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We’ll hear from Congressman Mark Harris as he reflects on the ecclesiastical and spiritual health of American denominations today. Transitioning into policy analyses, the episode covers President Trump’s swift activation of executive orders reversing previous administration policies, and the implications on immigration enforcement with ICE’s recent apprehension of violent criminals. Concluding with Mike Berry from the American First Policy Institute, the episode dissects the significance of these executive orders and their focus on national integrity, censorship, and free speech, ensuring a thought-provoking discussion on the future of American governance.
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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.
SPEAKER 10 :
There’s a lot of issues with reconciliation and government funding that we’re working through. These are healthy family discussions, not just inside the House Republican Conference, but between the House and Senate Republicans. And that dialogue is going very well. The discussions are going very well.
SPEAKER 03 :
That was House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier today discussing the way forward on Republicans using the budgetary tool known as reconciliation to advance conservative priorities. Reconciliation circumvents the 60 vote threshold required in the Senate. Welcome to Washington Watch and thanks for tuning in. on this Wednesday. We’ll be joined in just a moment by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley for an update on those Republican discussions in the Senate, as well as his call for President Trump to pardon the peaceful pro-life protesters sentenced to prison under the Joe Biden Department of Justice. And if you missed this yesterday, brace yourself. It’s causing quite a stir. The inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral has angered many, and rightfully so.
SPEAKER 01 :
And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country. We’re scared now.
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I’m scared after that. That was Bishop Marianne Edgar Buddy lecturing President Trump on his immigration policies and biological gender issues. We’re going to talk about it with North Carolina Congressman and Pastor Dr. Mark Harris a little bit later.
SPEAKER 11 :
Also, President Trump is moving quickly to secure the border. And just yesterday, in the last 24 hours, ICE arrested over 308, 308 serious criminals. Some of them were murderers. Some of them were rapists. Some of them raped a child. Some were a sexual assault of a child. So ICE is doing their job, and they’re prioritizing just as the president said they would. So ICE is performing excellent right now out in the field, and they’re going to continue every day.
SPEAKER 03 :
That was Border Czar Tom Homan on Fox this morning. To weigh in on the topic, Texas Senator John Cornett joins us later. Plus, the Trump team is rolling out executive orders in rapid succession, addressing everything from transgender military policy, male-female definitions in federal programs, DEI to the State Department’s one-flag policy. We’ll unpack the most significant of these with Mike Berry, Executive Director of the Center for Litigation at the American First Policy Institute. And finally, as we move into these first 100 days, 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. It provides contact information so that you can take the necessary action when required, and trust me, it will be required. It also includes prayer points for how you can pray for government policy and our government leaders that make that policy. You can find it all on the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store, download the Stand Firm app, or simply text TOOLKIT to 67742. That’s toolkit to 67742 and get started on these first 100 days. Yesterday, the Republican leaders of the House and Senate met with President Trump to discuss how to best proceed with the budget reconciliation process, which will advance the president’s America First agenda. Well, it’s not clear exactly what conclusions were drawn at the meeting. House Speaker Mike Johnson, as you heard earlier, said there is a strategy they’re working on together and, quote, a great spirit of unity, end quote. So how close might we be to seeing an agreed upon approach, whether it’s one or two bill strategy? Well, join me now to discuss this and much more is U.S. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who serves on four Senate committees, including the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He joins us by phone. Senator Hawley, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Thank you so much for having me. So let’s first talk about reconciliation. What are you hearing? Are we on the path to unity between the House and Senate?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, we’ve got to be because in order to get anything done here, Tony, the houses have to agree. And my view is we need to move on this as quickly as possible. And I would just say that whatever President Trump wants to do, there’s a lot of talk in Washington about is it one bill, is it two bills. Look, let’s just look to the president here for direction, and let’s get this thing going. What you don’t want is a bunch of congressmen and senators sitting around staring at each other for months on end, and then we get to the end of the spring, and it’s like, gee, we haven’t done anything. We just can’t afford that. There is too much to clean up. There is too much need to address. We’ve got to turn around this country and do that. We’ve got to move fast. And so my plea is to leadership, hey, get your ducks in a row here and let’s get going. Let’s reopen energy production. Let’s secure the border. Let’s get criminals off of our streets. Let’s get back to the president’s agenda that he campaigned on and start enacting it into law.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, people look at the president having a four year term. But in reality, his most impactful time is really in the first year because you have midterm elections two years into his four years. And in about a year, you’re going to have members starting to look at reelection. And so they become very distracted. So now’s the time to act, as you pointed out.
