--- title: Rick Perry Quote on Supply and Demand Sparks Mocking description: "You put the supply out there and the demand will follow" canonical: https://time.com/4847525/rick-perry-supply-demand-quote/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-06T18:33:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:12.526Z article:section: Politics og:title: Another 'Oops' Moment? Rick Perry Quote on Supply and Demand Mocked og:description: "You put the supply out there and the demand will follow." og:url: https://time.com/4847525/rick-perry-supply-demand-quote/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltccdcec0d6dd442f0/6988d2ede76ad2359b62e099/gettyimages-699428164.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5620 og:image:height: 3161 og:image:alt: Energy Secretary Rick Perry Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Subcommittee On DOE 2018 Budget og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Another 'Oops' Moment? Rick Perry Quote on Supply and Demand Mocked twitter:description: "You put the supply out there and the demand will follow." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltccdcec0d6dd442f0/6988d2ede76ad2359b62e099/gettyimages-699428164.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Another 'Oops' Moment? 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7d2732fc-8dc1-4111-93cd-992571109e7b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Rick Perry Infamously Forgot About the Department of Energy [Watch (HLS stream): Rick Perry Infamously Forgot About the Department of Energy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jz2yRMBE.m3u8) (0:50)  _Published 2016-12-13. “It’s three agencies of government, when I get there, that are gone—Commerce, Education and the, um, what’s the third one there? Let’s see,” Perry said during a Republican presidential debate in November 2011._  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jul 6, 2017 6:33 PM UTC  Rick Perry, U.S. secretary of energy, speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, June 21, 2017. Rick Perry, U.S. secretary of energy, speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, June 21, 2017. Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jul 6, 2017 6:33 PM UTC Energy Secretary Rick Perry has a reputation for verbal gaffes, so the internet pounced on his latest remarks. In a visit to a coal-fired power plant in West Virginia, the former Texas governor and two-time presidential candidate appeared to misstate a fundamental economic principle. “Here’s a little economics lesson: supply and demand. You put the supply out there and the demand will follow,” Perry said, according to a reporter on the scene. > [](https://twitter.com/taykuy/status/882998814549921793) Though the broader context of Perry’s remarks was not yet available, many on the internet used the poorly worded sentence to criticize Perry, who infamously forgot part of his own platform during [a 2011 presidential debate](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rick-perry-fails-to-remember-what-agency-hed-get-rid-of-in-gop-debate/). (The Department of Energy did not respond to a request for comment.) > [](https://twitter.com/jasonpinter/status/883008108775256069) > [](https://twitter.com/smartfootball/status/883013917684924416) > [](https://twitter.com/ccfuhr/status/883016250481405957) Perry is in West Virginia on an energy tour, his first official visit to the state. He is touring local facilities and participating in discussions about ways to increase energy infrastructure in the state. ## Transcript It's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education and the, what's the third one there, let's see. Five. Five, okay. So Commerce, Education and the- EPA? EPA, there you go. No, [ CROSSTALK ] Let's talk [ LAUGH ] [ INAUDIBLE ] Seriously? Is EPA the one you were talking about? No sir, no sir. We were talking about the agencies of government. The EPA needs to be rebuilt, there's no doubt about it. But you can't name the third one? The third agency of government? I would do away with the education, the Commerce. Commerce, and let's see, I can't. The third one, I can't, sorry. 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