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Join Tony Perkins as he explores the pivotal political events shaping our nation. Discover how President Trump's administration is reshaping DEI policies within the military, the implications of designating the Iranian-backed Houthis as a terrorist group, and the robust support rallying for pro-life activism. With an engaging blend of guest interviews and in-depth analysis, this episode provides timely information for those committed to faith, family, and freedom.
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from the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation's leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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This bill just asks the simple question, if an abortion is botched, and the child is delivered instead of destroyed in the womb, and the child is alive and viable on the table, what happens next? Current medical practice is everyone in the room just backs away and you allow the child to die on the table. I don't think that's what most Americans would want.
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That was Oklahoma Senator James Lankford on the Senate floor yesterday debating the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. Welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in and making us part of your day. Well, the Born Alive Infant Protection Act failed to advance in the Senate yesterday when every Democrat senator voted against it. One of the most common arguments that was given was that it doesn't happen, so it's not necessary. Later in the program, Senator Lankford himself will join us along with Josiah Presley. an abortion survivor. Meanwhile, the big question on Capitol Hill is, will there be one bill or two?
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I like the concept of the one bill. I guess I said one big beautiful, and that's what everyone faces. Actually, it's sort of a nice sound to it. But I do like that concept. It could be something else. It could be a smaller bill and a big bill. Right. But as long as we get to the right answer.
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That was President Trump in an interview with Sean Hannity discussing possible paths forward on a reconciliation bill, which is a budgetary means to circumvent the 60-vote threshold required in the Senate. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson will join us with the latest on this debate. And actually, he's leaning toward three bills. We're going to talk about that. Also, President Trump signed an executive order once again designating Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization. Former President Biden had previously removed that designation. Montana Senator Steve Daines, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will give us his perspective and the latest on this. Finally, in evidence that it's not business as usual in D.C., the commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan, was ousted Monday night. One reason cited, an excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, which diverted resources from operational priorities. That, of course, is a hallmark of much of the federal government under the Biden administration. Retired Coast Guard Vice Admiral Dean Lee joins us to discuss what this signals ahead for our armed services. All right. We are in the first 100 days and we've created a brand new resource for you. It's the first 100 days toolkit. It helps you track campaign promises as they become policy, provides contact information so that you can take action when necessary to contact your senators and your congressmen. And it includes prayer points for our government leaders and for the policies they're considering. To find the toolkit, you can find it on the StandFirm app, or you can text TOOLKIT to 67742. That's TOOLKIT to 67742, and you'll be prepared for the first 100 days. All right, the Trump administration continues to take shape following the president's return to the Oval Office on Monday. The Senate voted today to confirm John Ratcliffe as the next CIA director, making him the second highest level appointment for the new administration to be confirmed. And Senate leaders are pushing ahead with a series of votes on President Trump's other cabinet picks. Meanwhile, Republicans are still working to reach consensus on budget reconciliation with more members of Congress and even the president saying it's the results that matter, not whether it's one or two bills. Well, joining us now is Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who serves on four Senate committees, including the Budget Committee and the Finance Committee. Senator Johnson, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you. Well, Tony, thanks for having me on. All right. Where are we on this reconciliation? We've got one bill, two bill, and now you say maybe three is the best way forward.
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Well, you know, Tony, I come from the private sector, and I'm a firm believer in the KISS principle. Keep it simple. I'm well aware of the grotesque dysfunction here in Washington, D.C., also very well aware of the slim margin in the House. We have a little bit more leeway in the Senate, but, again, that doesn't necessarily guarantee success. So when you talk about one big, beautiful bill, I recognize that one big, beautiful bill is really complex. And what I think, we need to really lay out the goals. And the first goal is what President Trump ran on in his 2016 election and then 2024, because Biden opened up the borders. We have to secure that border. We need to make sure this administration has the resources and funding for the full four years. That's something we all agree on. So get that one done off the table. Then we have this massive automatic tax increase barreling toward us. By the way, We did that because we couldn't have the pay-fors to make it permanent, but we have this massive automatic tax increase. Let's take that off the table. I understand that the whole discussion around President Trump's tax proposals, the SALT deduction, I want to take the time to simplify and rationalize our tax code. So what we can do is we can just extend current policy Get that off the table. Assure the American public there's not going to be a tax increase. I think that would be very good for our economy. Private sector wants stability. They want certainty. And then let's take our time to simplify, rationalize our tax code, and make sure that whatever we do is permanent so we're not facing another fiscal cliff like this. So again, I think three makes sense because I think we can knock the two out pretty fast. and then take our time, because we'll have the time, to get tax simplification right. Does the reconciliation process allow for three bills? Absolutely. So what we're going to first be doing is we're going to be passing a fiscal 2025 budget. We're four months into that fiscal year already. By the way, I didn't even mention the complications of increasing the debt ceiling— funding 2025 before we turn our attention. So, yeah, we would pass a 2025 budget, as bizarre as that sounds, use that for the first two reconciliation packages, and then turn our attention to a fiscal 2026 budget. And then we would use that for reducing the size of government. You know, I have proposals on that as well. We've not returned to pre-pandemic levels. 2019, we spent $4.4 trillion. Pandemic spending spree, $6.6 trillion. But we haven't reduced that. A family, if you have a major medical issue, maybe they have to borrow $50,000 to pay for bills. They're not going to keep borrowing and spending that level if they get well. They're going to return to their reasonable baseline of spending. We didn't do that for the last five years. We spent six point five trillion dollars. So we need to work hard to reduce the level of spending. I thought it was interesting in President Trump's double speech. He mentioned the fact that because of this gross mismanagement on part of Biden, we're spending one point five trillion dollars more than we would have under his projection. So I've actually been talking about the budget he proposed. proposed was about $5.5 trillion versus the $7 trillion. So we need to, in some way, shape, or form, return to that pre-pandemic baseline. And again, that's going to be complex to do.
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Yeah. Once government gets kind of attached to that funding stream, inflated funding stream, dialing it back is a challenge, but needed. Absolutely needed. When you look at the fact that our interest on our debt is more than what we're paying for national defense, there's something seriously wrong there. Is it a foregone conclusion that Democrat members of the Senate will not vote for the extension or the making permanent the tax cuts? They want to vote a tax cut upon the American people?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, they want to vote a tax increase on some of the American people. I think a good chunk of that, the middle-income tax cuts, they would want to extend as well. But, you know, to get back to spending, what I proposed is, you know, rather than talk about cuts, why don't we go back to other baselines? You know, President Trump's budget would be one. That's $5.5 trillion. if you'd use President Clinton's back in 1998, the last time we had a, or the first time we had a surplus since 1969, and if you increase that budget, it was 1.7 back then, by population growth and inflation, and you use this year's Social Security, Medicare, and interest, you know, At current levels, so you basically exempt Social Security and Medicare. You spend what you need to spend. That also would be $5.5 trillion. And President Biden is projecting $5.5 trillion worth of revenue. Tony, we'd have a balanced budget. Now, I don't think Bill Clinton spent too little. back then. So again, you're basically using his spending levels, just inflate them, we'd have a balanced budget. And by the way, if that's too reasonable, use President Obama's 2014 spending levels, do the same thing, it'd be 6.2. So there you've got your range, somewhere between $5.5 and $6.2 trillion versus the $7 trillion we're spending basically this year. So let's talk about the obstacles to get there. What stands in the way? Republican votes, probably. We can do this through reconciliation. So we really need presidential leadership, which is why I was really glad to hear President Trump talking about his projection for 2025 at that 5.5 level that I've been proposing using Bill Clinton's baseline as well. So again, it's kind of a confluence of rationales for returning to about a $5.5 to $6 trillion baseline of spending. To me, that's really good news, because if we have presidential leadership, I think House members, I think senators will get behind this concept. Again, we can do this quick. I actually printed out that budget. It's about that thick, over 6,000 line items, a couple hundred pages worth. I can drop that today. I'd vote for it.
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All Republicans should vote for that. If I recall correctly, Senator Johnson, before the pandemic in the last budget, I think the president, President Trump proposed, it was actually lower and Congress beefed it up. He actually had a very, in fact, I think if I'm not mistaken, it took out funding for national public broadcasting and some of the other leftist agencies. But the Congress put it back in.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, we have big spenders in our Republican Party here in Congress, too, so that's why we need presidential leadership. Now, obviously, he ran on reducing the size, scope, and cost of government, its influence over our lives. If you want to do that, don't fund it. Again, we'd still be spending somewhere around $6 trillion, which is still trillions of dollars too much, but... That would be a reasonable level to return to. Hopefully, it's not going to be much of a fight. Hopefully, again, President Trump will lead us in this effort and kind of embrace this concept that I've laid out there in a Wall Street Journal column on January 2nd.
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That would be absolutely amazing if we could balance our budget. I mean, it can be done. But if we had the intestinal fortitude to actually accomplish it, that could be quite—I mean, the impact that that would have on our economy, I mean, that would fuel economic growth, would it not?
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Absolutely. And again, I'm using a rationale. Go back to Bill Clinton's budget. Grow it by inflation population. We'll use his spending priorities. We'd be at $5.5 trillion. Or again, use President Trump's projected budget. I don't care which one we use. We can mix and match. Some things we can increase. Some things we can decrease. We can get into greater detail. But that's the general framework. That's how we control government spending.
SPEAKER 05 :
Here's a challenge. The clock is ticking and we're having this. This debate's been going on now for a few weeks about one bill, two bill, one bill, two bill. If we don't do something, we're going to miss the opportunity.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I think Chairman Graham, chairman of our budget committee, I serve in that committee with him. We're in talks. We're meeting with House Freedom Caucus individuals who are being more than reasonable, as I think we are being more than reasonable. I think Lindsey wants to plow forward. So if President Trump gets behind this effort, we'll plow ahead. We can get this done literally in weeks.
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Now, the reconciliation process, does that have to originate in the House?
SPEAKER 08 :
I think we can pass our budget here and marry it with the House product. It's not the same thing as like a tax bill or something. So I think we can, you know, lead this effort if the House is having trouble kind of gaining consensus. Again, keep it simple. Let's break this up into pieces. I think it's eminently doable then.
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Senator, I have to say, it makes a lot of sense, especially if it gets back to that place of having a balanced budget. That could be huge for our country. Senator Johnson, thanks so much for joining us. Always great to see you. Have a great night. All right. And, of course, we're going to check back with him and see if he's making progress on that. It really is. I'm getting a little concerned because it's more about a debate, just back and forth, one bill, two bill. Let's just move. We've got to get something done. All right. Coming up next, could there be a change ahead in our nation's military as we see the president relieving the head of the Coast Guard for being too DEI-focused? That's next. We'll go away.
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During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family, and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we're making an eternal impact. 2024 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, DC. Last fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 2024, garnering over 5 million views. FRC's outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God's intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel's peace, prosperity, and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government. Launching early this year in January 2025, this series will explore the biblical, historical foundations of our government empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth family research council thanks you for partnering with us and we look forward to 2025 and standing for faith family and freedom
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Thank you.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Be sure and get the first 100 days toolkit. You can get it at the Stand Firm app or you can text toolkit to 67742. That's toolkit to 67742. You'll have all the information you need there at your fingertips to be engaged. As I've said many times, our government, our system of government was not created for spectators. It's for participants. So be involved. All right, in rolling back, Biden-era attempts to let DEI drive hiring in federal government. President Trump made clear that he wants to see hiring based upon merit. His administration is working quickly to do just that and move away all remnants of DEI. On Monday, the new acting head of the Department of Homeland Security fired the Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Linda Fagan. reportedly due to her excessive focus on DEI initiatives, which hindered the actual mission of the Coast Guard. Will we soon see a turnaround in our military as the Trump administration continues to shake things up? Joining me now to discuss this and more is Vice Admiral William Dean Lee, who retired from service in the Coast Guard in 2016 after 35 years of distinguished service. Admiral Lee, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you.
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Well, it's good to see you again, Tony.
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Let me ask you a question. Were you concerned about the kind of the DEI policies that were moving into the Coast Guard and affecting the agency's focus on its mission?
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Well, the short answer is yes. Yes, I was. But I belong to an organization of like-minded generals, admirals, retired JAG officers and colonels called STARS.US, who has been trying to get attention placed on that issue for the last two or three years. I mean, it's not just the U.S. Coast Guard. It's rampant and deeply embedded in all of the military services. And it was our concerted opinion that it was divisive in nature. On the surface, it sounds good. But underneath, it's got its roots in Marxist ideology. which pits one group against another, one gender against another. And we do not think, based on our decades of service, that that's how you build a team. And so I'm glad to see that it's being rooted out of our services.
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Now, the Coast Guard is different than the other branches of the service. It comes under the Department of Homeland Security. Does that—did that enable the president to take more directive action immediately?
SPEAKER 06 :
I can't speak to that, Tony. I mean, obviously, the Coast Guard is under the Department of Homeland Security, and it's because we have a law enforcement mission that requires that. I was as shocked as anybody on Tuesday morning when I awoke and my phone had exploded with People sent me the message that my former friend and colleague, Admiral Fagan, had been relieved. I did not see that coming. I'm not surprised that they're going to let loose some generals and admirals, but I was a little bit surprised to see that she was the first. And I feel that. I do.
