Freedom Caucus Members Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) joined the “Todd Starnes Show” live from CPAC in Washington D.C.
Perry called out conservatives who want to play nice with the left.
“We’re in a steel cage death match is what we’re in,” Perry said. “And look, the left uses every single tool, and we’re still trying to stick to the Queensbury rules. Look, the republic is in trouble. And I’m not saying we stoop to their level, but we have tools and, you know, in our tool chest here, and we need to use every single one and quit acting like they’re going to treat us kindly or that, you know, we’ll get them next time.”
Norman told host Todd Starnes that Republicans can’t compromise in the upcoming congressional battle over the debt ceiling.
“We’ve got a spending problem,” Norman said. “We don’t have an income problem. And as Scott said, it’s a fight. And it hurts people’s feelings. But we don’t care. The country is worth saving, and it cannot keep the path that we’ve been on.”
LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION HERE:
The following is a rush transcript from the Todd Starnes Show which airs daily from noon to 3:00 p.m. EST.
STARNES: [00:21:18] And joining us here at the on radio row. Two guys that were just up on the main stage. We have Congressman Scott Perry from Pennsylvania and Congressman Ralph Norman from South Carolina. And guys, you two brought down the house today. [00:21:34][16.1]
PERRY: [00:21:34] We had some great questions from a guy that knows the issues and knows how to steer the conversation. [00:21:41][6.5]
STARNES: [00:21:43] It must be encouraging for you guys, because I know, Congressman Norman, you’re out there and all of you guys in the Freedom Caucus, man, you’re just taking the arrows every single day. And now to be among these folks. [00:21:53][10.8]
NORMAN: [00:21:54] Well, it is, Todd. And to see, you know, their enthusiasm. They’re not just sitting there, sitting on their hands. When Scott now spoke, they reacted. And this is every day American issues, freedom. And to see them here, to see them voice their opinion, you see the halls, you see the people from all walks of life. And it just encourages us to do more of the same. And it puts a weight on our shoulders to make sure we enlist others to fight the fight. And it’s a great feeling, but it’s a responsibility that we have. [00:22:27][32.7]
STARNES: [00:22:27] You know, we talked about impeachment and I loved your answer because, you know, I think there are many in the Republican Party that think that this is some sort of a noble little fist fight. This is a street fight we’re in right now. [00:22:39][12.2]
PERRY: [00:22:39] We’re in a steel cage death match is what we’re in, Todd Starnes. And look, the left uses every single tool and we’re still trying to stick to the Queensbury rules. Look, the republic is in trouble. And I’m not saying we stoop to their level, but we have tools and, you know, in our tool chest here, and we need to use every single one and quit acting like they’re going to treat us kindly or that, you know, we’ll get them next time. There isn’t any next time. Now is the time. It’s the only time we have. [00:23:08][29.1]
STARNES: [00:23:09] Do you agree with that, Congressman? [00:23:09][0.8]
PERRY: [00:23:10] Absolutely. You know, to see what we see, a lot of the damage they’ve done, it’s going to be tough to roll back. The runway is short and we don’t have the time to see if they like us. We don’t care if they like us, if they agree with what we’re putting forward, it will shock us. But we’re ready for the fight and we’re ready to take it to the American people. The people you see out here today will be the biggest cheerleaders for getting this country on a financial track of financial security. And it’s a great feeling. [00:23:38][27.9]
STARNES: [00:23:38] And that’s something we didn’t talk a lot about on the stage today. But you’ve got the debt ceiling fight looming here, and that’s going to be a big test for the speaker of the House. [00:23:47][8.6]
PERRY: [00:23:47] It is going to be a big, it’s a big test for all of us. And unfortunately, you know, look, let’s set the stage right in December up against this, you know, the spending limit. The Democrats passed $1.7 trillion in unaccounted for spending. We don’t have the dollars for it. And then literally days later, Janet Yellen comes out and says, oh, we have this debt crisis. They could have solved it three days before that. And now they think they come to the Republicans and say, well, it’s your responsibility to pay for it, pay the bill. This is like having a child with a credit card that maxed it way out, crashed the car, burned the hotel room down, and they come to the dad and say, you pay the bill. Well, you know, the dad might say, that’s my child. I’m responsible for the paying the bill, but I’m not giving you the card back. [00:24:31][43.4]
STARNES: [00:24:31] I don’t know what they’re serving on the buffet over at the Gaylord, but I want what Congressman Perry’s been having for breakfast. [00:24:37][5.6]
PERRY: [00:24:37] He’s saying it exactly right, put it in everyday terms, but that’s where we are. Our house is on fire. And if you think we can keep the same course that we’ve had by both Democrat and Republican presidential administrations, we can’t. And thank God we’ve got 20 people who are ready to fight. And I think, thank God we will have to show the American people who will bring the other votes here, I think, to get the job done, because we can’t fail with this. America is too important. And as I said, where do we go if we lose America? [00:25:07][29.7]
STARNES: [00:25:08] It’s a great question. And again, you’re going to have the challenge here, is you will have members of your own party fighting against you on this. [00:25:16][8.2]
PERRY: [00:25:17] Oh, well, unfortunately, me and Ralph saw all that front and center we had, look, Ralph and I walked into the conference on Tuesday morning. The speaker’s vote was at noon, and people stood there and told one person in my conference, a Republican, a fellow member, said, Your presence disgusts me. Right? And me and Ralph, we were threatened by another member who said, You’re all going to be taken off of every committee. I mean, look, we got thick skins. Ralph and I didn’t come there to make friends. We came there to save the Republic. We’re not mad at anybody, but we’re not going to be intimidated by this. Our country’s important to us. [00:25:55][38.5]
