[24] Trump carried the old 4th with 58% of the vote.[25]

Pastor and Army veteran George Scott won the Democratic primary by a narrow margin and opposed Perry in the general election for the reconfigured 10th. The two debated in October before Perry won with 51.3% of the vote to Scott's 48.7%, with the new district boundaries taking effect in 2019.[26][27][28][29] Perry held on by winning the district's share of his home county, York County, by 11,600 votes, almost double the overall margin of 7,700.[30] This was the district's closest race since 1974, when Bill Goodling won his first term in what was then the 19th with 51% of the vote.[31]

2020[]

Perry was reelected with 53% of the vote.[32]

Tenure[]

Perry is a member of the Freedom Caucus.[33]

In October 2017, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Perry accused CNN anchor Chris Cuomo of exaggerating the crisis in Puerto Rico.[34]

In January 2018, Perry suggested that ISIS might have been involved in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but authorities have maintained that gunman Stephen Paddock acted alone.[35][36][37]

In December 2019, Perry was one of 195 Republicans to vote against both articles of impeachment against President Trump.[38]

In October 2020, Perry was one of 17 Republicans to vote against a House resolution to formally condemn the QAnon conspiracy theory.[39] He said he voted against the resolution because he was concerned about infringements on free speech, saying, "it's very dangerous for the government ... to determine what is okay to like and what is not okay to like."[40][41]

After the 2020 elections, Perry promoted false claims of fraud in the elections.[42][43]

In December 2020, Perry was one of 126 Republican House members to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[44] Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[45][46][47]

On January 6, 2021, Perry joined Missouri senator Josh Hawley in objecting to counting Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.[48] During the storming of the U.S. Capitol that day, Perry and his congressional colleagues were ushered to a secure location.[49]

Perry reportedly played a role in a December 2020 crisis at the Justice Department in which Trump considered firing acting attorney general Jeffrey A. Rosen and replacing him with Jeffrey Clark, the acting chief of the civil division of the DOJ.[43] The New York Times reported Perry introduced Clark to Trump because Clark's "openness to conspiracy theories about election fraud presented Mr. Trump with a welcome change from the acting attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, who stood by the results of the election and had repeatedly resisted the president's efforts to undo them."[43] Before the certification of the electoral college vote on January 6, Perry and Clark reportedly discussed a plan in which the Justice Department would send Georgia legislators a letter threatening an investigation into voter fraud and an invalidation of Georgia's electoral votes, even though the DOJ had investigated reports of fraud but found nothing significant, as attorney general Bill Barr had publicly announced weeks earlier.[43][50] Clark drafted a letter to Georgia officials and presented it to Rosen and his deputy Richard Donoghue. It claimed the DOJ had "identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple States" and urged the Georgia legislature to convene a special session for the "purpose of considering issues pertaining to the appointment of Presidential Electors." Rosen and Donoghue rejected the proposal.[51] In August 2021, CNN reported that Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe had briefed top Justice Department officials that no evidence had been found of any foreign powers' interference with voting machines. Clark was reportedly concerned that intelligence community analysts were withholding information and believed Perry and others knew more about possible foreign interference. Clark requested authorization from Rosen and Donoghue for another briefing from Ratcliffe, asserting that hackers had found "a Dominion machine accessed the Internet through a smart thermostat with a net connection trail leading back to China."[52]

In March 2021, Perry voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.[53][54] He said only 9% of the act's spending was allotted to defeat the COVID-19 virus, while the rest would advance Democratic policies.[55]

In April 2021, at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee meeting, Perry said, "For many Americans, what seems to be happening or what they believe right now is happening is, what appears to them is we're replacing national-born American—native-born Americans to permanently transform the political landscape of this very nation." Philip Bump of The Washington Post criticized his comments.[56]

In June 2021, Perry was one of 21 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to give the Congressional Gold Medal to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6.[57] He cosponsored a bill, introduced the same day, that would give the same medal to police officers without mentioning the attack.[58]