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Let's talk about something that you and I discussed sometime back on this program, back during the COVID pandemic. We saw many service members pushed out because they refused to get the jab, and that included the Coast Guard. And you were on—we were discussing that. You had real concerns about that. President Trump is looking to reinstate those who were expelled. I'm sure you're relieved to hear that. But How's that work? How is that going to work with these individuals whose reputations, their careers in many ways were tarnished, some ruined? How's that restored?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, that's a good question, sir. We've been talking about that a lot. The first thing you do is you acknowledge that we, the government, were wrong in forcing that mandate down upon them based on what we know now. And then you—and you actually—you just apologize, and you make it right to the best of your ability. For those who got dismissed with 7, 16, 17, 18, sometimes 19 years of service, they need to be allowed to come back on active duty and to— and to get the benefits that they worked so hard to earn. And I hope that that happens. And with that, you'll start to build—you'll be in confidence, again, that leaders, at least the new leaders and commander-in-chief, is willing to take a hard look at what happened, why it happened, and make sure that we don't make the same mistakes again.
SPEAKER 05 :
I think that last statement is so important that we acknowledge what happened was wrong, but how do we put safeguards in place to ensure that it doesn't happen again?
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Well, the first thing I think we need to do is this team I've been working with has developed a draft executive order that we hope to get into the president's office for signature. We call it the Comcat. It's to develop, create a commission to study the COVID and the anthrax policies, how they rolled those out, what was done right, what was done wrong. pull it all out into the report, capture that information, and then codify it and make sure that we don't do it again. And to the extent that some people may have broken the law or breached policies, hold them accountable. Not a witch hunt, but it's just, if you want to restore trust in the military services, because this is one thing, one policy that affected all of them, we owe it to them. We have a duty of care to do just that. Let's analyze it, recognize what we did wrong, acknowledge it, and ask forgiveness and move on.
SPEAKER 05 :
I think that is so important. And I've had this discussion with those in the healthcare industry, FDA and others, where the policies that they pushed through, they now recognize were wrong, admitted it. But unless we put new processes in place going forward, we're going to repeat the same mistakes again. Somebody will. I mean, it might not be the same people, but there's going to be another challenge somewhere down the road. And it's best if we have documented and made the necessary changes to ensure that these people that serve this country are not harmed again.
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Right. Yes, sir. So to the extent that you can help us with this effort, if you just remember this word, you know, we got a draft executive order. It's titled ComCap. And if you can talk people into at least taking that thing out and looking at it, we would be grateful, sir.
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We will do that, Admiral. Admiral, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER 06 :
Likewise, my friend. God bless.
SPEAKER 05 :
Take care. Admiral Dean Lee. All right. When we come back, we're going to talk foreign policy. The Trump administration redesignating the Iranian-backed Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. We're going to talk about it. Don't go away.
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SPEAKER 04 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
They really are making waves out in the political world and doing it from the light of the Lord.
SPEAKER 03 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
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Hello, I'm Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But you know, the Bible talks about four institutions of government. You know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this saying separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn't be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. I'm Tony Perkins, your host, and I've got a great resource for you as we move into the first 100 days of the Trump administration. It is the 100-Day Toolkit, and it will help you keep track of promises made and policies adopted. It will also give you... Access to contact information for members of Congress, your senators, so that you can be involved. So simply text the word TOOLKIT to 67742. That's TOOLKIT to 67742. And you'll have it right there with you. All right. Yesterday, President Trump redesignated the Iranian-backed Houthis as a terrorist organization, reversing the decision by the Biden administration. This follows Trump's continued push to strengthen U.S.-Israeli relations, including lifting restrictions on arms sales to Israel, cutting funding to the terrorist-compromised aid group UNRWA with the United Nations, and giving the go-ahead for deportations of U.S. visa holders linked to pro-Hamas protests. With all that... happened with all that's happening in the Middle East during the Biden administration. What message did these actions send to our allies and why are they important? Joining me now to discuss this is Senator Steve Daines, who serves on four Senate committees, including the Foreign Relations Committee. He represents the state of Montana. Senator Daines, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you. Hey, good to see you, Tony. Now, yesterday, you actually introduced the standing against the Houthis Aggression Act to designate the Houthis as a terrorist group. So you should be pleased with the president's actions.
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Tell you what, it's been a flurry of activity with President Trump out in front. There are all these executive orders and so forth, but we're doing it on the floor here to move President Trump's nominations through. But I couldn't be more pleased. I introduced the bill to designate the Houthis as a foreign terror organization, and lo and behold, Trump, through the stroke of a pen, did the same thing. Look, what I'm really encouraged by, Tony— is restoring the moral clarity that was so needed by the commander of chief under the Biden and Harris administration. They were really handcuffing Israel. They didn't know who the good guys were and the bad guys were. Now President Trump's in office. There's moral clarity with President Trump, Marco Rubio, Elise Stefanik, our next UN ambassador. You've got Mike Huckabee, soon to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel. They understand what's going on with Israel in the Middle East. And the path forward in the Middle East is first and foremost, make sure that Israel is strengthened and protected. And second, to make sure we diminish the capabilities of her adversaries, which in this case, add the Houthis to that list, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah as terror organizations.
SPEAKER 05 :
I mean, this isn't difficult. I mean, they've been firing missiles on Israel. In fact, when I was there in Israel the week before Christmas, two missiles were fired by the Houthis into Israel. But talk for just a moment, Senator Daines, why this designation is important. What does it mean? Why do we designate these entities as terrorist organizations?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, it gives the United States government, starting with the president of the United States, our commander in chief, more optionality as it relates to amping up necessary, whether it's force, literally preemptive, a kinetic force against a terror organization. to ramp up sanctions, to cut the flow of financial resources organizations. It just gives, again, more tools in the tool chest that allows us to ultimately destroy these organizations. That's what we have to remember, that when Obama was president, I remember spending some time at Bagram Air Force Base there in Afghanistan, talking to our generals who were frustrated by the fact that Obama required every single kill shot against what they call jackpot targets, which would be known terrorist leaders. They had to go all the way through the Oval Office to get cleared, and by the time they got clearance from the Oval Office, they've lost their shot on a terrible bad guy. President Trump's elected. He comes in. He tells the military, here's the objective. Destroy ISIS. You figure that out on the battlefield. I'm not here to run the war. I'm here to give you the tools you need to win the war. And that's exactly what happened when we took ISIS off the battlefield. Well, now they've reconstituted, certainly under Joe Biden. And you're seeing the same thing with these Iranian proxy groups of terror proxy groups of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. This just gives the United States government now, under President Trump's leadership, more tools to destroy these adversaries.
SPEAKER 05 :
And as you mentioned, as you referenced, this certainly sends a strong message to our ally Israel that we're standing with and no equivocation here on that. And speaking of encouragement, I want to shift gears here. We just got about a minute and a half left. You founded the pro-life caucus in the Senate. You've got to be encouraged by the fact that just less than two hours ago, the president signed pardons for the pro-lifers who were unjustly targeted and jailed by the Biden administration under the FACE Act. Your reaction?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, thank God for that. And thank God for the election of November. Thank God for these protesters that are standing for life out there, being the voice for those who are voiceless. Talk about injustice, Tony, to think that these protesters literally were thrown in jail in some cases. Absolutely wrong. You think about Micah 6-8 when we talk about injustice. walk humbly and to seek justice. Here's a great example of that, of justice being delivered to these individuals who are fighting on behalf of the unborn and now are set free. Very, very thankful for the President's action today.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, it is. Praying grandmothers are safe in America again. Intercession is no longer grounds for an indictment, and probable cause will not be pursued by those who protect the unborn.
SPEAKER 13 :
Tony, maybe we need to have some hats that say, making praying grandmothers safe again. Maybe some red hats and distribute them, but it's a day to be encouraged.
SPEAKER 05 :
It is. Senator Daines, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us today. Thanks, Tony. All right. We're going to continue our conversation about life next with Senator James Langford of Oklahoma. So don't go away. We're back right after this with more.
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As President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration approached, a powerful prayer gathering took place in Washington, D.C., drawing Christians together to intercede for our nation.
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The church does not recapture its prophetic zeal. It will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. God help us to recapture that prophetic zeal.
SPEAKER 11 :
This is not an interreligious service. We will not be praying to Allah or Buddha. We'll be praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We're talking to God, a holy, righteous, just God from a nation that desperately needs the touch of this God.
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We've not been a secular nation. We don't want to be a secular nation. We've been a nation built around God, and our history shows that.
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Well-versed and Family Research Council led the inauguration praise and prayer convocation, urging attendees to pray for the incoming presidential administration and for the church to embody holiness and righteousness, champion biblical justice, and proclaim truth prophetically.
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Lord, may this not be the end, but may this be the beginning, this convocation, this gathering. And may we commit to pray and to seek you and to walk in your word and in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen.
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All of us are born with the desire to find truth and meaning. Where did I come from? What happens when I die? While our answers to these questions may divide us, we are united in our need for the freedom to answer life's biggest questions and make life's biggest decisions for ourselves. That's why religious freedom matters for everyone. Religious freedom matters because the powerful have long wanted to control those who are less powerful. Religious freedom matters because the freedom of those who are different is often threatened by those who believe different is dangerous. at the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council. We promote religious freedom for everyone because the only alternative is religious freedom for no one. We encourage Americans and the American government to engage and advocate for the persecuted. And they do. We work every day to bring good news to the afflicted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. We do it because that's what Jesus does. We work to give freedom to others because we ourselves have been set free.
SPEAKER 05 :
You are tuned in to Washington Watch, and I'm Tony Perkins, your host, and I am glad to have you with us. And as I mentioned, we've got a resource available for you. It's the 100-Day Toolkit. It's for the first 100 days of the Trump administration. It'll help you keep track of the promises made as they become policy, and sometimes they're going to need a little push. So we've got contact information here for members of Congress, for your senators and your congressmen. And you'll get action alerts. So go, if you have the StandFirm app, you'll find it right there in the StandFirm app. If not, text TOOLKIT to 67742, TOOLKIT to 67742. Our word for today comes from 2 Kings chapter 22. Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan and he read it. Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me this book. And Shaphan read it before the king. Now it happened when the king heard the words of the book of the law that he tore his clothes. Now this is amazing. The word of God had been lost in the temple. How do you lose the word of God? The word was their authority, it was their direction, it was the core of their identity, but yet it was missing and no one even noticed. But could the same be said of the church today? The Bible remains one of the best-selling books, with sales actually increasing last year. But is it being read? And more importantly, is it being followed? What would happen if the church rediscovered the Word of God? I mean, really rediscovered it and returned to living by it. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That's BIBLE to 67742. Well, yesterday, Democrats in the Senate blocked the advancement of a bill that would prevent a doctor from simply ignoring a newborn who survives a botched abortion procedure, an action that inevitably leads to the death of that newborn child. All 47 Democrats voted against the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. That prevents Republicans from getting the 60 votes needed to secure a vote on the measure. That's a procedural vote. It's known as a cloture. Now, they accused Republicans of using false narratives and fearmongering, saying, no, no, this never happens. It's not a problem. Well, joining me to separate fact from fiction is the senator who introduced the bill, Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma. And with him is Josiah Presley, the survivor of a first trimester abortion. Senator Lankford, Josiah, thanks for joining me today. Great to see both of you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Absolutely glad to do it, Tony.
SPEAKER 05 :
Josiah, good to see you again. Before we unpack this, I want to get your reaction to something that just happened within the last couple of hours, President Trump signing pardons for the pro-lifers who were unjustly targeted and jailed by the Biden administration under the FACE Act. Your response, Senator?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, it's good to be able to see on that. As people get the context of this, this was a time when abortion clinics were being, or I'm sorry, where pro-life pregnancy resource centers were being attacked, were being defaced, were having graffiti on them. People were being afraid. The Department of Justice wouldn't step in and protect those individuals, but individuals that were speaking out for life around abortion clinics, they were being jailed. So literally, the Department of Justice was saying, pregnancy resource centers, you don't need protection. Abortion clinics, you do, and we're going to overprotect you. So this was a response from President Trump. It was a positive response to say, we're going to be back to equal justice under the law, and these individuals aren't going to be targeted because of their beliefs about the value of children.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, it certainly reestablishes a sense of justice in this country. It's unfortunate that we have to wait for a new president to come in to establish justice in a system that is ruled by law. We should be able to trust our laws, but it's the unequal application of them that creates this problem. Senator, let's get to the bill that you introduced yesterday on the Senate floor. It was blocked by Democrats. Unpack for our viewers and our listeners what this bill would do.