SPEAKER 16 :
Absolutely. The time is vital. Every second counts. What we’ve lived through for the last four years, there is so much to undo. You think about what they have done to law-abiding Americans. You think about the cases that have been brought against pro-lifers, the cases that have been brought against parents at school board meetings. You look at the regulations that they have tried to impose on believers, as well as on our economy. I mean, there is so much to turn around, Tony. We just don’t have any time to spare. And that’s why I say that It’s time for the Senate and the House to have their esoteric debates about how should we structure this package, whatever. They just need to come to a bottom line and get going on it because the country is waiting for them to deliver.
SPEAKER 03 :
Do you have a preference, one bill, two bills?
SPEAKER 16 :
Nope, I don’t. My view is that whatever the president is comfortable with, we know what priorities need to go in these bills. We know it’s got to be reopen American energy production. get people back to work, bring those jobs back to this country, shut down the border, and start deporting the criminal illegals. This isn’t hard. The president’s been crystal clear on what he wants. These are certainly the things that those of us who ran in this last election ran on. So let’s get them done. Let’s enact them into law, ASAP.
SPEAKER 03 :
Senator, let’s talk about, you talked about pro-lifers being prosecuted, even persecuted under the Biden administration. There were 30 convictions under the FACE Act, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, that was enacted by Bill Clinton back in the 90s, I think 1994. You’re calling on the president to pardon, I think there’s 21 still being held in prison, and most of these are grandmothers who were convicted of praying out in front of abortion clinics. You’re calling on the president to pardon them, release them, get them out of prison. Have you heard anything on that request?
SPEAKER 16 :
I haven’t, but I’m hopeful that the president will act on this immediately. I mean, these are people who are unjustly in prison, Tony. It’s not even that they’re folks who made a mistake, but at least it was nonviolent. That’s not it. These are people who I believe committed no crime at all. The First Amendment protects your right to pray in a public space. It protects your right to demonstrate in a public space. And these are people who were singled out by the last administration, the most anti-Christian administration in our country’s history. They were singled out to, frankly, be terrorized using lawfare to make a point, to try to silence all the rest of us, to try to put everybody who’s a person of faith in fear of speaking out and exercising your faith and your freedoms in public. And so, Tony, these convictions are unjust. The application of the law to them in this way was unjust. And I hope the president will very soon pardon these folks and get them out of prison. As you said, 20 plus are still in prison right now. It’s just it’s wrong.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. And I mean, several of these pro-life activists are in their mid to late 70s, and they’ve received multi-year sentences for their protest. And of course, the president pardoning those who were a part of the January 6th. protest. I mean, again, these were all peaceful. These are not people that engage in any type of violent behavior. And as you said, they were simply exercising their First Amendment rights, which the FACE Act has made criminal. And so that’s actually the next step, Senator, is to eliminate this federal law known as the FACE Act.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah. And what is particularly grotesque about all of this, Tony, is that in the same time period that While the Biden administration was going after and singling out these good Americans, these believing Christians to try to make examples of them, churches were being literally firebombed. Pregnancy care centers were being attacked. Their workers were being harassed. Their places of work were vandalized, burned. And what did the Biden administration do about that? Nothing. Not a thing. So you can see the abuse of the law. And you’re right about the FACE Act. It has been used for decades now and never more so than in the last four years. It has been used as a weapon of intimidation against believing Americans— particularly pro-life Christians. It has been used against them. It has been applied unequally, unfairly from day one. And this has just got to stop.
