Republican Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry, a retired Army general, doesn’t think it’s a good idea to pass a bill that would help protect careers of military spouses. In fact, if they lose a job due to redeployment and relocation, well that’s just part of the sacrifice military members should be expected to make, Stars and Stripes reported last week. And if they don’t like it, Perry said they should become “insurance salesmen” or “clean pools” instead.
“We cannot fashion our decisions on national security based on the individual needs of people that signed up of their own volition for a job that they wanted to pursue,” said Rep. Perry during a hearing Wednesday of the House Oversight Committee. “We’re happy that they want to serve. We’re happy that they want to sacrifice, but that’s what comes with the territory. If that’s not for you, we need insurance salesmen and we need people to clean pools and we need all kinds of things in America.”
The Resilient Employment and Authorization Determination to Increase National Employment of Serving Spouses Act, or READINESS Act, aims to offer flexibility and support to military spouses working for the federal government who need to relocate.
“We need to do everything that we can for the best military that we have, and that means supporting them in whatever capacity we can, and it starts with this bill,” said Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who sponsored the bill.
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This is not the first time Rep. Perry opposed helping veterans and military families. He also voted against a bipartisan bill to house homeless veterans (HOME Act), voted against a bill to assist “veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service,” and was one of 44 Republicans to vote against a bill to have the Department of Veterans Affairs to explore ways to offer more support to pregnant veterans.
“Scott Perry should be embarrassed and ashamed of the way he disrespects military families,” said DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson. “Time and again, when it comes to protecting veterans and service members, Perry has proven he can’t be trusted.”