SPEAKER 07 :
It's a very straightforward, what I consider a common sense, common ground kind of bill. This is not about abortion at all. This is literally if an abortion is carried out, but the abortion, instead of destroying the child in the womb, the child is actually delivered. What do you do in that case where a child is actually delivered? They're literally crying and breathing on the table in front of you. Now you have a fully delivered child in front of you. Do they get medical care or not? This seems like a no-brainer. I don't run into anyone that says you do abortion after a child is fully delivered, but that is the current practice. The current practice now is they can't take the life of that child at the table. That'd be infanticide. So what they do is they basically back away and allow the child to die on their own right in front of them. I think that's horrific to just allow a child to be able to die of exposure. And so we're trying to step in and to say, hey, where are we as a culture? Post-abortion conversation here, just delivery conversation. Can't we at least agree? that when a child is fully delivered they should get medical care and painfully yesterday democrats said no if it was intended to be an abortion even after they're fully delivered and alive on the table their life should still be taken from them i think that's abhorrent and i think that's very extreme and well past where the american people are
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I think you made that point very clearly yesterday on the Senate floor. That's not America. That's certainly not how we want to be known. Josiah, you spoke at our Prevost Stan Summit back in 2021. And Senator, I don't know if you know this, but I know Josiah at the Prevost Stan Summit, as we began to have a conversation, his father was my youth minister back when I was in high school there in Oklahoma. So I know you have an affinity for youth ministers having overseen the campground there in Oklahoma for summer camp for churches. But Josiah, for those that haven't heard your story, can you share that with us?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, so I grew up in Oklahoma. I'm adopted. I'm one of 12 kids, 10 of us being adopted. And my story, my adoptive parents, when I was 13 years old, they told me more about my adoption story. And they told me how two months into my birth mother's pregnancy with me in South Korea, she actually underwent a DNC abortion. a type of abortion where the doctor goes into the mother's womb and rips the baby apart and brings them out in pieces. This obviously was a lot for me to take in at 13. And as a kid who'd grown up in the church, who'd grown up very pro-life, and with these Christian convictions, it was a lot for me to take in, something I struggled with for years. And then it wasn't really until I was 16, and I surrendered my life to Jesus actually at Falls Creek, that God changed my heart. And as I found value and worth in him, I also began to see that in everybody's life, in every human being's life. And that's then flowed into a lot of the advocacy I'm able to do now.
SPEAKER 05 :
Josiah, kind of walk us through how you dealt with this revelation that your parents shared with you. And then when you hear people today, just like on the center floor yesterday saying, well, this doesn't happen. It's not really a problem.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, so I mean, so at the age of 13 and for a number of years, I struggled with a lot of anger and really a lot of hatred and hurt over the circumstances surrounding my birth. I knew what we believed as Christians and what we believed as people who were pro-life. And that's just talking about my birth mother, her decision for abortion. That was a first trimester abortion. And even when we think about this act that was voted against yesterday, that's not even talking about abortion. And to me, the scary and really the disheartening thing that I think that really we should hear me thinking about as American people is, We're not talking about abortion there. What we're talking about is a baby who's been born. Right. Like, that should be an easy threshold. That should be an easy common ground thing for us to all say, hey, yeah, human life, they're born. They're valuable. We ought to protect them. And we can't even find that common ground there. And that's very concerning, I think.
SPEAKER 05 :
I mean, we're talking infanticide is what we're talking about. about, is allowing a child to die. In fact, if you go back to the origins of the church, that's where the church really made its first incursion into society, was taking those abandoned babies and caring for them. And as a Christian society, I mean, we want to identify ourselves as a Christian society, at least the majority does. This is a no-brainer, as you pointed out, Senator.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, this should be easy. Democrats were saying, well, this is going to be some secret backdoor way to instruct doctors or to be able to punish doctors that aren't doing care. But quite frankly, every physician has basic Hippocratic oath to do no harm and then to also to do basic care. If you've got a living child in front of you, there's a responsibility to be able to take care of a living child, not back away. And this doesn't happen often. But it does happen. And then the question is, when it does happen, what are we going to do? And currently, we've not even been able to agree on that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Josiah, there is a growing number of those who have survived abortions who are now speaking out. There's a network. Speak to that for a moment, how that has been helpful in just having those conversations with others who have had some of the similar experiences that you've had.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, so when I first found out the origins of my story and I was navigating what it meant to be an abortion survivor, frankly, I thought I was one that was far and few between. Like, I was not aware of very many others. And as I've been able to connect with specifically Melissa Oden, as she's the one who's founded the Abortion Survivors Network, it's It's been crazy to see the number of people who have come out of the woodworks who actually are abortion survivors, who are going through that grief or going through that pain, that anger, trying to sort out those pieces of their story. And so it's been really encouraging for me personally in my own journey, as I've been sorting through it as I go, but then also to see that I'm not alone. And it's also a reminder, though, of the humanity of the unborn. more and more of us get through. And those who get through, they're the proof. They're the reminder. They're the living, walking, breathing voice to us all that the unborn, they're human and they're valuable and we ought to protect them.
SPEAKER 05 :
Josiah, let me ask you this, because you've done a lot of this in terms of advocacy and having conversations. It's hard to push back when people hear your story. But for those that need to engage in their elected representatives, whether it's at the state level or the federal level, obviously, in this bill. How would you suggest they approach this conversation and politely push back on this narrative that it doesn't really happen, this bill is not necessary?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I think actually just talking to Senator Lankford earlier and just hearing some of the things that he brings up when he talks about asking them, okay, we have to consider there's three people involved in an abortion, the father, the mother, and the child. And he's brought up, and I think this is a really good question, at what point does a child become a child and should have that protection? And I think that's something every one of our elected officials should have to answer. I think that's something every elected official should have to answer because that's something they're answerable to the people on. We should be able to know where elected officials stand on that and how they're going to vote on that, how they're going to pass legislation on that, because we're literally talking about a life and death situation here. And it's important, I think, for the people to ask those questions.
SPEAKER 05 :
So, Senator Lankford, for now— Senator Lankford, for now, is this bill—I mean, is it going to move forward? Is there going to be another attempt on it, or is it finished?
SPEAKER 07 :
So it is finished in the Senate for now. The House picked it up. They passed it. And what's interesting, the House and the Senate both had a majority vote for this. But as you mentioned, the top of the of this conversation, you have to have 60 to be able to move it. But we had 52 votes. That's a majority of the Senate agrees with this. But we don't have enough to be able to move it. The House did have a majority when they voted on it today and they're able to pass it in the House. But we're not able to make law on it. until we get out of the Senate with 60. The other part of this, though, is there's only eight states in the country that do full reporting for abortion survivors. So many states, and this is an era where state legislators and individuals can engage with their own states to say, what does our state do? How do we protect abortion survivors? So we're talking about this on a federal level. But every single state and every single person that's listening to this program right now should be able to say to their legislators, do we report abortion survivors? Do we require that? Do we require care for children in a botched abortion? My state in Oklahoma doesn't allow abortions. Many other states do not allow that. That's great. But for those states that do, as a minimum, we should also track botched abortions, where in this case, we typically think of a doctor who makes a mistake and a life is taken. In this case, a doctor makes a mistake and a life is actually protected. We should be able to know that documented and then to know what's done.
SPEAKER 05 :
Just to have a couple minutes left, tomorrow's the March for Life, which has been held every year since the infamous Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. It's clear that even after the Dobbs decision and Roe was kicked to the dustbin of history, we still have a fight on our hands to—as we just talked about here, this— common sense piece of legislation to provide aid to a child who survives an abortion. We can't agree on that as public policy. We've got a lot of work to do, Senator. Where do we go from here?
SPEAKER 07 :
We do, even though we weren't outside for an inauguration this week, we will be outside marching for life. It's just as cold in DC, but those tough marchers are going to be out there standing up for the value of every single child. So that's extremely important. I'm telling people more and more. There are folks that are out there saying we should stop talking about this. This is a state issue. Don't discuss anymore. That's exactly the opposite thing we need. We need to talk about it more. Just like I think about 105 years ago, my wife and my daughters couldn't have voted. And I can't believe there was a time in America that women were not allowed to vote. And this generation looks back at that time and is appalled by it. I think 50 years from now, that generation will look back at now and say there was a season where we considered some children valuable and some children disposable, and they'll be appalled by it. But that doesn't happen accidentally. That happens because this generation talks about the value of every child, continues that dialogue, and we continue the work that will take a generation to accomplish. But let's keep going.
SPEAKER 05 :
Josiah, and we cannot overlook the fact that this is spiritual in nature when we look at this battle for life. Yeah. Josiah, I want to thank you for joining us. Senator Lankford, I want to thank you for joining us and for your continued fight for the unborn. I greatly, we all greatly appreciate it. And Josiah, tell your father I said hello.
SPEAKER 07 :
His father did a great job in youth ministry, clearly, Tony.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, I could tell you some stories. I could tell you some stories. All right, gentlemen, have a great evening. And folks, I want to thank you for joining us. And let us not give up standing for the unborn. And I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul, who said, when you've done everything you can do, when you've prayed, you've prepared and you've taken your stand. That's right. When you've taken your stand, just keep standing. Have a good evening.
SPEAKER 01 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family, and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
On today's program: Chuck Fleischmann, U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 3rd District, discusses today's headlines, including the latest on the Reagan National Airport crash and possible congressional investigation. Lt. General (Ret.) Jerry
In this episode of Washington Watch, Tony Perkins dives into the recent aviation disaster in Washington, D.C., raising questions about air safety and military-civilian coordination. With insights from former President Donald Trump and newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the episode examines if the recent collision highlights broader flaws in airspace management. Additionally, the episode navigates the turbulent waters of political weaponization within the federal government, drawing on expert opinions from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman and others. We transition into global politics with a focus on South Korea, where President Moon Seok-yool's impeachment adds to concerns about democratic stability in the region. Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman provide commentary on the ongoing struggles against political weaponization. This episode is packed with expert insights and critical analysis on pressing national and international issues. Behind the scenes, the looming Super Bowl prompts discussion on the need for family-friendly entertainment standards following controversial performances in previous years. With a letter from Louisiana legislators prompting a commitment from the NFL, could this signal a shift in cultural values at major events?
SPEAKER 01 :
From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation's leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 15 :
We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we'll probably state those opinions now. Because over the years, I've watched as things like this happen and they say, well, we're always investigating. And then the investigation three years later, they announce it. We think we have some pretty good ideas. But we'll find out how this disaster occurred and we'll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was President Donald Trump earlier today responding to last night's tragic collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter at Washington Reagan's National Airport. Welcome to Washington Watch, and thank you for joining us. Well, this morning, the rescue effort at the crash site shifted to a recovery mission after it was confirmed there were no survivors. Now the big question is, how did this happen?
SPEAKER 18 :
We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but to back up what the President said, what I've seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was newly confirmed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaking earlier today. We'll get an update from Congressman Troy Nels of Texas. He's the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. And for anyone who flies frequently in and out of Washington, it's obvious there are a lot of military helicopters in the air. But have they made the skies above D.C. too crowded? We'll discuss that with retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert later here on Washington Watch. Meanwhile, President Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The topic of government weaponization took center stage.
SPEAKER 08 :
And in many ways, the worst legacy, in my opinion, of the Biden administration. was the complete politicization and weaponization of both the Department of Justice and the FBI, turning them into tools to attack the perceived enemies of the Biden White House.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was Texas Senator Ted Cruz. We'll get reaction from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, a member of the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. And amid ongoing news from the Middle East and the continuing war in Ukraine, there's been less focus on South Korea, where impeached President Moon Seok-yool faces charges of insurrection. Is South Korea's democracy at risk? We'll talk with Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former CIA Deputy Division Chief for Korea. And finally, as I mentioned yesterday, there's some encouraging news regarding the content of the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show. Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges will join us later to share the details. All of that and more coming up on this Thursday edition of Washington Watch. Be sure and check out the website, TonyPerkins.com. Better yet, if you've not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, I encourage you to go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app so you can take Washington Watch with you wherever you go. Well, there was quite a bit of fireworks today during the confirmation hearing for three of President Trump's most, I'd say, controversial picks for key roles in his administration. Among the issues that came up during the hearing for Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel was the weaponization of the federal government, which Democrats claim is what President Trump is threatening to do. But as Republicans have rightly pointed out, weaponization is what we saw from the previous administration under Joe Biden. And President Trump has made clear that he will not be continuing a weaponized DOJ. Well, that message doesn't appear to be getting through to Democrats. Here now to discuss the issues, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. She represents the at-large congressional district of the great state of Wyoming. Congresswoman, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always good to see you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Wonderful to see you, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
Before we get into the confirmation hearing and the president's executive order on the weaponization of government, I want to get your reaction to the tragic crash that took place in D.C. last night.
SPEAKER 02 :
It is absolutely heartbreaking. I flew out of DCA just a couple of hours before that to head home to Wyoming. One of the observations I had was looking out the window at the Potomac and thinking how absolutely frigid cold it looked with all the ice flows in it. And to hear about that last evening as I was driving from the Denver airport, again, it's just heartbreaking. My heart goes out to those families, to the teammates, to everyone who was affected by this terrible, terrible tragedy.