At the June 2021 Republican Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, Perry said Democrats "are not the loyal opposition. They are the opposition to everything you love and believe in" and "want to destroy the country you grew up in", invoking comparisons to Nazis.[59][60]

Foreign policy[]

In 2020, Perry voted against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, which in part would prevent the president from withdrawing soldiers from Afghanistan without congressional approval.[61]

In March 2021, Perry was one of 14 House Republicans to vote against a measure condemning the Myanmar coup d'état that overwhelmingly passed.[62]

In July 2021, Perry voted against the bipartisan ALLIES Act, which would increase by 8,000 the number of special immigrant visas for Afghan allies of the U.S. military during its invasion of Afghanistan while also reducing some application requirements that caused long application backlogs; the bill passed in the House 407–16.[63]

Committee assignments[]

Caucus memberships[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Scott Gordon Perry". Washington Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Neff, Blake (February 3, 2014). "Perry's hard road to Capitol Hill". The Hill. Washington, DC.
  3. ^ "Rep. Scott Perry bio". Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus. 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  4. ^ "Representative Scott Perry profile". Project Vote Smart. Project Vote Smart. 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Gussman, Neil (November 15, 2015). "Pa. Army National Guard names new general". Defense Video Imagery Distribution System. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  6. ^ "Scott Perry's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  7. ^ "Served Our Country in the Military and Now in Office – Congressman-Elect Scott Perry". gotyour6.org. December 13, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  8. ^ "Biography, Brigadier General Scott Perry". National Guard General Officer Management Office. Arlington, VA: National Guard Bureau. 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Biography, Brigadier General Scott Perry".
  10. ^ "Biography, Congressman Scott Perry". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Trimmer, Eric (January 2, 2006). "Candidate emerges as Smith's successor". The Hanover Evening Sun. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  12. ^ Scolforo, Mark (November 14, 2010). "Arrest records of state lawmakers raise questions of standards". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  13. ^ "PA State House 092 – R Primary Race – May 16, 2006". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
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  15. ^ "SESSION OF 2007 191ST OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY No. 1" (PDF). LEGISLATIVE JOURNAL. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. January 2, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "PA State House 092 Race – Nov 04, 2008". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  17. ^ "Biography". Repperry.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  18. ^ "USA TODAY: Latest World and US News – USATODAY.com". Ydr.com. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  19. ^ "House Map – Election 2012 – NYTimes.com". Elections.nytimes.com. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  20. ^ "Pennsylvania 2014 General Election – November 4, 2014 Official Results". Pennsylvania Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  21. ^ Thompson, Charles (February 17, 2016). "Pa's Congressional race lineup: Like status quo? Voters will get chance to keep it". The Patriot-News. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  22. ^ "Full 2016 election results: Pennsylvania House 04". www.cnn.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  23. ^ Cohn, Nate (February 19, 2018). "The New Pennsylvania Congressional Map, District by District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  24. ^ Presidential results by congressional district for districts used in 2018, from Daily Kos
  25. ^ Presidential results by congressional district for districts used in 2016, from Daily Kos
  26. ^ Mahon, Ed (March 5, 2018). "Who is running for Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District?". York Daily Record. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  27. ^ "May 15 Pennsylvania Primary results: U.S. House". WGAL. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  28. ^ Shelly, Nora (August 1, 2017). "York County pastor launches campaign to unseat Scott Perry". PennLive. PA Media Group. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  29. ^ "2018 General Election Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  30. ^ "Pennsylvania House of Representatives election results 2018". CNN. November 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  31. ^ "PA District 19 Race – November 5, 1974". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  32. ^ Ruland, Sam (November 5, 2020). "Scott Perry wins Pa.'s 10th Congressional District in tight race against Eugene DePasquale". York Daily Record. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  33. ^ "House Freedom Caucus Forms 'Fight Club' in House". 218. July 22, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  34. ^ Tornoe, Rob (October 12, 2017). "Pa. congressman gets into heated argument with CNN host over Puerto Rico". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  35. ^ Samuels, Brett (January 18, 2018). "GOP lawmaker: 'Something's not adding up' on Las Vegas shooting". TheHill. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  36. ^ "Pennsylvania's Rep. Scott Perry, on Fox News, suggested that the Las Vegas shooter had terrorist ties". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 21, 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  37. ^ Swenson, Kyle (January 19, 2018). "Channeling conspiracy theory, congressman says Las Vegas attack linked to 'possible terrorist nexus'". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  38. ^ "Trump is impeached: How did House members vote?". Al Jazeera. December 19, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  39. ^ "17 Republicans Voted Against Condemning QAnon After A Democrat Got Death Threats From Its Followers". October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  40. ^ Kornbluh, Jacob (6 October 2020). "Rep. Scott Perry clarifies opposition to QAnon after vote against House condemnation". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  41. ^ Caruso, Stephen (20 October 2020). "Perry and DePasquale clash over Obamacare, QAnon at second debate". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  42. ^ Gorsegner, Michael (2020-11-10). "'Fraud does exist': Despite winning reelection, Rep. Perry believes count was fraudulent". WHP. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
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  45. ^ Liptak, Adam (2020-12-11). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
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  48. ^ "Rep. Scott Perry, Missouri senator object to Pa. electoral votes, triggering debate". PennLive. The Associated Press. 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  49. ^ Enriquez, Keri (January 9, 2021). "Republican members of Congress refuse to wear masks during Capitol insurrection". CNN. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  50. ^ Balsamo, Mike (December 1, 2020). "Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud". AP NEWS.
  51. ^ "DOJ officials rejected colleague's request to intervene in Georgia's election certification: Emails". ABC News.
  52. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Cohen, Zachary; Perez, Evan (August 6, 2021). "How a Trump environmental lawyer tried to weaponize the Justice Department to help the President". CNN. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  53. ^ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 49". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  54. ^ "COVID-19 relief bill passes: Here's how the Congress members from Pennsylvania voted". WTAE-TV. The Associated Press. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  55. ^ Perry, Scott (March 23, 2021). "Biden bailout bill brings long-term taxpayer pain". York Daily Record. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  56. ^ Bump, Philip (April 14, 2021). "Analysis | Tucker Carlson's toxic 'replacement' rhetoric gets picked up in the House". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  57. ^ Grayer, Annie; Wilson, Kristin (June 16, 2021). "21 Republicans vote no on bill to award Congressional Gold Medal for January 6 police officers". CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  58. ^ Hullinger, Logan (June 16, 2021). "Scott Perry votes against awarding medal to police who defended Capitol on Jan. 6". York Dispatch. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  59. ^ "Republican congressman invokes Nazis as he argues Democrats hate 'everything you love and believe in'". The Independent. June 25, 2021.
  60. ^ "Republican congressman compares Democrats to Nazi in recent speech". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  61. ^ "H.R. 6395: William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021". GovTrack. July 21, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  62. ^ Diaz, Daniella; Wilson, Kristin (March 19, 2021). "14 House Republicans vote against a measure condemning military coup in Myanmar". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  63. ^ Quarshie, Mabinty (August 17, 2021). "These 16 Republicans voted against speeding up visas for Afghans fleeing the Taliban". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
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  65. ^ "Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation". House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  66. ^ "Oversight and Investigations". House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  67. ^ "Aviation". The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  68. ^ "Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials". The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
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External links[]

Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Preceded by
Bruce Smith
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 92nd district

2007–2012
Succeeded by
Mike Regan
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Jason Altmire
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district

2013–2019
Succeeded by
Madeleine Dean
Preceded by
Tom Marino
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district

2019–present
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Markwayne Mullin
United States representatives by seniority
183rd
Succeeded by
Scott Peters
Retrieved from ""