SPEAKER 03 :
Senator, I want to step back from just, you know, this immediate application of the pardons. And I would agree that, you who were peacefully protesting outside the Capitol or at an abortion clinic, those who did not engage in violence. Now, I have some concerns about those who actually broke the law by engaging in violence. But what we’re seeing here is It’s a radical change from administration to administration. It’s like we’ve lost a common ground of truth and decency in our country and fair application of the law. And so you’ve got Biden pardoning people. You’ve got Trump pardoning people. It’s like you have to wait for a president to get justice. That says there’s something wrong with our system.
SPEAKER 16 :
Oh, it’s really worrisome. It speaks to the loss of the rule of law, Tony, because as you know, I mean, the whole point of the rule of law is it’s blind as to the individual characteristics of a person. The law is not supposed to look on you and say, oh, you’re a Christian? Well, in that case— That means you don’t have any First Amendment rights. You’re a Christian. You want to pray in public? No, you can’t do that. Oh, but you’re a secular liberal? Sure, go ahead. You want to assault a cop? That’s fine. We won’t charge you at all. That is not what the law is supposed to do. It’s supposed to say here is the rule. It’s neutral. We apply it fairly to everybody. And, Tony, you’re right. That has not happened yet. And particularly in the last four years, we have seen the unequal, unfair application of the law like I never thought possible in this country. And to me, this is one of the most important things President Trump and his Justice Department now can do is to reverse those injustices and going forward to say, we’re going to get back to just following the law. We’re going to put criminals behind bars. We’re going to protect law-abiding folks, and we’re going to stop this persecution of of Christians and others who have the temerity to stand up and to challenge people in power and the secularists.
SPEAKER 03 :
Senator, it’s going to require more. It’s the first step, obviously, to correct the injustices in the Justice Department. But this is a whole-of-society problem in that we’ve got to raise our expectations of the rule of law, and we’ve got to live under the rule of law, and it begins with self-government or our system doesn’t work.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, that’s exactly right. That’s exactly correct. And we’ve got to get back to the place where we can expect. that whoever is in power, whatever party it is, whoever’s in the majority, is going to apply the laws evenly and fairly. And as you say, we don’t have to look to a president to say, well, gosh, if my guy doesn’t win, then I might really be in trouble. I mean, that’s not America. That’s not the rule of law. And of course, as Christians, we really understand that, because you look at the idea of the rule of law, scriptural, of course, going back, founded in the Old Testament, where the principle of proportionality is set out. That’s what eye for eye is, is that the punishment must be proportional to crime, is that you don’t single out people because you dislike them, that you treat them fairly because our God is just. And as Christians, we really ought to be the ones carrying the banner and say, we need reform here. We need the fair rule of law.
SPEAKER 03 :
Senator, we’ve got to leave it there, but we’ll pick up that conversation later. Thanks for joining us. Stick with us, folks.
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We’re back after this. 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.
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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.
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Welcome back to this Wednesday edition of Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. A couple of legislative updates earlier today. In fact, I should have brought this up with Senator Hawley, but we were focused on something else. The cloture motion on the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in the Senate failed 52 to 47. So that that measure will not go through. The House is going to be voting on it later today. in the week. Also today, the House has passed the Lakin-Riley Act. That is the first measure dealing with border security that will be on its way to the president and will be signed into law this week. Well, yesterday, the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral was intended to be a moment of spiritual reflection as President Trump began his second term. Instead, the event was overshadowed by what many have called the disgraceful and out-of-line words of Bishop Marianne Edgar Buddy. who used the pulpit to push her own woke agenda and deliver a politically charged attack on the administration’s immigration and transgender policies. Her remarks, framed as a plea for mercy, were widely seen as a partisan critique rather than a genuine call for unity. Here’s a clip of what she said. Play clip number six, please.
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In the name of our God, I ask you, to have mercy upon the people in our country. We’re scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives.
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You know, I think she might do well if she actually just started reading the Bible. All right, joining me now to discuss this, Congressman Mark Harris, former pastor, actually, he’s still a pastor, and former FRC team member who was in the cathedral as this unfolded. He represents the 8th Congressional District of North Carolina, and he joins us now. Congressman Mark Harris, welcome to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 15 :
Hey, Tony, it’s great to see you today.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, you know, my issue is the problem was not in the pew that she was preaching to. It was behind the pulpit. The pulpit is supposed to have a prophetic voice. Her voice was pathetic in that she totally deviated from the truth of Scripture.