SPEAKER 07 :
I am pretty confident, as we've heard from the president, Sean Duffy, former colleague of yours, this is going to be thoroughly looked at. And I think it will be, given the fact that so many members of Congress fly in and out. And we've seen it. I mean, I'm flying it out every week. And you see the aircraft. It's a very crowded airspace. So I imagine that something is going to be done there. to deal with this. Let's talk about the weaponization. Let's first start. One of the first executive orders of President Trump was dealing with the issue of the weaponization of the federal government. Talk a little bit about that and how, given the position that you had on that weaponization committee, looking at all those issues, are we going to get a handle on this quickly?
SPEAKER 02 :
I've had a front row seat to see what happens when the federal government is weaponized against political opponents. We saw it play out in a couple of different ways under the Biden-Harris administration. One of them was the manner in which they charged and prosecuted the J6 folks, going after people who might have just simply walked through the Capitol, not even knowing that there were barricades up. and overcharging them dramatically. We know that because the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of many of the people who were charged, where the Biden-Harris administration was actually using a statute that was adopted to address the Enron situation of disposing of and destroying documents and records. And they used that as a way to try to enhance the sentences of the people on January—who were involved in anything associated with January 6. Then you contrast that with what happened in Portland, what happened in Minnesota during the summer of 2020, what happened in New York City. And the reason that I say you have to contrast it is, for one group of people that were disfavored by the Biden-Harris administration, they did everything they could to destroy them. For the people such as Antifa, the people who were involved in CHOP in Seattle and those kinds of things, they not only dropped charges or didn't bring charges in the first place, many of those people they settled with and paid them tens of thousands of dollars if they were at all inconvenienced at any time while they were burning down cities and causing billions of dollars of damage. If you look at what they did to President Trump, it's so clear in the cases in New York, Florida, and D.C. that the folks aligned with Biden and Harris and the Democrats, again, were using our justice system to go after a political opponent. As an attorney, as a long-term advocate for civil rights and civil liberties and adhering to our Constitution, I was pretty shocked to see how the government was weaponized as quickly as it was. When you look at the Russia, Russia, Russia collusion hoax and what the FBI did and their involvement and what the White House knew, in fact, they knew in August of 2016, before the 2016 election, that the Steele dossier was a hoax, that it was paid for by Hillary Clinton, that there was no validity to it. Yet they use the whole-of-government approach to get FISA warrants against the Trump team, to spy on them, to continue with an investigation against President Trump for a year-and-a-half under the auspices of claiming that he was conspiring with or colluding with the country of Russia to undermine America. I mean, all of these things together give you an idea of how weaponized the federal government became under the last administration.
SPEAKER 07 :
Congresswoman, I think it's been a process, because I think back into the 80s and 90s, where, even early turn of the century, where RICO statutes, which was, they were created back in the 1970s to go after the mob and racketeering, were used against pro-lifers. So I think, you know, those things were allowed to go forward, and I think it's kind of like the camel's nose under the tent. If you don't address it, it only gets worse.
SPEAKER 02 :
That's why I refer to what President Trump is doing as accountability. People want to say, well, he's going to weaponize this against his enemies, and Dick Durbin is saying that now. No, the people who engaged in this contact need to be held accountable for the decisions that they made. And so far, no one has been held accountable. One of the things that we did a lot of work on with the Select Committee on weaponization of the federal government related to the First Amendment and the mechanism that was used by Biden and Harris and their cohorts within that administration to stop us, the conservatives and Republicans, from being able to exercise their First Amendment rights. We know that from the Twitter files and the testimony of Matt Taibbi and Michael Schellenberger, what Professor Jonathan Turley has found. All of these things, all of these mechanisms by which the government was used to suppress the First Amendment rights, not only the freedom of speech, but as you point out, freedom of religion, using the FACE Act and literally turning it on its head and taking, you know, 72-year-old grandmothers who are praying outside of an abortion clinic and trying to throw them in prison for five years, not because that woman was any kind of a threat or violating anyone's civil rights, but for the purpose of making her as an example so that no one else would dare risk objecting to and fighting back against abortion. So that's what they did.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes. And that's probably the most chilling aspect of this is that it was designed, it was to shock others into silence so that they would not speak or challenge these policies. And that's what happened with the J6 folks and what they endured. But the EO, the executive order, is great. I mean, you look at it, it addresses this issue, but it's an executive order. It can be repealed by the next administration. Congress has to deal with this. Are your colleagues ready to statutorily deal with this so that the government cannot be weaponized in the future against the American citizen?
SPEAKER 02 :
So a couple of things. In some ways, we already have. So being on the Judiciary Committee, part of our jurisdiction was revising Section 702 of the FISA warrants. And so after we learned what the FBI was doing in collusion with the Hillary campaign, in going after the Trump campaign during the 2016 cycle, we made fundamental changes to Section 702 of FISA that makes it much more difficult for the FBI to be using that process, at least to be weaponized against us. So we've already started that process. And I agree with you that this is an executive order. To the extent that any of these executive orders should be turned into statutes, we are already working through that process. so that we can be introducing them. But the other thing that I think is going to happen over the next four years, Tony, is that we're going to see so much exposed. And I think it happened over the last year and a half. I think that the reason that Donald Trump won with the resounding victory that he did was that people were horrified at what had happened with our legacy institutions, with those institutions that all of us grew up revering and thinking, hey, maybe I want to go and work for the FBI. What has been exposed over the last couple of years and what will continue to be exposed, number one, will help us to draft better legislation and make sure it doesn't happen again. But the other thing we need to do is just simply enforce the Constitution as written. I have an absolute First Amendment right in speech, in press, to peaceably assemble to petition my government for redress and to exercise my religion as I see fit. And one of the things that I have done is I have introduced a bill called the First Amendment Restoration Act. It is patterned after a similar federal law that applies to states. But basically what it says is that any federal employee who under color of federal law violates someone's First Amendment rights, they can be held liable in damages. We can get injunctive relief and we can also seek attorney's fees. So that's one of the bills that I actually worked with Jonathan Turley and some of my cohorts on the bill. Judiciary Committee, that we're going directly at these things, that it will be very clear that if you violate the First Amendment and you are a federal employee, I can sue you personally. So that's the kind of legislation we're pushing forward with.
SPEAKER 07 :
Harriet, I want to help you with that. We need that. We need accountability. That is a means of accountability. We're out of time, but always great to see you. Thank you so much for joining us today. And we look forward to working with you to protect that first freedom and to get rid of the weaponization of our federal government. All right, folks, we're going to look at South Korea next. The crisis there. Don't go away.
SPEAKER 17 :
During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we're making an eternal impact. 2024 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, D.C., Last fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 2024, garnering over 5 million views. FRC's outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God's intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel's peace, prosperity, and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government. Launching early this year in January 2025, this series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us, and we look forward to 2025 and standing for faith, family, and freedom.
SPEAKER 03 :
Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC's Stand on the Word spiral-bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into scripture with thought-provoking questions, note-taking space, and context for each book and author. This second edition, covering Isaiah 2 Revelation, will guide you in tracking your journey through God's word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at frc.org slash store or text journal to 67742. Perfect for you and your loved ones.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you on this Thursday afternoon. The website, TonyPerkins.com, but better yet, get the Stand Firm app. And by the way, on the app, we have our first 100 Days Toolkit. That will enable you to engage in the process of helping correct some of the things that have happened in the last four years. There'll be action items. You'll have contact information for your member of Congress and your senators. You can find it, and it'll keep you up to date on what's happening. So you can get it on the app or just text the word TOOLKIT to 67742. That's TOOLKIT to 67742. All right. We're waiting for our guest. I've been tracking what's been happening in South Korea. South Korean President Eun Suk-yool shocked the world when he declared martial law in his country, a move widely condemned as an abuse of power. Now, that set off a political firestorm that has only grown more intense. Well, on Saturday, the impeached president was then indicted on charges of leading an insurrection. Now, A lot of stuff sounds very familiar, does it not? And this guy, he's kind of a conservative. And it's been the moderates, the liberals that have been opposing him in South Korea. Well, this ongoing political turmoil in South Korea has raised serious concerns about the stability of one of America's key allies. I mean, their democratic form of government is relatively new going back to the 1980s. And so it has some asking, can South Korea's democratic government And it's an important question because they're a stabilizing force there in that region of the world. All right, while we're waiting for a guest, I'm going to go to Meg Kilgannon, Senior Fellow for Education Studies here at the Family Research Council. She's been tracking a number of the confirmation hearings as we're watching these go through the process. And so I'm going to bring her in. Meg, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Great to be here, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
Let me continue my conversation I was having with Congresswoman Harriet Hageman regarding the – weaponization of government. Today, Kash Patel had his confirmation hearing in the Senate. This issue factored in very heavily, and Harriet made reference to this. This is what was brought up in the committee, that President Trump simply wants to weaponize government to be used against the left. How do we prevent this tit for tat, back and forth?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. Well, I think that the problem with that analysis is that you're assuming that what happened the previous four years to former President Trump and people who had worked for him was not the weaponization of government. and that it was in fact perfectly legal behavior and something to be proud of, whereas we know that it was illegal behavior that has consequences. And so when you're enforcing consequences on people who've behaved badly, that doesn't mean you're weaponizing the government against them. It means that they are paying the price for the mistakes that were made. very grievous mistakes that have repercussions across the entirety of society. I mean, everything that was done to those folks that were serving in political power could be done to you or me.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. But does it also kind of reveal with the Democrats the – They're kind of projecting. I mean, this is what they did when they had power. So they're just assuming that Donald Trump's going to do the same thing. Republicans will do the same thing. This is what they did.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. I think you're seeing the trouble they're having sort of getting their foothold in this new paradigm since the big Republican win in November and this shock and awe campaign we're seeing from the White House and the executive branch. The Democrats are not responding, I think, very well. responding in their usual fashion, but it's not meeting the moment, right? People see through this now.
SPEAKER 07 :
So we're going to see a course correction. I mean, we've already seen the president in his executive order on January the 20th regarding the weaponization of federal government, the personnel that he is appointing. But how can the people that were targeted by the DOJ under the Biden administration and the victims of the weaponization of the federal government, how can they be made whole?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. This age old question, where do I go to get my good name back? Right. It's it's there. These are these are crimes against people that are hard to to to really make right. And so I think maybe that is part of the reason why the other side is so focused on it. They understand on a primal level the grievous wrongs that were done, and they're probably operating out of a sense of fear that they will be held accountable for what they did.
SPEAKER 07 :
Meg, we've got our guest now to talk about South Korea. So unless you want to talk about South Korea, I'll let you.
SPEAKER 11 :
I can't wait to hear the guest.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah. All right. Meg Kilgannon, thanks so much for joining us. All right. Do we have him now? Okay. All right. So we don't have it. Okay. All right. This is the joys of live programming. So we're going to see if we can get connected with him. There's some issues there with our connections. But again, let me jump back here to South Korea. When we look at the parallels, we talked about this a while back when this was first unfolding, but it's continued. And we need to be aware, especially when you look at South Korea's spiritual history and the vibrancy of the church and what's been happening over there, and then all of a sudden it just began to implode. And The conservative, progressive, liberal, whatever you want to call it, leftist, have been fighting and taking their fragile democratic government really to the edge. And so anyway, it's something I think we need to keep an eye on while we're looking at domestic issues, looking at issues in the Middle East and elsewhere. All right. We're almost out of time in this segment. And when we come back, we're going to talk about some good news. All right. You want some good news? Good news is that the NFL is responding to a group of pro-family leaders and legislators from the state of Louisiana regarding the halftime show in the upcoming Super Bowl. So we're going to be joined by state senator, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges next, to share their response to this letter and a commitment. We'll see if they hold to that commitment. But nonetheless, they're listening. We could be in a moment of sea change where we see a lot of things shifting. All right, don't go away. We're back with more Washington Watch after this.
SPEAKER 06 :
Have you ever been to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.? Well, now you have a special reason to be there on Wednesday, February 5th. First, you can take part in the third annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. God's ways are higher than our ways. The Lord clearly reveals in Scripture any nation that genuinely worships Him is a nation with leaders willing to repent and ask forgiveness for sins. The NGPR is a unique public gathering where scores of congressional leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, join with international leaders representing more than 50 nations for one sole purpose.
SPEAKER 12 :
Forgive our nations against you and you alone have we sinned.
