Scott Perry sends stunning letter to a mother who advocated for her disabled son

A constituent who cares for her disabled son speaks out about a letter she received from Scott Perry, who voted with the US House for cuts to Medicaid.

“Callous and cold.”

That’s how Paula Bussard, a Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, resident, described a recent response sent from US Congressman Scott Perry’s (R-York) office after advocating for Alex Bussard, her disabled son who relies on Medicaid. 

“ I’ve been reaching out to [Perry] for a number of months, and I started with telling Alex’s story because I think when you’re talking about billions it’s easy to lose sight of the people,” Bussard told The Keystone in an interview.  “ I’ve gotten a couple responses. This one though sent me over the edge. The others were boilerplate. ‘I’m not trying to hurt anybody or the deficit spent, our deficit is outta control or whatever.’” 

Bussard, a retiree in her 70s, is Alex’s caregiver, along with her husband. He  suffers from disabilities stemming from a brain tumor diagnosed at age 12.

The radiation and other treatments left Alex with physical and cognitive issues as well as learning disabilities, but he was able to graduate from high school and work a part-time job. Alex qualified for Medicaid due to his ailments but suffered a serious setback in 2023 when he experienced a brain hemorrhage.  

“[Alex] was  in the hospital for five months, including rehab.” Bussard explained. “He has a tracheostomy. He has a PEG tube for feeding and his medicines, and he has a Foley catheter. His bladder stopped working. He’s not able to stand. He has pretty severe leg contractions and he doesn’t talk, and he has limited use of his right arm and very little use of his left arm.”

Bussard contacted Perry’s office multiple times, including following a telephone townhall in April, where he was allegedly spreading misinformation about Medicaid. She was unable to challenge him on his statements, because she wasn’t called on to speak even though her question was screened. She alleges that Perry stated that 25% of Medicaid spending was misspent and unnecessary. 

Perry, who is up for reelection next year, hasn’t held an in-person town hall in his district since July, 2019 and voted last week for the US House Republicans budget bill that cuts Medicaid spending by $700 billion in order to pay for tax cuts for wealthy corporations and the ultra-rich.

Medicaid supports 2 million adults and 1.4 million children throughout Pennsylvania, and it funds 34% of all births across the state. The Center for American Progress estimates that 340,000 Pennsylvanians are at risk of losing health care coverage, including 20,000 residents who live in Perry’s district.  

In his response to Bussard, Perry blamed the liberal media for spreading “desperate, fearmongering propaganda.” “ that he and other Republicans intend to “destroy or dismantle” Medicare or Medicaid.

“To be clear, I do not now, nor have I ever supported the dissolution of either program,” the letter reads.

He added “while reform is desperately needed, people have paid into these programs for years – and the people who need it most should get the help they need and the help their tax dollars have paid into. President Trump agrees with me on these programs, and any efforts from the Left to distort our positions are cruel, devious, and tiresome – at best.”

Read Perry’s letter here.

Copy of letter from Rep. Scott Perry to Paula Bussard

Elsewhere in the letter, Perry went on to blame former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). 

Bussard described Perry’s response as insincere and unfeeling. 

“ I just thought it was callous, and cold and disingenuous because Scott Perry’s always been a deficit hawk,” Bussard said. “[Perry] extends tax cuts for very wealthy people and then blames the deficit on the healthcare needs of our country’s and his district’s most vulnerable.”

Perry’s office did not respond to a request for comment.