SPEAKER 15 :
No question. I can’t tell you what a just wet blanket that that threw over the whole event. I mean, honestly, there was a lot of things that I didn’t necessarily care for that were part of Other parts of it. But when she started her sermon, if you will, and went on through it, I kind of started feeling like this was going in a bad direction. And then it was like she just addressed the president. I mean, she just went right after him with these statements that were just unfounded. I mean, almost like allegations of that he is breeding fear in the hearts of every person. It was just ridiculous. And listen, everybody that was sitting around me, other members of Congress, as we watched all of this unfold, we were horrified that this had happened. And it was certainly the conversation as we left there.
SPEAKER 03 :
So let’s step back for just a moment, though. What do you think this really says about the health of, and I know this is Episcopal Church, but it is a mainline denomination. What does that tell us about the spiritual vitality or health of the mainline denominations in our country?
SPEAKER 15 :
You talked about it before, and there’s many of our churches, many of our denominations, that we’ve lost and to a certain extent that are going to have to be reclaimed if possible. We’re going to have to go in and share the truth of the gospel. The only thing that can reclaim them is for there to be a spiritual awakening. We’ve talked about that again and again. And we saw it yesterday, just lived out before the whole nation. And in what had been an incredible period of the inauguration, the tone of everything, the president’s inaugural address, the rallies, everybody felt really positive about going in and I was invited to go to a prayer service. And I was excited to, we traveled on a bus and then went as congressmen and women together. And for it to turn into this was just very disheartening. And I can tell you, I just came off the floor of the U.S. House. A few moments ago, we had votes, as you referenced, just past the Lake and Riley bill, and in the process had an opportunity to talk to Representative Burkine of Missouri, who is drafting at this very moment A resolution, a sense of Congress resolution that is going to speak clearly to the distortions of Scripture that happened yesterday as part of this event. There’s a lot of questions that I have, like, how did this happen? How was she chosen to bring the sermon? I really have questions like that.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. Because, I mean, she invoked these themes of mercy and compassion and then went on to say that the president’s view of a position, policy position, of upholding the law that keeps illegals from coming into the country, many of them being exploited, is somehow not compassionate. And then recognizing what Scripture teaches in Matthew chapter 19, that male that God created male and female. I mean, she, she says that upholding the law and aligning with scripture is somehow not showing mercy and compassion. I mean, how do you, that’s upside down.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yes. You can’t square that. You just can’t.
SPEAKER 03 :
What, I mean, as you, as you said, the, um, Congress is going to look at how this happened. This is kind of tradition going back, I think, to the 30s where the National Cathedral has been the place for this prayer service. But I do think, Mark, and you’ve been talking about this, you’ve been working for this, is for the Bible-believing pastor, the pulpit of America has to become focused on proclaiming that truth with a prophetic zeal if we’re to turn this thing around.
SPEAKER 15 :
We’ve got to stand on the principles of the inerrant word of God. And that’s where the bulk of people that I was with yesterday would have expected or at least hoped for in that prayer service. Maybe would it be my first prayer service like that as a congressman? Maybe first inauguration in that sense that I attended as a congressman. Maybe I was naive of what to expect, but I certainly did not expect it to take a turn to be such a distortion of the word of God. And quite frankly, in poor taste to put the president in that position. And quite frankly, I think he handled it well. I think it’s important for him to recognize that what she did to him does not represent what people of faith across this country are holding to.
SPEAKER 03 :
I mean, it’s pretty bad when you go to a prayer service and you’ve got to go out to go to a prayer service to make you get things right. All right, Mark, thanks for being with us. Stick with us, folks. We’re back after this.
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So if you like to think and you like to pray, FRC is the place for you.
SPEAKER 07 :
I think it is the best program out there.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I’ve absolutely loved my experience interning at FRC.
SPEAKER 07 :
They really are making waves out in the political world and doing it from the light of the Lord.
SPEAKER 08 :
It’s really humbling for me as a college student who has been involved in the life movement for only a couple of years to be able to witness it alongside of some of the people who have spent their entire lives fighting. A huge thing that sets FRC’s internship apart from others is they are looking for what they can pour into you instead of what they can get out of you.