SPEAKER 06 :
You can be there in the room to pray along with members of Congress, dignitaries from other nations, and Christian leaders from across the U.S. The NGPR is hosted by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Dr. Jim Garlow, founder of Well-Versed World, along with Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and former Congresswoman Michelle Buchman. Right after the prayer and repentance gathering, participants will move to the World Stage Theater for a private update on important events happening in Israel. and watch a preview of the historic new documentary on the Megiddo Mosaic, the most remarkable archeological find in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is truly one of a kind opportunity to learn what's going on behind the scenes in Israel and how it could affect the whole world. Both of these Bible honoring events require tickets. Go to PrayDC.org, register today to attend in person on February 5th. As a bonus, your ticket grants you a free admission to experience the rest of the Museum of the Bible. Seating is limited for both events. Go to PrayDC.org to get tickets today.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us on this Thursday. Well, in just 10 days, the Super Bowl will be in New Orleans. And this year, there's some good news for families across the country. After concerns were raised over past halftime performances featuring explicit content, event organizers have confirmed that the Super Bowl, Super Bowl 59, their halftime show will be a family-friendly event. So will this be the year that families won't have to switch the channel when it's halftime? Could this be a pivotal point going forward for the Super Bowl? Joining me now to discuss this, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges, who led Louisiana lawmakers and pro-family groups in addressing this issue to get this commitment. Senator Hodges, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you for having me, Tony. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So it's always good to have some good news. Tell us about the response that you received to the letter.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, we got a I didn't know whether to really expect a response or not. We sent the letter on the 16th and all the press releases went out on Monday and they were very quick to respond. After that, we got a letter from Jay Cicero saying, who is the CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. And he issued a statement in response to the letter that I was very, very excited about and impressed by. And I don't know if you want to read the response, but I have it in front of me. No, go ahead and read it, Valerie. Okay, it says, he wrote, we respect and value the comments of our legislators who play a critical role in our ability to secure large events, providing an economic boost to our city and our state, Cicero said. We have shared the letter with the NFL, and we are all in agreement that this year's halftime show will be a family-friendly event befitting New Orleans' storied history hosting Super Bowls. And I was very, very pleased with that. He recognizes that the legislature does contribute greatly to this event and that we're all excited about the event being here in Louisiana and that it should be a family-friendly event. And he agreed that the NFL would do something about it. So we'll see.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I know it's a trust but verify as we look at this. But it's encouraging that they responded to it. There's recognition there's a problem. They're now on the record saying that we want to see this as well. And, of course, we also know I've been in touch with the the head of the Louisiana State Police, as well as the attorney general in Louisiana. And they are going to be watching a lot of the, whether or not laws are violated. They're also going to be addressing the issue that you and I talked about earlier in the week, and that was the issue of human trafficking, which is at its peak around such events as the Super Bowl.
SPEAKER 13 :
Correct. And I thought... the quote that was released was through the Louisiana Illuminator. And I posted the response from Mr. Cicero and the link to the article from the Louisiana Illuminator on my Facebook. It's Valerie Hodges State Senate page. And I want to ask your listeners to go to that and look at it, read the letter, read the response. And the article was really a good article. And they even referenced at the end the fact that the NFL and Roger Goodell still, They signed a contract last year with, I think, I don't remember, J.C., J.Z., that was accused of rape. And I don't know where that court case is. But these are not issues that we can any longer ignore. We've seen the issues that are going on across the nation with the... with P. Diddy, I'll just say it. And so this is not appropriate behavior, and it's certainly not appropriate behavior at one of the largest sports venues in the nation of the year. And so that's what we're hoping, that they will take the letter into account and make some changes. And that's all we're asking is family-appropriate halftime shows.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. I mean, everybody's watching a sports event, and next thing you know, you've got a script show. The good thing about this, you pointed out, when you look at everything that's happening across the country, is that you have... Corporate America is taking note of the last election. They've been taking note of the grassroots efforts pushing back against their woke DEI policies. And so I think sports is not immune from that. They've been bitten by that as well. And I think when you look at this in context... It was a great time to weigh in and ask for them to clean up their act because I think that's the moment we are in. So hopefully this will not just be for this Super Bowl, but maybe we change and raise the standard going forward.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, I believe that, Tony, and it's time for our voices to be heard. And they've been, a few have spoken up, I think, even though, so many people told me, I'll never watch the halftime shows. I'm not even going to watch the Super Bowl anymore. Well, that affects their advertisers. The advertisements, the... the ads are great, that they spend a lot of money. But then when people turn off the television or they switch the channel, that's hurting their viewers, their viewership and the advertiser. So I'm hoping they take this into account. This is not a small handful of people. Everywhere I go in the last this last week, people have come up to me, gone out of their way to thank me for the letter and say because they said, thank goodness somebody is saying what we all feel. And there's And that's the thing, that when you have got 18 legislators, you have got national groups like your group, other groups, statewide groups, local groups, this is a large majority of people who are expressing the same thing. And, hopefully, they are listening, according to what Mr. Cicero said, and that they have agreed to make it family-friendly. And this is what America wants. This is who we are. We are people of dignity. And I believe we have moral values. And there are places to go if you want to see a strip show or pole dancing. But the Super Bowl is not the place to do that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, let's play football. All right, Valerie Hodges, thanks for joining us. Great to see you. Good work.
SPEAKER 13 :
Good to see you, too.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right, folks, coming up next, we'll discuss the latest developments following the Reagan Airport disaster last night. So stay tuned. Don't go anywhere.
SPEAKER 04 :
As President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration approached, a powerful prayer gathering took place in Washington, D.C., drawing Christians together to intercede for our nation.
SPEAKER 07 :
The church does not recapture its prophetic zeal. It will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. God help us to recapture that prophetic zeal.
SPEAKER 10 :
This is not an interreligious service. We will not be praying to Allah or Buddha. We'll be praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We're talking to God, a holy, righteous, just God from a nation that desperately needs the touch of this God.
SPEAKER 09 :
We've not been a secular nation. We don't want to be a secular nation. We've been a nation built around God, and our history shows that.
SPEAKER 04 :
The well-versed and family research council led the inauguration praise and prayer convocation, urging attendees to pray for the incoming presidential administration and for the church to embody holiness and righteousness, champion biblical justice, and proclaim truth prophetically.
SPEAKER 07 :
Lord, may this not be the end, but may this be the beginning, this convocation, this gathering. And may we commit to pray and to seek you and to walk in your word and in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen. Hello, I'm Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But you know, the Bible talks about four institutions of government. You know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this saying separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn't be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government.
SPEAKER 05 :
Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today and join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We've created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective, read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family and church members and stand firm everywhere you go.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Be sure and get your first 100-day toolkit. You can get it by texting TOOLKIT to 67742. Our word for today comes from Jeremiah chapter four, where Jeremiah reflects upon the prophetic message he has received. Oh my soul, my soul, I am pained in my very heart. My heart makes a noise in me. I cannot hold my peace because you have heard, oh my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried for the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered and my curtain in a moment. As followers of Christ, if we are following him and we are in his word, we will see the words of warning from the Lord unfolding right before our eyes. It is a burden to see and it should grieve us to see the steady drumbeat of our nation marching toward destruction because of our rejection of God and his word. Understand the reality of hell as the coming judgment for all who do not repent. We should be motivated to issue the same warnings as Jeremiah with passion. Repent and return to the Lord. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That's Bible to 67742. Recovery operations are underway now following last night's mid-air collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts. At least 28 bodies, including all three soldiers who were on the helicopter, had been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River near D.C. when the collision took place last night at 8.48 p.m. Eastern. Now, many right now are searching for answers in what do we know so far and what steps can be taken to prevent something like this from occurring again. Joining me now to discuss this, Congressman Troy Nels, who serves on the Judiciary Committee as well as the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation. He represents the 22nd District of Texas. Congressman Nels, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you, Tony. Good to be with you.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So what's the latest? What do we know regarding this incident that occurred last night?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, we know that there are still recovery operations continuing. You know, you had 67 lives lost, and we need to make sure that we can account for each and every one of those individuals. We know that the NTSB, they've been on the ground within a few hours of this taking place last night. I believe they're up to almost 44 people or so from the NTSB is assisting first responders and others, but they will also be the lead investigative group in this crash. So we know that there are dive teams there. The FBI has sent their response team. There are dive teams there trying to recover the black boxes You know, there's two black boxes on that aircraft. There's the data recorder and then there's the cockpit voice recorder trying to get those two black boxes recovered. And I know that the NTSB has received what they'll call like a full package, a full ATC package, which is the air traffic controller. So all the communications prior to the crash and moments after the crash are all in the hands of the NTSB, and they'll be doing their investigation. I had a briefing with them, and Chairman Graves, he's the chairman of the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. We had a briefing with NTSB a few hours ago, and they informed us on the most current information, and it's just, you know, very, very sad. when you see what took place. And now the real question is, you know, the NTSB report, how long will it take for them to, you know, to conduct an investigation and what kind of findings will there be. But I just, I encourage the NTSB and FAA to make sure that, you know, they have accurate information. It's all factual. And then we will look at that information and see if it leads to any type of recommendation. But that's what we have up to this point.
SPEAKER 07 :
It's been nearly two decades since we've had an air disaster such as this right here in our nation's capital. I would assume, being that so many in Congress are flying that same route, each week. And the skies in D.C. have become more crowded. We're seeing a lot of military aircraft, a lot of commercial aircraft. I would think all of those things are going to be looked at by members of Congress because they want to make sure that this is, in fact, made safe again.
SPEAKER 14 :
Sure. I do it every week. I fly out of Houston, Intercontinental, and I got a direct flight right into D.C.A., so I'm very familiar. with that route. They're very familiar with that airport. And so we'll have to wait. A lot of people coming up with their own opinions as to whose fault, pointing fingers, this and that. I think that's, I want to just say, maybe a little irresponsible at this time. We have to give the NTSB an opportunity to look at everything, come up with a report. And And speaking to them earlier today, they stated they could have a preliminary report, possibly within 30 days. So I think that's a step in the right direction. I don't want to see something like this be drug out where we don't know anything for 18 months, because I don't think President Trump is going to want that. He's going to want a very thorough, deliberate investigation into this. I believe that President Trump would want to have some answers and then to try to rectify any type of issues going forward to make sure something like this never happens again.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I would imagine that he's going to be pushing for that report very, very soon. Congressman Troy Nels, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate you joining us by phone. Great to talk with you.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you. God bless you.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. Congressman Troy Nels of Texas, 22nd District. And I want to continue this discussion on last night's tragedy that took place. As Troy was saying, he flies it. I fly it every week almost as well. Same route as I fly from my home state of Louisiana into D.C. And, you know, you can't help but see the military aircraft that's around. There's a lot of it. It's also just the slightest weather issue backs up the traffic because it is so heavy coming into Reagan National. So what do we need to be looking at here? And if you look at some of the video, it looked very odd from the helicopter that collided with the jet. Joining me now to discuss this, retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert. He was a former command pilot with more than 2,000 hours and 38 different aircrafts. As a distinguished military career, General Teichert retired as the Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. General, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 07 :
So what can, I know you've been discussing this with others, your contacts. What can you tell us that you have learned so far from last night's crash?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, very clearly there was a breakdown in deconfliction between the airliner and the helicopter. And normally when that happens, it's due to some sort of confusion or breakdown in communication. And as these mishap investigation boards stand up, one from the NTSB, one from the Army, They're going to be gathering the information. Part of that will be collecting the full tapes of the air traffic control transmissions over the course of that flight. And then those black boxes, or flight data recorders, are going to have information about what was being discussed within both of those cockpits. And I think the breakdown and deconfliction is going to tend back to a root cause of confusion or lack of communication that those pieces of evidence will help sort to reveal.
SPEAKER 07 :
JOHN YANG What do we know about the Black Hawk helicopter? What was its mission? What was it doing?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, any helicopter pilot that flies within the D.C. area has special training and qualifications because it is such a congested and highly prescripted area based on national security concerns. But any helicopter that flies is either performing or training to perform one of three primary missions, distinguished visitor transport. protecting Washington, D.C., from the air or responding to a national emergency. In this particular case, the Black Hawk crew was training for one of those mission sets. And in order to train, you need to fly in the airspace in a realistic way. And that's what they were doing last night.
SPEAKER 07 :
Have you seen the video that was caught that you just see the lights? It was a clear night, as the president pointed out, that you can see. And it just appears that the helicopter just flew right into the airplane. It is.
SPEAKER 16 :
That aircraft was on a very predictable, slow and vulnerable part of its approach from the south to the north at DCA. And clearly that helicopter, for whatever reason, did not see that aircraft, was not provided deconfliction help by air traffic control. And you're right. You see a very fast vector from the left to the right that slams the helicopter into the aircraft that initiated this tragedy.
SPEAKER 07 :
Have the skies over our nation's capital become too congested?
SPEAKER 16 :
It is worth the discussion, Tony. And several legislatures have had this discussion already as the number of flights out of DCA grows. And you think about those number of flights and then all of the helicopter traffic that is only there for first response law enforcement or military purposes. But it is such a tight area of airspace because of the population and the limits based on national security that it is worth having a full discussion about whether there is too much traffic in and out of DCA and to reassess the processes, procedures and techniques of military and law enforcement aircraft to make sure that there's no unnecessary missions going on in that airspace.
SPEAKER 07 :
So, General, as you point out, the three reasons for them to be flying missions there are, We've seen an increase in the commercial air traffic because every time the FAA is reauthorized, we see more slots created for D.C. because it makes it convenient for those of us who fly into D.C., for members of Congress. But also, we live in a different time. Increasingly, the security threats to our nation's capital have increased. So is that also a part of... creating a greater need for those assets to be in the air in our nation's capital.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, part of the answer is yes. But we have two very capable airports in the D.C. area, one up in Maryland, BWI, one out at Dulles, that could handle some of this traffic. And we need to be careful that we're not trading in convenience and creating risk like seemingly happened last night. And, you know, the investigators First, we will preserve perishable evidence. Second, they will figure out what happened. But, most importantly, they will get to the root cause of why it happened, so that we can update procedures, policies, techniques and airspace, so that nothing like this happens again. That's their primary charge. And I think part of that assessment is going to be air traffic control and the amount of volume of traffic both at DCA and those other missions around the D.C. area.
