Perry says Democrats ‘hate the military’ and serve to get a credential to run for office

Discussing the government shutdown on a conservative podcast, Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry argued that Democrats “hate the military” and only serve in the armed forces to “get the credential” to run for public office.

Appearing on the Chris Stigall podcast, Perry said Democratic members of Congress face no pressure to resolve the shutdown because members of the military have been paid this month. Last week, President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to pay troops using funds allocated for research and development, a move that critics argued illegally usurped Congress’ Constitutional power over the nation’s spending and was not sustainable.

“One problem is the president and Russ Vought (Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget) have done such a good job at making sure the bills get paid, like the people in uniform that serve our great nation, and so anyway the pressure’s not on, and there wouldn’t be any pressure on anyhow because they hate the military.”

He continued, “That’s only a credential that they get when they want to run for office. They join the military, they serve a little bit. They get the credential and then they run for office and wear the uniform and say, ‘Look at me. I support America.’ But let’s face it, all their votes say they don’t support America.”

He said, “They don’t care about the Constitution or the nation’s defense.”

Perry, former chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is a retired Pennsylvania Army National Guard brigadier general who served as commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 104th Aviation Regiment in Iraq from 2009 to 2010.

Twenty-eight of the 98 members of Congress who served in the military are Democrats, according to the Military Times.

Among them is Rep. Pat Ryan, a New York Democrat and West Point graduate who served two combat tours in Iraq and was twice awarded the Bronze Star. In response to Perry’s comments, Ryan was quoted in The New York Times as saying, “I dare Scott to say that to me in person because I’d tell him the truth: I love this country and he’s an insurrectionist traitor.”

That’s a reference to Perry’s support of President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

U.S. Rep. Chris DeLuzio, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq and represents Beaver and Allegheny counties, tweeted, “I’ll take no lecture about my military service or love of country from anyone who was part of the plan to overthrow the 2020 election and rip our Constitution to shreds. There are going to be some furious Pennsylvania Democratic veterans when they hear Scott Perry smear them with trash like ‘they don’t care about the Constitution or the nation’s defense’ and that ‘they hate the military.’”

Former WGAL anchor Janelle Stelson, who challenged Perry in 2024 and is running for the Democratic nomination to face Perry in 2026, released a statement that read, “It is shameful that Congressman Scott Perry questions the patriotism of the men and women who are serving our country. Rep. Perry owes the military veterans in our district and his veteran colleagues in Congress an immediate apology.”

Perry’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.