SPEAKER 07 :
I have talked to so many of my friends who have interned. other places and they’re responding to emails or taking phone calls and doing things like that. But here we get real hands on experience and get to talk to important people and do important things that we get to see the impact of.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, President of the 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 thing, 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. This is Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Good to have you with us. Be sure and get the first 100-day toolkit, text TOOLKIT to 67742. That way you can stay abreast of what’s happening and how you can be involved, all right, all at your fingertips. So text TOOLKIT to 67742. Yesterday, President Trump’s first full day in office, and it was a full day. Well, immigration authorities have already begun executing the president’s deportation plan based on his executive orders and other authorities granted to him as president, arresting over 300 illegal immigrants who have committed violent crimes, including murder and rape. Trump’s border czar, Tom Holman, says that they are concentrating on the worst first, those who are public safety threats and national security threats. And what else does the plan entail? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who serves on five Senate committees, including the Judiciary Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence. Senator Cornyn, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you. Thank you, Tony. Good to be with you. All right. A burst. I mean, this is a shock and all as the president is coming in with everything loaded and ready to go. I have to ask this question. I think a lot of people are thinking about this, Senator, as 300 have been arrested and these are rapists, murderers. Why were they loose to begin with?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, it boggles my mind, but the Biden administration had this idea that you didn’t need any kind of limitations on people coming across the border. They basically released anybody and everybody that showed up, whether they claimed asylum or not. And unfortunately, this open borders resulted and the volume of people coming across overwhelmed the border patrol to the point that probably around two million gotaways came across. So with the Biden policies welcoming people who showed up and claimed asylum or otherwise escaped, to turn themselves in to authorities. The two million gotaways, you have to believe they were up to no good. And unfortunately, they included a lot of the people that you just referred to that Mr. Homan and Immigration Customs Enforcement picked up yesterday.
SPEAKER 03 :
But they obviously knew their whereabouts. They knew they existed. They knew they were here. This means the Biden administration had that same information. They knew that as well.
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. Unfortunately, the Biden administration discouraged any sort of cooperation with local law enforcement. As you know, many times individuals who are in the country illegally are picked up for other crimes, whether it’s DUI, DWI or something else, domestic violence and the like. And they’re required to notify ICE and ICE will then come pick them up. But if the local law enforcement agencies don’t cooperate, SO-CALLED SANCTUARY CITIES, THEN THERE’S NO WAY FOR ICE TO KNOW THEY’RE THERE AND TO COME PICK THEM UP. PLUS, ICE HAS REALLY BASICALLY BEEN NEUTERED AS A RESULT OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION POLICIES. blows my mind. But I think President Trump is is bringing common sense, something that’s not that common around here in Washington, D.C., back to the issue. And I’m glad to see this early start.
SPEAKER 03 :
So walk us through this, Senator Cornyn, the best you know, and I know you’ve had conversations with the president administration. How is this going to unfold in the days going forward?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think Mr. Holman, who’s been put in charge of repatriating or deporting people who are not legally here in the first place, and I assume they will go through some sort of prioritization schedule, and that includes the worst of the worst, some of whom we’ve seen. But there are thousands of people who have committed crimes, who have been convicted of those crimes, who are in the United States in various places. So I think it’s going to be a very intensive effort to try to locate them and try to get them returned out of the United States into their home country. This is really the first step. But I think this also sends a message that there are consequences associated with coming to the United States illegally, something that the Border Patrol tells me is absolutely essential to establishing deterrence to prevent people from coming in the first place, assuming they’re otherwise law abiding. But I think this is going to be a long, long haul. And as as I said, we’re just getting started.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, speaking of deterrence, based on executive orders that the president has signed, one regarding invasion at the southern border and national security issues, he’s deployed up to 1,500 additional active duty troops to the southern border, which I’m sure Texas appreciates. What will their role be at the border?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, there are some limitations on what the military can do under existing law, but primarily what it will do is to free up the Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection that are expressly authorized by law to deal with illegal immigration. It will free up some of those resources. Due to the sheer volume of people coming across the border during the Biden administration, those federal officials were overwhelmed. And that necessitated the Governor Abbott and others deploying National Guard there to help with the Border Patrol, just to provide some basic personnel to deal with housing, transportation and and things like that. So they will provide essential manpower. But we’re going to have to to to train and hire and train more immigration customs enforcement officials under the Trump administration and build detention facilities. So no more catch and release, which was the subject matter of another one of President Trump’s executive orders.