SPEAKER 07 :
Now, I know no one wants to jump to conclusions on this because there is an investigation, and I'm sure it will be thorough. Again, I think this will be investigated very, very closely because it is in our nation's capital, and so many members of Congress are directly touched by this. But some have said, and there's certainly reason and justification to say it, that when you look at both the commercial, the FAA, and you look at the military, there's been such a misplaced focus on non-essential services. skill sets, DEI, that it could distract from the necessary training that is needed to make people proficient in their jobs. Is that justified?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, I have seen some of that distraction in the DOD during the last four years. And we see now a president and a secretary of defense who are insisting that we get back to a constitutionally grounded, mission-focused, merit-based system within the national security sphere. And we heard some of that from the president about air traffic controllers as well. And we think about how diversity has been elevated during the last four years to the sacrifice of unity and shared purpose. And I have seen many in the military who have lamented the fact that we have drifted away from the focus that the military is there to be lethal and ready because of all these other distractive elements. And now it is very welcome amongst the vast majority of the military members to get back to a focus on the mission and a focus back on merit-based elevation.
SPEAKER 07 :
General Teichert, it's sad that it requires a tragedy to bring us back to focus on what is essential. I mean, I can cite several recent examples going back to July of this last year, President Trump nearly then died. former President Trump, nearly assassinated because there was issues in the Secret Service. We're looking at California that's been on fire because their fire department looked at DEI as opposed to fighting fires. And now we see, and I hope it's not the case, but there's enough to point to it that that's probably a contributing factor to what happened last night.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, I think you're right. And I think the breakdown in law enforcement in New Orleans over New Year's is one of those same types of situations where when you focus on things other than the mission, then you're naturally going to have the opportunity cost where you are less professional, less capable and less able to handle the situations that are demanded by the mission. And we see it in a variety of areas in our country. And I really do hope, whether you take that away from this accident or not, that we recognize that institutions are there to accomplish a mission. And when you don't focus on that mission, then there are harms that will result from the distraction that is a part of those lack of focus and lack of unity.
SPEAKER 07 :
It unfortunately is the reality. It just is. General Teichert, I want to thank you for joining us and appreciate your insights on this.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thanks as always, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
And folks, that's another matter of prayer. We just need to be praying that our nation would move back to operating in truth, common sense, constitution, truth, so that the mission of our government becomes its focus, its real mission is its mission. Right, out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you once again with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you've done everything you can do, when you've prayed, when you've prepared, and when you've taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 01 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
On today's program: Andy Ogles, U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 5th District, discusses the latest from the House Financial Services Committee, the GOP retreat, and answers questions surrounding the FAA's authorization of the mysterious drone
In this compelling episode of Washington Watch, delve into the latest policy shifts under President Trump’s administration. From redefining military priorities to focusing on America-first foreign policy, join Tony Perkins as he offers a biblical perspective on current political maneuvers. Discussions with key lawmakers like Senator Mike Lee highlight the ongoing efforts to repeal the FACE Act and protect pro-life activists. This episode underscores the pivotal choice between temporary political victories and the need for legislative permanence. In addition, this episode examines the pressing need for spiritual revival within America. As political cycles bring about pendulum swings in law and policy, speakers emphasize the importance of grounding national direction in transcendent truths. Join prominent voices at the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance as they strive for more permanent spiritual and cultural renewal.
SPEAKER 01 :
From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation's leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 11 :
To ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology out of our military. It's going to be great. In addition, we will stop our service members from being indoctrinated with radical left ideologies such as critical race theory.
SPEAKER 16 :
That was President Donald Trump speaking to House Republicans at their Issues Conference yesterday in Miami. Welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for making us part of your day. Well, in a series of executive orders issued last night, President Trump shifted the military's focus back to its core mission, fighting and winning our nation's wars rather than modeling the latest cross-dressing camouflage. We'll discuss these developments and more from the Republican Issues Conference with Texas Congressman Keith Self in just a moment. And guess what? It's not just the military that's returning to America first focus. The State Department is, too.
SPEAKER 10 :
In our republic, the voters decide the course of our nation, both domestically and abroad. And they have elected Donald J. Trump as our president when it comes to foreign policy on a very clear mission. And that mission is to ensure that our foreign policy is centered on one thing, and that is the advancement of our national interests.
SPEAKER 16 :
That was Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We'll talk with Dr. A.J. Nolte from Regent University about how Christians can and should lean into U.S. foreign policy in this new administration. Also, last Friday, President Trump pardoned 23 peaceful pro-life advocates imprisoned by the Biden administration under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or FACE Act. Vice President J.D. Vance, speaking at the March for Life, made clear those days were over.
SPEAKER 13 :
No longer will the federal government direct FBI raids on the homes of people like Mark Houck and other Catholic and Christian activists who are fighting for the unborn every single day. And no longer will our government throw pro-life protesters and activists, elderly, grandparents, or anybody else in prison. It stopped on Monday, and we're not gonna let it come back to this country.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, to ensure that it is, in fact, a thing of the past, Utah Senator Mike Lee has introduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act, ending the federal government's overreach toward pro-life Americans. Senator Lee will join us later to explain. And finally, while a lot of bad policy is being replaced with good policy, we know from experience that it can swing back again. America needs more than a political reversal. We need a spiritual revival. Next Wednesday at the Museum of the Bible, we'll be praying for just that. And you can join us. Dr. Jim Garlow will share the details a little bit later. And by the way, don't tell him, but I'll give you a head start. If you would like to join us next Wednesday, February the 5th at the Bible Museum, it begins at 7 a.m. You can find out more by going to PrayDC, PrayDC.org. Well, yesterday, President Trump signed a proclamation and four executive orders, including orders aimed at restoring America's fighting force and prioritizing military excellence and readiness. The White House noted the military's clear mission to protect the American people and our homeland. And it said success in this mission cannot be diluted to accommodate political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion. Music to a soldier's ears. We'll join him now to discuss this and more. Congressman Keith Self, who served our country for 25 years before retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. He represents the 3rd Congressional District of Texas. Congressman Self, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you. Great to be here, Tony. Thank you. So before we get into the executive orders, give us an update there on how things are going with the issues conference with the GOP.
SPEAKER 04 :
We are having a lot of frank and open discussions because we want to support the Trump agenda. I think across the board, that's what we're discussing. How do we do that? Because the other existential threat, of course, is our $36 trillion in debt and, frankly, going to over $50 trillion if we don't do something about it. over the next 10 years. So the open and frank discussions are happening now. And I believe that we will come to a conclusion hopefully in the next several weeks. Thank you.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, I'm getting reports that there there is some very frank conversations and the a lot of it does deal with the debt and spending. A lot of the proposals being put forward by the Trump administration obviously requires dollars and the reconciliation. I think many conservatives I'm hearing hope to be able to cut spending. Do you think that's going to happen?
SPEAKER 04 :
We have to, Toto. We have to. We cannot continue to drive this country further into debt to put more debt on our grandchildren, because this is that we already see the bond market starting to discipline us. Congress doesn't control the bond market. The president doesn't control the bond market. The bond vigilantes could raise their ugly head at any time and start disciplining us if we do not control spending. So it's part of the reconciliation equation that we're working on very hard.
SPEAKER 16 :
Vice President J.D. Vance spoke there today. The president was yesterday, the vice president today. What can you tell us about what he had to share?
SPEAKER 04 :
J.D. Vance gave an excellent message, and he understands the need to cut. I will tell you, he's very clear. We must cut spending. The government spends 40 percent more than it did just before pre-COVID days. And I will tell you, that's unsustainable. We have got to get somewhere down toward that $2 trillion of savings, because that will take us, one, back to pre-COVID spending, and, two, will put us on a sustainable path to start cutting the deficit, which, of course, bends the curve on the debt over the long term.
SPEAKER 16 :
You know, I think that makes perfect sense when you would you if you actually look at the numbers and you look at just the mushrooming of federal spending at covid, just taking it back down to those pre covid levels. Of course, you've created monetary constituencies with those covid funds and they're going to fight tooth and nail to keep them. But you are absolutely right. This is an existential threat to the future of America, and it has to be done. And if not now, I don't think it'll ever be done.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I agree. This is the time when we have the trifecta in the federal government. We must do it now. There are some no-brainer ideas out there. If you're an able-bodied American, you ought to be working. You shouldn't be on the government dole. But there are a plethora of ideas here. We just need to translate those into the budget resolution that will then start the process toward a reconciliation bill.
SPEAKER 16 :
and come to an agreement because you don't have many votes to spare to get that across the line as the Republican conference. I want to talk about boldness on behalf of the president. I was thrilled to see that he went back to the same policy that he enacted back in 2016, one that we worked with him to get done, and that was to return our military to focusing on its mission, to fight and win our wars, you know, not modeling the latest cross-dressing camouflage that we see with the transgender agenda there. That had to be encouraging to those that have been fighting for the well-being of our military.
SPEAKER 04 :
This is absolutely necessary. It was perfect tone by the president. We will return the military to lethality, to deterring our adversaries across the world. This was perfect. I will tell you, this will help with recruiting. That will this will help with training. This will help with morale. This is the way it's done. Leadership makes a difference in the military. And our commander in chief demonstrated that leadership yesterday with these executive orders.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, he made in his comments to the Republicans last night, he mentioned that just since he took office, he's seen the recruiting numbers have gone up in our nation's military because I think once again, people see confidence, a return to common sense. And, you know, for those who joined the military, they joined for a reason. They joined because of the military's mission. And with a military and an administration pushing the military back to that mission, it can only benefit.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, absolutely. Our young people want to serve. They want to serve something greater than themselves. They want to be challenged. They want to know that their sacrifice will be honored and will be worth something. And I think that's what they see in President Trump. Our military is going to do that for them. It's going to give them a place to serve something bigger than themselves. This nation is worth saving. This nation is worth defending. This nation is worth protecting. Donald Trump set the military on that course. yesterday.
SPEAKER 16 :
So let me ask you this, Congressman South. The young people going in, obviously, as you said, they're attracted to this. And most of the ranks, they're there for that reason. But when you get to the higher ranks that have now been basically marinated in this DEI ideology, how are we going to do a course correction there?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I think Pete Hegseth has already determined that he's going to make that course of correction. But this is very traditional. This is very historic in the United States. Between wars, which we frankly are now, because we're in a sustainment in the Middle East today, between wars, we have political generals. We promote those political officers. And, frankly, when wartime comes, we have to scrub the ranks. We have to go down into the general officer ranks, sometimes deep. If you remember, Shai Meyer, I think, was promoted from two stars to four stars to be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. And I will tell you, that's what's going to happen, either the chairman or the chief of the Army. But I will tell you, that's what's going to have to happen, because, frankly, this is historic. This is what we do between wars. So, Pete Hegseth has the mission from the president. And I think he will do exactly that, to return our leadership to a warfighting perspective and those people who will train, equip and man a lethal military force.
SPEAKER 16 :
Congressman, you and I have talked about these types of things before. We're elated, excited about most of the policies. I speak for myself. Most of the policies coming forward that are within the framework of the law and moving us back to the rule of law and getting our government back to where it should be. But we saw four years ago how quickly that turned with the Biden administration coming in. And so... I'm concerned long term about our country where we see this back and forth, this ideological shift every four years. That's unsustainable.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. And because we've seen Trump, Biden, now Trump, we've got an example of exactly how not to do it. This is Congress's role, because we need to codify into law a lot of these policies, because, as you say, the next president could undo a lot of what Trump is doing now. The only way around that is to codify it into law so that we don't have competing EOs every four years. Right.
SPEAKER 16 :
Has that been discussed? Have you and your colleagues been discussing how we can take these and basically preserve them going forward by making them statutory?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, a lot of those discussions are going on in the chairman of the various committees. This is an ongoing discussion, and I think we will probably get a long way toward that once we get past the reconciliation process.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I hope so, because we cannot sustain that whiplash like that. It's not good for our country and it doesn't strengthen us on the international scene either. Congressman Keith Self, always great to see you. Thanks so much for stepping out and joining us today.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 16 :
You know, and this is another matter to pray about, folks, because literally, I mean, this is back and forth, and it is unsustainable. And here's the problem. The reason it happens is because we have policy now that is untethered to transcendent truth, and they just make it up as they go. We have to have the rule of law. That's what the Constitution's about. But the Constitution is anchored in transcendent truth. That is the moral law of God. And we've got to move our nation back to that. How do we do that? Well, as Christians, we share our faith, we live out our faith, and we change the hearts and minds of people through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We've got to be bold. This is our moment. We've got to move while we can. All right, don't go away. We turn to foreign policy when we return.
SPEAKER 14 :
During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family, and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we're making an eternal impact. 2024 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, DC. Last fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 2024, garnering over 5 million views. FRC's outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God's intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel's peace, prosperity, and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government, launching early this year in January 2025. This series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us, and we look forward to 2025 and standing for faith, family and freedom.