STARNES: [00:25:56] So that happens, that level of disgust? [00:25:59][3.0]
NORMAN: [00:26:00] Oh, yeah, because now we get into the heart of the matter. Again, if every dollar spent in Washington, D.C. is going to advocate for. But we’re spending more than we were. We’ve got a spending problem. We don’t have an income problem. And as Scott said, it’s a fight. And it hurts people’s feelings. But we don’t care. The country is worth saving and it cannot keep the path that we’ve been on. And unfortunately, what you will see in the coming weeks and months will be a front row seat to a battle. And that’s where we need American people to get behind us. And with the budget we propose, I think the American people will like it and I think they’ll get behind us. [00:26:38][38.7]
STARNES: [00:26:39] And people need to be calling their elected leaders up on Capitol Hill. [00:26:42][3.5]
NORMAN: [00:26:43] Not just calling them meeting with take four or five. Meet with them. Hold them accountable. [00:26:47][4.1]
PERRY: [00:26:47] We’re spending a dollar 30 for every dollar we take in. We’re taking in record revenue. And President Biden, his answer to is, I won’t negotiate. You’re just going to keep paying the bill. No, we’re not. [00:26:57][9.6]
STARNES: [00:26:59] All right. Congressman Scott Perry, Congressman Ralph Norman joining us here on Radio Row at CPAC. Congressman Perry, you said something that made me smile a little bit when you were talking about pronouns. That’s become a major issue here. And I just contend it’s all part of the chaos that they want to throw on our country. But what I found fascinating, even in Tennessee, where we’ve taken a pretty hard line approach on this. Even Democrats agree with us on these issues here. And I think that maybe we’ll be able to find some common ground on Capitol Hill. [00:27:32][33.7]
PERRY: [00:27:33] Well, I sure hope we can. I mean, it’s insanity when you meet someone and you’re worried that you’re going to lose your job or be thrown in jail for using a pronoun. Yea this is the absurdity. I just read something yesterday about a library program where a person is speaking and it says they this, they that. And I’m looking I’m thinking, are there more than one? No, This is like, you know, that’s why I talk about standards. You know, the English language I used had a plural and a singular. Just use the pronoun dude. [00:28:03][30.5]
STARNES: [00:28:04] We’re going back to the Tower of Babel. [00:28:05][1.1]
NORMAN: [00:28:06] Well, to have a Supreme Court justice who can’t describe what a woman is, you know, is ridiculous. And to have a a judge who cannot explain the meaning of any of our Constitution, the First Amendment, Second Amendment, Fifth Amendment, 10th Amendment is. That’s what we’ve come to. That’s why we do what we do. And that’s why we’ve got to take it to the American people and just show how far it has come. [00:28:30][23.6]
STARNES: [00:28:30] And again, Congressman Perry, you say that there’s something to all of this. I don’t think these things are not just isolated incidents. There’s a bigger picture going on here. What do you think is going on? [00:28:41][10.9]
PERRY: [00:28:42] Well, it’s the it’s the kind of the takeover, the Marxist takeover of the United States of America it’s the globalist and the control sector of the population that thinks they know better than all the rest of us, all of us people down here, We’re the rabble, you know, we’re not refined and they’ll make the decisions for us. And. And they found a way. They’ve seen a way because quite honestly, we’ve been asleep at the switch for too long and tried to compromise with these people. I use the health care industry as the example. They crashed the system, then took over. They’re interested in doing that in the transportation system. They’re interested in doing, they’re trying to do it in the academic system every single place you turn. The left and the Marxists are there with this program of government control of your life. And, you know, people say, well, maybe I don’t need a gas stove. Instead of saying, who the heck is this government to tell me whether I buy a gas stove, an electric stove or cook on sticks that I get out in the yard, None of their business. [00:29:37][55.5]
STARNES: [00:29:39] It’s a fair point. Before we let you go, guys, I know, Congressman, that you’re a big fan of Nikki Haley. I haven’t asked you, Congressman Perry, but who you’re throwing in for just yet. But how important is it for the people wanting to run for the White House? How important is it for those Republicans to be here at CPAC? [00:30:00][20.9]
NORMAN: [00:30:00] It’s important for them to come if they wish. I don’t know why the ones that have not shown up, that’s up to them. But Nikki Haley is who I’ve seen what she’s done as governor. We’ve got an attractive array of candidates. Let’s showcase each one of them. They will carry out the Trump policies that made him so successful. And more importantly, they’ll fight for freedom. [00:30:19][19.1]
PERRY: [00:30:20] Yeah, yeah. Look, this is one of the important events, but there’s a whole bunch of them. It’s a big country, right? And there’s a big constituency out there. We’ve got to have the best candidates and the best exchange of ideas that will save this republic. We’re not Democrats. We don’t march in lockstep. We don’t take orders from somebody on high. We go out, present our ideas, and we compete fairly in this arena. And that’s what Republicans are about. And so this is just part of that. There’s plenty of time to figure this out, Todd [00:30:49][29.4]
STARNES: [00:30:50] And I think it makes everybody stronger. Even President Trump, you know, he needs to get back into the game and and go, I look, I think it’s great. But but again, this to your point, it shows the strength and the diversity of this party. And I think that’s great. [00:31:03][13.3]
NORMAN: [00:31:03] Talking about diversity that’s exciting, the diversity of ideas. And we all have to earn it every day. There’s no coronations here. [00:31:09][5.5]
STARNES: [00:31:10] Yeah, you’re right. We do. All right. By the way, y’all that was a lot of fun up there on that stage. [00:31:15][4.4]
NORMAN: [00:31:16] It was. We had a great host. Yes, sir. [00:31:17][1.6]
STARNES: [00:31:17] Thank you. God bless you. All right. Congressman Scott Perry. Congressman Ralph Norman. Ladies and. Gentlemen. [00:31:22][5.0]