SPEAKER 03 :
Senator, we just have about 20 seconds left, but I’m assuming that Congress is going to lean in because the president can’t do it all by executive order.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s right. Well, we will this afternoon, 430. The House will pass the Lake and Riley Act, which we passed here in the Senate. And that will help prioritize people who have committed crimes in the United States. Right. Put them on the fast track. That’s a good. All right. Thank you, Senator.
SPEAKER 05 :
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 06 :
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 03 :
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 14 :
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 13 :
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 06 :
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 03 :
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. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. As we move into the first 100 days, we’ve created a brand new resource. It’s the First 100 Day Toolkit. Now, it helps you track promises as they become policy. provides contact information so that you can take action when necessary. It also includes prayer points to inform your intercession for government and for our leaders. You can get it at the Stand Firm app, or you can text TOOLKIT to 67742. That’s TOOLKIT to 67742. Our word for today comes from Zephaniah, where the prophet announces God’s judgment upon Judah because of their idolatry. I will bring distress on mankind because they have sinned against the Lord. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. Now, have you noticed how everything is measured by its impact on the economy? Well, here’s a newsflash. A strong economy will not stand up to the wrath of the Lord. But chapter two holds the remedy. Gather together. Yes, gather, O shameless nation, before the decree takes effect, before the day passes away like chaff, before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord. Seek the Lord. all you humble of the land and do his just commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord. So here it is. Seek the Lord for he’s full of mercy. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. Well, over the last couple of days, we’ve been looking at the executive orders that President Trump has signed so far since returning to office. It is, well, some describe it as shock and awe as so many of them are coming out. They were clearly ready for this moment. Now, blue state attorneys general have been going through them and planning lawsuits to counter whatever they can as they go through them. And, you know, as we go through them, we’re actually pretty pleased with some of the things we see. primarily because they’re common sense. With me now to further analyze some of President Trump’s executive orders is Mike Berry, executive director of the Center for Litigation at the American First Policy Institute. Prior to joining AFPI, Mike served on active duty as an attorney with the United States Marine Corps, was deployed to Afghanistan, also was with First Liberty, and a great friend of the Family Research Council. Mike, welcome back to Washington Watch Semper Fi. Semper Fi.
SPEAKER 17 :
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, let’s go through these EOs, starting with the one that rescinded executive orders and actions of the previous Biden administration. And quite frankly, there was a lot to rescind. 78, I believe. Give us some of the most notable there.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, where do we begin, Tony? I mean, let’s start with none other than the Biden executive order that converted the entire federal government into a voter registration machine. If I recall, that one was executive order 14019. I know because AFPI filed a lawsuit against President Biden and his administration to try to put a stop to that executive order. And so it’s great to see President Trump on day one helping to finish the job and then You know, you can go on down the list. There was the executive order under the Biden administration that permitted transgenders to serve in the military, very detrimental to military readiness, detrimental to mission accomplishment, detrimental to national security. That one is undone now under Trump’s administration. And, you know, I’ve heard others say it, and I’ll echo, that I think we saw more action in the first four hours of President Trump’s second term in office than we saw in four years under President Biden. And so this is the promises that were made on the campaign trail and promises that are being delivered now that he’s in office.
SPEAKER 03 :
So with one executive order, he can undo multiple executive orders from the previous administration. It does speak to the importance of legislation and statutory enactment of these policies. And I think that is a part of the focus of the incoming Trump administration. Obviously going to clean up a lot of the stuff left behind. But with the Republican House, Republican Senate, I think there’ll be more of a focus on actually turning some of these initial executive orders that the Trump administration is doing into actual federal federal law.