SPEAKER 05 :
Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC's Stand on the Word spiral-bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into scripture with thought-provoking questions, note-taking space, and context for each book and author. This second edition, covering Isaiah 2 Revelation, will guide you in tracking your journey through God's word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at frc.org slash store or text journal to 67742. Perfect for you and your loved ones.
SPEAKER 16 :
Washington Watch, good to have you with us on this Tuesday. Be sure and download the Stand Firm app if you've not already done so, because we've got lots of resources there for you, including the first 100 days toolkit, which will give you the tools necessary to help advance policies like we were just talking about. So if you don't have the app, just text the word toolkit. That's one word, toolkit, to 67742, and I'll send you a link. President Trump has made it clear that his policies are about putting America first, and that includes foreign policy, something that his new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has made clear. Now, my next guest says that America first does not have to mean everyone else last. A pro-faith, pro-family, pro-freedom America benefits the entire world. Joining me now to discuss this, Dr. A.J. Nolte, Chair of the Government Graduate Program and Director of the International Development Master's Program at Regent University, is also the Director of the Institute for Israel Studies at Regent University. Dr. Nolte, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. Tony, thanks as always for having me. All right, let's talk about, since I think you know this, because every time I have you on, we're talking foreign policy. I think it's very important for Christians to be informed and engaged in foreign policy. And you agree, because you've just written a piece that suggests there are 10 areas that Christian conservatives in this moment need to lean in to help shape the foreign policy of the Trump administration while we have the opportunity. Talk about it.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, absolutely. So thank you for featuring it. The piece is called Faith, Family and Freedom Beyond the Water's Edge. And it's 10 policy recommendations for how social conservatives can use the opportunity we have of allies within the Trump administration, not least President Trump himself, to advance some very important foreign policy goals. And And so I break it up into issues of religious freedom, issues of, you know, which, of course, focuses on religious persecution and Christians' support for Israel and some pro-family policies that the United States can also pursue. And then, of course, long-term Christian values of freedom. promoting humanitarian aid, which is so often delivered by faith-based organizations. And so in those four areas, there's a number of policy recommendations I've laid out for areas where we can try to advance our traditional socially conservative Christian foreign policy priorities.
SPEAKER 16 :
Let's talk about one for just a moment, because I was just talking with Congressman Keith Self. We were talking about a number of these executive orders, how Congress needs to codify those into law. And one of those is one that you write about, that every time you have a Democratic administration, deal away with it. Every time you have a Republican administration, there's advocates like us saying, please reinstate it. And that's the Mexico City policy. Explain what it is and why it's important that that become law.
SPEAKER 08 :
The Mexico City policy, very simply put, is a basic commitment from the United States government that U.S. taxpayer dollars will not be used to fund abortions abroad. It's not prohibiting health care for vulnerable women who are pregnant. It's prohibiting abortions, right? And so the idea is that with this policy, the United States taxpayers, you and I, will our dollars not be used to pay for abortions in other countries. And unfortunately, the U.S. doesn't have the best history. Oftentimes in the 60s and 70s, there was an ideology of population control that said the problem with global development is that there's too many people. And as Christians, we know every human being has human dignity, and we know that's not right. And so the Mexico City policy reverses that and says, we're not going to use our taxpayer dollars to get rid of unborn babies in other countries. And I would say, yes, it needs to be made permanent. It needs to be put into law in the same way the Hyde Amendment is domestically. And let's dare the Democrats to say that it is in the national security interests of the United States to pay for abortions in foreign countries using taxpayer dollars.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, related to that, one of your other recommendations is that in our foreign policy, we actually promote the idea that children are good. Having babies are good because we are facing many countries. Africa may be the only one that is somewhat on a different trajectory, but we're moving toward a demographic winner when you look at our reproduction rates around the world.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely. There were two driving policy frames that kind of have distorted foreign aid policy often in the past. One is this idea that there's too many people in the world, and also that overpopulation causes underdevelopment. And now what we're finding actually is, as economists like Julian Simon have known for decades, people are the ultimate resource, and population growth ultimately... economic growth, and even better environmental conditions, as some demographers and economists have demonstrated. And also, population is declining globally. So instead of having an idea that more children are the problem, I think we need to think about more children as a solution to the problem, as a positive, and look at our ally Israel, which has been very successful in terms of their demographics.
SPEAKER 16 :
Dr. Nolte, at its core, is that not a humanist worldview conflicting with a biblically oriented worldview? When you look at life and the fact that we see life, children taking as opposed to giving?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, absolutely. I think, you know, from that perspective, that utilitarian or humanist perspective, it's a question of how many mouths we can feed. And we worry about quality of life. We, from a Christian perspective, start from a sanctity of life. And we believe that if you start from a sanctity of life perspective, that promotes human flourishing and actually gets you quality of life. And so it's a fundamental worldview difference. And it's time to recalibrate the U.S. government's view on that.
SPEAKER 16 :
Let's talk, we just got a couple minutes left, but you mentioned foreign aid. USAID is kind of the agency that helps humanitarian efforts around the world. This has been a place that you've actually teamed up with Family Research Council. We've done some research on that. It's been hostile toward faith-based organizations. It's time to change that.
SPEAKER 08 :
I agree. And my colleague Ariel Del Turco, who's in your Religious Freedom Center, a Regent grad as well, she and I did a report looking at promotion of religious freedom through international development. Again, U.S. foreign aid is actually pennies on the dollar in terms of increasing our influence, but we need to be smart about it. And the people that are the most efficient at providing global aid are faith-based organizations. And we have to absolutely mobilize them and give them a seat at the table in terms of foreign aid. And also think about religious freedom as not just a human right, but also something that promotes security, stability, and human flourishing around the world.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, there's evidence, abundance of evidence that says that is the case, where you have religious freedom, you have economic prosperity, and you have social stability. So we have, going back almost 25 years, made that a priority, at least in most administrations. And we're out of time here. But you point out something that's very important that we've got to address. And this is the conflict with the LGBTQ agenda and religious freedom. And that is what has moved the Democratic Party away from the holistic approach to religious freedom. Again, Dr. Nolte, we're out of time. Great piece. It's at TonyPerkins.com, folks. You can check it out. Dr. Nolte, look forward to talking to you again real soon. Thank you so much. So go to TonyPerkins.com. If you listen to this program a lot, you know we talk about foreign policy because we have to go beyond our own borders and influence the world around us in a positive way. All right. Don't go away. When we come back, Dr. Jim Garlow joins me right here.
SPEAKER 17 :
Have you ever been to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.? Well, now you have a special reason to be there on Wednesday, February 5th. First, you can take part in the third annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. God's ways are higher than our ways. The Lord clearly reveals in Scripture any nation that genuinely worships Him is a nation with leaders willing to repent and ask forgiveness for sins. The NGPR is a unique public gathering where scores of congressional leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, join with international leaders representing more than 50 nations for one sole purpose.
SPEAKER 02 :
Forgive our nations against you and you alone have we sinned.
SPEAKER 17 :
You can be there in the room to pray along with members of Congress, dignitaries from other nations, and Christian leaders from across the U.S. The NGPR is hosted by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Dr. Jim Garlow, founder of Well-Versed World, along with Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and former Congresswoman Michelle Buchman. Right after the prayer and repentance gathering, participants will move to the World Stage Theater for a private update on important events happening in Israel. and watch a preview of the historic new documentary on the Megiddo Mosaic, the most remarkable archeological find in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is truly one of a kind opportunity to learn what's going on behind the scenes in Israel and how it could affect the whole world. Both of these Bible honoring events require tickets. Go to PrayDC.org, register today to attend in person on February 5th. As a bonus, your ticket grants you a free admission to experience the rest of the Museum of the Bible. Seating is limited for both events. Go to PrayDC.org to get tickets today.
SPEAKER 16 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. All right, as I said at the top of the program, we're encouraged to see a lot of this bad policy is being replaced with good policy. But we know from experience that it can swing back again. Four years from now, we could be right back in the same spot. America needs more than a political reversal. We need a spiritual revival. And that's what we're going to be praying for next Wednesday at the Museum of the Bible. We'll be praying. We'll be repenting. I know that's a word we don't hear very often, but we'll be repenting. America still has sins to repent from. We need to repent of it and we need to turn. And you can join Christian leaders and government leaders as we come together next Wednesday, February the 5th at 7 a.m. at the Museum of the Bible for the third annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. House Speaker Mike Johnson will join us. And it's one of the most powerful events This is not my words. This is the words of members of Congress. Many of them that have been there for decades said this is the most powerful event I've ever been to. It is stirring. It is God honoring. And it is much needed. Joining me now to discuss this is Pastor Jim Garlow, who. called me and then Congressman Mike Johnson back in November 2022 with the idea about this event. And so the three of us co-founded it shortly thereafter. He's also the founder and CEO of the ministry Well-Versed. Pastor Jim, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you. Thank you. Thank you, Tony. Good to be on with you. All right. I'm telling you, this event is This will be the third year. It has impacted so many people literally around the globe. There'll be people coming from all over the world to be a part of this event. Describe it and then talk about how people can be there and be a part of it.
SPEAKER 15 :
You already mentioned it's 7 a.m. That's early in the morning. It's not a prayer breakfast. It's a prayer time with no breakfast. And there are people gathering from many different countries. Last year, I think we had 35 different countries represented of people who came to the platform to pray in repentance. These are one-minute prayers. We're not having speeches. We're not having talks. We're not having sermons. All these members, elected officials, members of Congress and then from Parliament across Europe and such, They come for one purpose, to pray a one-minute prayer before a holy and righteous God, repenting of sin. It can be personal sin, sin in the church, national sins, whatever, before a righteous God, asking for his forgiveness and for his blessing. It's a unique experience. That's from 7 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. The sixth floor in what's called the gathering room. And as we go down to the floor below, one floor down, we go to the world stage theater. At the world stage theater, we have a whole emphasis on Israel. So what's the second portion to it?
SPEAKER 16 :
This... is not, as you said, it's not a prayer breakfast. In fact, there's a lot of prayer events that take place in Washington, D.C. In fact, next week will be the National Prayer Breakfast. This is not an ecumenical gathering. This is not a, this is, as the name says, this is a gathering, a national gathering for prayer and repentance. Why is repentance such a critical message for this moment in our nation's history?
SPEAKER 15 :
You said it really well a moment ago, and I think that message needs to be strongly emphasized. We have experienced a political revolution, but we have not yet seen the evidences of a full-blown spiritual revival. And unless we are anchored to transcendent truths of the Scripture, this will be short-lived. Being a conservative is a good thing, but it's not enough. Being a patriot is a good thing, but it's not enough. Being firmly tethered to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to walk as a regenerate son of God, made possible through the cross of Jesus Christ, where we lay down our lives for him, for he who laid his life down for us. That is the anchor point which will hold us biblical truth. So as a nation, we're still, contrary to what many people believe, in a precarious role. We have to see the spiritual awakening follow in the flows of this political revolution that we have seen before our eyes and we're witnessing. And that's what we're asking the Lord for. That's what will put our nation on solid foundation once again. Make America great again is very good. Make America righteous again is the foundation by which we make America good again.
SPEAKER 16 :
And folks, that again begins next Wednesday morning, 7 p.m. at the Museum of the Bible.
SPEAKER 15 :
7 a.m.
SPEAKER 16 :
Did I say p.m.? ? Yep, she did. It's okay. It's all the same to me. I'm up all the time. So 7 a.m. in the morning. If you get there at 7 p.m., well, you can still pray, but we won't be there. 7 a.m. next Wednesday morning, Museum of the Bible, dcpray.com to find out more information about how you can be a part of this event. Jim, we just got about a minute left. What is your prayer going into this in terms of a takeaway? What would you like to see happen as a result?
SPEAKER 15 :
When you have genuine repentance of the heart, contrition of the heart, people are drawn back into the word of God. And we reestablish the word of God, the truth of God, the way of God, the will of God as a foundation for our individual lives, the lives of our families, our institutional churches, and our nation, our community. That's the first part. The second part is to realize how critically important it is to support Israel in every way we possibly can. At that second part at 10 a.m., at 10 a.m., 7 a.m. it begins, but then at 10 a.m. we go to a focus on Israel. We're going to be covering some of those amazing, exciting announcements flowing out of Israel. The Megiddo mosaics, one of them, a lot more updates on unusual things happening in Israel that people have not heard. And so that's the second part of this as well, that morning at 10 a.m.,
SPEAKER 16 :
All right, that's praydc.org, praydc.org to find out how you can be a part of this next Wednesday. Dr. Jim Garlow, thanks for joining me. Look forward to being with you next Wednesday morning, 7 a.m. at the Museum of the Bible. Thank you.
SPEAKER 15 :
We'll see you there.
SPEAKER 16 :
All right. All right, folks, stick with us. When we come back on the other side of the break, we're going to be joined by Utah Senator Mike Lee to talk about how he wants to make sure pro-lifers are protected going forward. Don't go away.
SPEAKER 07 :
As President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration approached, a powerful prayer gathering took place in Washington, D.C., drawing Christians together to intercede for our nation.