SPEAKER 17 :
I think that’s right. And really, you know, conservatives need to be keeping their eye on the calendar because really, in practical terms, we have about a two-year window to get a lot of this done because, you know, in two years from now, we’re going to have midterm elections. People are going to be starting to look ahead towards the 2028 presidential election and begin thinking about that. So the window is not quite as broad as some people may think it is. And we’ve got to get to work now, which is why it’s very encouraging to see just how ready the Trump administration has been, ready to go on day one. I’ve seen some commentators, when you compare it to what happened back in 2016 and when he took office in 2017, they were largely unprepared. Possibly because they weren’t necessarily expecting to have won, and so it caught everybody by surprise, whether people inside the administration, but also people in Congress were maybe caught by surprise. This time around, I think we’re in a much better position and much better footing to hit the ground running. We’re seeing that, but I absolutely agree, Tony, that this is going to have to be a team effort, a tag team, both the administration and the Congress. Both chambers of Congress need to work with the administration to help put these policies into legislation, into law.
SPEAKER 03 :
Mike Berry, I want to dive into some of these other executive orders that were issued. But first, just to kind of play off what you said here to set the context so people better understand this. Only twice in history have we had a president who set out a term and then came back. And so you had an administration, the second administration, with full understanding of what it takes. to execute many of these things. As you said, first time, not quite ready, nor really understanding how the process worked. And then you add to that the fact that you have, we had administration for four years that was ideologically opposed. So I think that’s what set the stage for this. You had black and white and you also had administration coming in that knew what to do and they wasted no time in getting it done.
SPEAKER 17 :
Absolutely. And the American people spoke loudly, clearly and forcefully that it was a total repudiation of the Biden administration and their policies and their practices. And it wasn’t just a delivery of the White House to President Trump, but it was also let’s not. I mean, it’s no small feat to also have delivered. the Senate and the House of Representatives truly giving a mandate to the governing party now, the Republican Party, to go forth and put all of these promises into fruition and into action.
SPEAKER 03 :
A couple of the issues that we’ve heard a lot about, felt it over the last four years, is censorship, free speech, the censorship of free speech and the weaponization of the government. How has the president already addressed those with executive orders?
SPEAKER 17 :
I mean, it was, you know, I’m smiling and beaming because as I began to read the executive orders and not just look at the titles of them and to see what they were, but to get into the content of them, it’s so exciting and refreshing as a constitutional First Amendment litigator myself to see things like declaring that there are only two genders. That’s one of the things that President Trump did. declaring that life begins at conception because in declaring that there are only two genders, he defined the term sex as determined at conception. So this is one of the first times in American history where we’re now recognizing the right to life at conception as opposed to at birth. And that’s not a minor or subtle difference. That’s a very significant distinction there and shift. And then you go on to telling every DEI office in the federal government, every federal agency that has a DEI office, which is probably every single one of them, you are to close your doors, shutter your windows, and stop whatever you’re doing. Pens down, and we’ll find something else for you to do, or you can enter the private workforce, whatever the case might be. It’s creating Doge, right? The Department of Governmental Efficiency is another great one. That’s something that was promised and it’s been delivered. And so, I mean, we can go down the list, Tony, of probably naming off our three or five favorite EOs, but those are three that really stood out to me immediately. And oh, and then let’s not forget what he did with the Department of State, right, saying that the only flag that is going to fly on our embassies or in Department of State buildings is the American flag. No longer are we going to try to virtue signal to the world with pride flags or any other type of flags. It’s going to be the stars and stripes, the American flag. And what a fantastic message that sends not only to America, but to the rest of the world that America is back.
SPEAKER 03 :
Let me say that’s a big issue from the standpoint of even when Mike Pompeo was secretary of state, he was battling that inside the government as there were others close to the president wanting to fly the pride flag at embassies abroad. And so for the president, by executive order to to state that, I mean, that’s in the in the discussion. That’s what’s going to happen. We’re only going to have the American flag flying. Mike, anything yet on, you know, last time in 2016, in May of that first year, he issued the executive order on religious freedom. And that’s something obviously that’s been under attack under the Biden administration. It’s something you care about if you’ve worked so diligently to defend in advance. Where do we stand on that issue?
SPEAKER 17 :
I think there’s more good news to come on that front. None of the executive orders that have been issued thus far are explicitly or narrowly focused on religious freedom. We had the one that targets censorship and weaponization of justice. That’s obviously going to touch on religious freedom but it’s really focused more on free speech and and censorship issues so i anticipate that there will be uh some future executive actions whether they’re via executive order or other presidential type executive actions that will continue to protect religious freedom restore the religious freedoms that we began to enjoy under the first Trump administration. One example that I think myself, you, and probably others in the veteran and service member community are paying close attention to is an executive order that restores and reinstates the service members, the tens of thousands of service members who are punished and targeted and unlawfully kicked out or otherwise adversely treated in the military for having a religious objection to Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate. So I think that’s one that a lot of people, myself included, are watching closely to see. We want to see what it does, what it says. And that’s another one, Tony, where I think there’s a lot of work that Congress can do to come side by side, shoulder to shoulder with the administration and ensure that some of those gains that are done through executive action are cemented through legislative action.
SPEAKER 03 :
Speaking of that one in particular, because I know it’s personal to you and I’ve talked to many, many members who are still in the military who have been passed over for promotion because of this. It will because they didn’t get the vaccine for religious conviction reasons. Will this set that right? Will those files that have, you know, the fitness reports that have those marks in it? How is that corrected?
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, the devil is going to be in the details on that one, because that’s one that I said even years ago when we first started that fight and began representing the Navy SEALs, that that’s very difficult. It’s hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube, as we like to say, because It’s difficult to pinpoint that somebody was passed over promotion precisely because or solely because of their objection to the vaccine mandate. As you and I know and anybody in our audience who served in the military knows, the military and the bureaucracy is very, very good. at papering over and sort of whitewashing and sanitizing what we all know to be blatant discrimination. But what they’ll do is to say, oh, well, your performance evaluation, you didn’t score quite as high as these other people did. And that’s the reason why you got passed over, not because of your refusal to get the vaccine. And we all know that that’s just what we in the legal we call that proofreading. It’s a pretext that’s being used for what is actually the real reason is they don’t want people who have sincerely held strong religious convictions and beliefs serving in the military because they’re worried that when they are given an order to do something that they know is wrong, it’s always people of faith are the ones that stand up and say that’s wrong. We shouldn’t be doing that. We can’t do that. I refuse to carry out that order or I refuse to follow that order because it violates the Constitution and it violates the First Amendment. They want to kick those people out. But to answer your question, I think it can be done, but it’s going to require a lot of heavy lifting. It’s going to require a secretary of defense who has a backbone, who’s willing to go to the mat for these service members and to say, we are going to get this done, that we will get rid of any bureaucrat
SPEAKER 03 :
who resists obstructs and tries to prevent us from restoring these service members and these veterans and i hope that we have that well mike for all the reasons that you laid out there it’s so important that people of faith can serve in our nation’s military because that’s that’s the ones we want that’s the ones we want with the the the lethal power of the military in their hands because they have a moral anchor and and that’s so important and that Those are the very ones that were driven out during the Biden administration. Just have about 45 seconds left, Mike. But for those that were forced out because of this, is there any way to make it right for them?
SPEAKER 17 :
I think so. I think you give them the opportunity to return if they want to. I will say I’ve been disheartened to hear so many of my former colleagues in uniform to say, I don’t want to go back. I’m done. I’m going to move on with life and do something else. I don’t trust the military anymore. That’s that’s a national security travesty to hear. qualified, excellent service members to say, I don’t want to put on the uniform anymore because I’m ashamed of what it’s become. I believe that our military still has good people. It still stands for good things. It was hijacked for four years, and we’re ready to take it back. And I think if that happens, I think we will see us turn the corner, and the good people will begin to start to come back.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I think, Mike, a part of that, and not through executive order, but through the administration, through Congress, is we’re going to have to weed out those politically correct flag officers that enabled all of these attacks on religious freedom. Mike Berry, thanks so much for joining us. Always great to see you, my friend. Thanks for having me. All right, folks, I want to thank you for joining us as well, but we’re out of time. Be sure and get the toolkit. Text TOOLKIT to 67742. Until next time, when you’ve prayed, when you’ve prepared and taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 02 :
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.