SPEAKER 16 :
The church does not recapture its prophetic zeal. It will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. God help us to recapture that prophetic zeal.
SPEAKER 15 :
This is not an inter-religious service. We will not be praying to Allah or Buddha. We'll be praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We're talking to God, a holy, righteous, just God from a nation that desperately needs the touch of this God.
SPEAKER 12 :
We've not been a secular nation. We don't want to be a secular nation. We've been a nation built around God, and our history shows that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well-versed and Family Research Council led the inauguration praise and prayer convocation, urging attendees to pray for the incoming presidential administration and for the church to embody holiness and righteousness, champion biblical justice, and proclaim truth prophetically.
SPEAKER 16 :
Lord, may this not be the end, but may this be the beginning, this convocation, this gathering. And may we commit to pray and to seek you and to walk in your word and in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen. Hello, I'm Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But do you know the Bible talks about four institutions of government? Do you know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this saying separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn't be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government.
SPEAKER 06 :
Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today and join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We've created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective, read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family and church members and stand firm everywhere you go.
SPEAKER 16 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. I've got a great resource for you as we move into the first 100 days of the Trump administration. It's the first 100 days toolkit. And it's exclusively on the Stand Firm app to access your toolkit waiting for you. Just text the word toolkit to 67742. That's toolkit, one word, to 67742. Our word for today comes from Jeremiah chapter two. I brought you into a bountiful country to eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. The priest did not say, where is the Lord? And those who handled the law did not know me. The rulers also transgressed against me. The prophets prophesied by bail and walked after things that do not profit. The people were spiritually complacent because they had become intoxicated with the blessings of God, so they forgot God. The keepers of the law, the elite of that day, well, they ran with their contempt for God and his truth, crying out, where's God? The civil rulers then paid no attention to God and abused their authority. And the preachers and prophets, well, they gave a popular ear-tickling word. a word people wanted to hear that made them feel good rather than challenge them to be good. So here's the bottom line. Spiritual complacency, aided by contempt for truth, fuels political corruption, which brings moral and cultural chaos. Find out more about our journey through the Bible text Bible to 67742. By the way, if you like the book of Jeremiah, you can order your copy of my book, Jeremiah, Courage in a Council Culture, and you'll be equipped to stand firm for biblical truth in our nation and our culture. Just text Jeremiah to 67742. That's Jeremiah to 6742 to get your copy. While conservatives celebrated President Trump's partnering of 23 pro-lifers who were unjustly targeted by the Biden administration's weaponized Justice Department, the left was not pleased. And if you were watching them on legacy media, they sounded like the sky was falling. They were having a meltdown. But. Has the FACE Act been the shield that the left claims that it has been for the abortion clinics, or has it simply been a sword that has been exclusively used against pro-lifers? And is it time to make sure that they are disarmed when it comes to the FACE Act. Joining me now to discuss this, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who serves on four Senate committees, including the Judiciary Committee and the Budget Committee, is also the author of a bill in the Senate that will repeal the FACE Act. He joins us now by phone. Senator Lee, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thanks so much, Tony. It's good to be with you.
SPEAKER 16 :
So let's talk about this. You know, it's great that President Trump has pardoned these pro-lifers. And it's great that he has told the Department of Justice not to, you know, use these types of laws to go after people. But isn't it time to just make sure that we don't have a weaponized government by taking laws like this away?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, 100 percent. And look, President Trump, to his great credit, made history last week by pardoning some pro-life activists prosecuted and imprisoned by the Biden Justice Department, which went after grandmas and grandpas, putting people behind bars for years. And, of course, the law that the Biden administration used to do this is the law we refer to called the FACE Act, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The law was designed ostensibly to protect access to both abortion facilities and places of worship. and provide federal penalties for those people who might attack either of those things. But while the protections for churches and places of worship have almost never been enforced, the FACE Act has been enforced. It's been used fairly consistently to prosecute peaceful pro-life activists. sometimes for something as simple as praying outside of abortion clinics.
SPEAKER 16 :
Right. The history of that, just for the benefit of our listeners and viewers, it goes back to Bill Clinton back in the 1990s, 1994. And it was actually the late Orrin Hatch from Utah that added... the provisions to protect churches and places of worship when that bill was in the Senate and that was passed. But as you've pointed out, it's not been used for that. It's been used to go after, and I should make it very clear, peaceful pro-life protesters. These individuals, these 21 individuals or 23 individuals that were released, they were not charged with violent crimes. They were simply praying and standing outside of abortion clinics.
SPEAKER 03 :
Exactly, which is a real problem. They persisted in this really unequal, unjust, politically oriented enforcement on one side of the law, despite the fact that you have hundreds of attacks on churches in recent years. And so it became clear that, as far as they're concerned, the Faith Act exists only as a political tool, just to punish conservatives and people of faith and not protect them. And that kind of one-sided enforcement is wrong. And so now that President Trump's pardoned the activists who have been imprisoned by the Biden administration, a full repeal of the FACE Act is something that I think is necessary to prevent future administrations from similarly using this unjustly for the purposes of political persecution. I think this is a bill whose time has come. I'm running it in the Senate. Chip Roy is running it in the House, and this thing needs to pass.
SPEAKER 16 :
Do you think you'll be you have to get Democratic support because you've got to get across that 60 vote threshold. Do you think you have some senators and the Democratic Party that will support this?
SPEAKER 03 :
Look, this has become something of a sacrament to the left. So I'm not going to overstate things here in terms of our ability to persuade enough Democrats to come along with us. But I'll be looking for every opportunity that we can. If we can get to 60 votes to pass cloture, to have it pass muster under our cloture standards, we'll get it done that way. We will keep fighting as long as it takes to do that. If we see an opportunity, we will take it.
SPEAKER 16 :
Senator, the left already, you know, laying the groundwork for how they're going to fight against your efforts. They say that Trump's actions and the repeal of the FACE Act will lead to an uptick in violence. Respond to that.
SPEAKER 03 :
OK, so insofar as it will lead to an uptick in violence, there are myriad laws, including myriad federal laws, which would be applicable in such circumstances. even in the absence of the FACE Act. But what we have with the FACE Act is something that's relatively easy to satisfy, something that has on occasion been used to prosecute people for engaging in relatively peaceful protests involving people doing things like praying outside of an abortion clinic. And so given how they've misused this tool, it's a tool that they shouldn't have. But in any event, it is simply unfair of them to suggest that without this, there's going to be Armageddon. that acts of violence taking place at abortion clinics will go unpunished. That's not true. Deep down, they know that's not true. And it's a disingenuous argument.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, it's also disingenuous for them to act like they're concerned about violence. Where were they when the pro-life facilities and the churches were being attacked during the Biden administration after the leak of the Dobbs decision? I mean, they weren't prosecuted. They didn't raise the issue. In fact, they were wanting to join the parade in many cases.
SPEAKER 03 :
That's right. They were nowhere to be found. And after we've had not just dozens, but arguably hundreds of instances of things that should violate the FACE Act. And criminal prosecutions were not brought, but they were consistently brought for people who showed up to pray outside of an abortion clinic or otherwise demonstrate. You get a problem with that, and that's all the more reason why it needs to be repealed.
SPEAKER 16 :
This is so important. I was talking earlier with Congressman Keith Self about this, and we cannot state this enough, that while we celebrate these actions that President Trump has made to bring us back within the rule of law, we have to codify this. It has to be secured because the next administration could be another Biden-type administration. Our society can't handle this whiplash back and forth and this lawlessness.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, that's exactly right. That's why we really shouldn't have it. It's a law that is by its nature loaded toward one end of the political continuum and against the other, and that's not fair.
SPEAKER 16 :
Before I let you go, Senator Lee, last week, in addition to the repeal of the FASAC, you introduced three other pro-life pieces of legislation on the day of the march. Tell us about those as well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. So in addition to what we've discussed with the Space Act, I've got a few other bills that would help deal with some of these problems and that would promote pro-life principles. One is the Abortion is Not Health Care Act. This would end the tax deductibility of abortions as medical expenses and clarify that the gruesome practice is not health care. IRS currently recognizes abortion as medical care and allows certain tax benefits to flow from that practice. And that ends up being an effective subsidy involved in the killing of hundreds of thousands of unborn children each year. So we would amend Section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code to make that change. I introduced another bill called the Protecting Life and Health Savings Account. It's similar to the first, but then the preferential tax treatment of abortion in health savings accounts. There again, current law allows individuals to use tax-advantaged funds from health savings accounts, or HSAs, and flexible savings accounts, FSAs, and a few others, allowing them to count as medical expenses. So this would amend the Internal Revenue Code to exclude abortions. as something to take them outside the category of health care. And then we've got another bill called the Protecting Life and Foreign Assistance Act. This would ensure that our foreign aid is not funding or promoting abortions overseas. Many of your listeners may remember the so-called Mexico City policy, first put in place by President Reagan back in 1984, and that prohibits the availability of family planning foreign assistance funds to organizations that happen to provide or promote abortions or advocate to change abortion laws in a foreign country. Since then, the policy has been alternately rescinded and reinstated with changing administrations. We'd like to make it law, and that's what the Protecting Life and Foreign Assistance Act would do.
SPEAKER 16 :
And now this is the time. We were talking about that earlier, how we need to codify all these measures into law. Senator, I want to thank you for joining us today, but I want to thank you for boldly stepping out there on these pro-life measures, especially with the backdrop of the disappointment of the Republican Party platform kind of being... taking all the life language out of it. I think it's very important that the Republicans lead on this issue and define it by the party, by their actions. And so I commend you and I'm grateful for the pro-life stands that you're taking. So, Senator Mike Lee, thanks for joining us today. Thank you very much. Good to be with you. Senator Mike Lee of Utah. And again, it's encouraging to see a number of Republicans, both in the House and the Senate, and even the President. And with that backdrop of not having the strong language in the party platform, which I hope we'll get back in four years, But for now, actions, pro-life actions are extremely encouraging. In fact, we got about just about about three and a half minutes left. I want to bring in Travis Weber, vice president of policy and government affairs at the Family Research Council, to highlight some of the pro-life initiatives or actions that the Trump administration has taken in the first week. Travis, welcome to Washington Watch. I just got a few minutes left, but I wanted you to just kind of inform our viewers and listeners of the very positive pro-life initiatives and actions taken during the first week.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, so Tony, I think top of mind, the executive order announcing that it'll be a policy of this administration for federal dollars to comply with the Hyde Amendment. So to ensure that tax dollars are not being used to fund abortions. With all the challenges of our nation and the challenges that families are facing should be a no brainer. The tax dollars, the hard earned tax dollars that the American people should not be funding abortions. The Mexico City policy, which Senator Lee and yourself were just discussing, also prohibits US tax dollars from being used to fund abortions or abortion promoting organizations overseas. And Senator Lee was also referencing the bill that it would be great to see passed into law that would codify that as a policy of the United States legislatively. But we're glad that President Trump has reissued the strong Mexico City policy along with the Hyde Amendment executive order. This dovetails with what he announced on the foreign aid review. Because, Tony, as you know, we've been raising concerns about the use of foreign aid programs to push abortion, including the PEPFAR program, which has spent $100 billion since 2003 and was recently found to have funded four abortions in Mozambique. When Chris Smith saw that, Congressman Chris Smith put out a release saying, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We need to get to the bottom of this. And I believe President Trump and his administration will be trying to do that as well, as they announced the 90-day freeze on foreign aid and have issued memos requiring review of where US dollars are being used to fund abortions or gender ideology overseas. So ideally this will clean up everything the United States has been shamefully pushing around the world and give us a clean slate for the US to to actually correct some of the black mark that's been on our image globally. So on the life issue, Tony, these two very key announcements, obviously the FACE Act, the approach to the FACE Act prosecutions that he will take, the president will take, and the other statements they've issued, including the speech of the March for Life and the pardons of the face of the pro-lifers who were prosecuted. all good announcements on the life issue. Obviously, in addition, we're seeing some movement, positive movement on the gender issue. But Tony, we'll continue keeping an eye on what's happening through the administration, especially as the implementation of this cleanup process of the foreign aid review. We want to make sure that that's cleaned up with anti-family provisions to hopefully be used for pro-family provisions, both at home and around the world.
SPEAKER 16 :
I would just add on the gender issue that you mentioned in the definition of gender, there was a recognition that conception is the point in which these things are determined. That's where the personhood, the identity, the gender is determined in the executive order. So that is also a strong pro-life statement. Travis, very quickly, is there a place yet? I know we're writing some things as the Washington stand. Have they put out something on their life positions yet?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, I know news articles continue to come out on the Washington Stand on this topic, but Tony, I think we'll continue to refine and have resources for our followers as we track the Trump administration's executive orders, because certainly we're going to be looking at a lot more to come here.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. Travis Weber, thanks for joining us. And folks, thank you for joining us as well. And you can find out those updates on the StandFirm app. So get the StandFirm app, get the toolkit at StandFirm. That's all we have time for. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul. When you've done everything you could do, prayed, you prepared, taking your stand, just keep standing.
SPEAKER 01 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today, or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family, and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
