Engage with the complexities of international relations as the episode delves into the growing tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan. In a dialogue with esteemed Senator James Lankford, the discussion unfolds the intricate web of diplomacy and deterrence. Meanwhile, an exploration of religious freedom unearths the harsh realities faced by Christians in Nigeria. Culminating this session is a timely debate on military readiness following the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings and the essential conversation on enforcing safety regulations around the prescription of abortion pills.
SPEAKER 18 :
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 16 :
Through our oversight review, we found that the FBI prematurely declared the case to be, quote, suicide by cop. misconstruing information, misleading the public, and misrepresenting the facts. The FBI then spent four years guarding those determinations by obstructing congressional oversight.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee yesterday discussing their findings on the FBI’s handling of the 2017 shooting that targeted then-House Republican Whip Steve Scalise. Welcome to this May 7th edition of Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in and making us part of your afternoon. Well, as promised, House Republicans are actively exposing the entrenched agents of the deep state, uncovering information previously inaccessible during the Biden administration. Georgia Congressman Andrew Clyde joins me to discuss the latest findings. Meanwhile, House Republicans are locked in an internal battle over how to find one point five trillion dollars needed to fund what is being called the one big, beautiful bill. Moderates are resisting any rollback of the Biden-era Medicaid expansions, which occurred mostly in blue states, while conservatives argue those cuts are essential to meet the budget target. We’ll dive into that debate with Congressman Clyde as well. Globally, the number of armed conflicts is now at its highest level since World War II. One flashpoint, India’s recent missile strike on Pakistan threatens to reignite tensions between those two nuclear-armed rivals. We’ll talk with Oklahoma Senator James Lankford. And speaking of conflict, the U.S. military is returning to mission focus under the Trump administration.
SPEAKER 03 :
We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind. No more pronouns. No more climate change obsession. No more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was Secretary of Defense Pete Hexeth yesterday. We’ll hear more from South Carolina Congresswoman Sherry Biggs, a military veteran and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. And finally, the Trump Department of Justice on Monday asked a federal judge in Texas to dismiss a lawsuit brought by three states challenging the FDA’s Biden era laws. Rule changes, rules that allow abortion pills to be prescribed without medical oversight and combined with the Biden era DOJ opinion allows the pills to be sent through the mail. Now, together, those changes put in place by the Biden administration effectively nullify pro-life laws in many states. So why is the Trump administration allowing those rules to stay in place? Missouri Senator Josh Hawley joins me to discuss that. Session 12 of our God and Government series is now available, How to Make a Godly Appeal to Leaders. In this session, I walk through biblical principles for making respectful and effective appeals to those in authority. It’s available exclusively on the StandFirm app. If you don’t yet have the app, well, and you want the course, text the word COURSE to 67742, and I’ll send you a link. That’s COURSE to 67742. Well, as I mentioned yesterday, the House Intelligence Committee released its assessment regarding the FBI’s mishandling of the 2017 congressional baseball shooting. The committee stated that the FBI’s incomplete investigation and substandard analysis of that shooting, which harmed four people, including Congressman Steve Scalise, only increases concern that the agency was weaponized and misused. What are we to make of this report and how can the FBI improve upon this glaring mistake and its tarnished reputation? We’re here to discuss this. Congressman Andrew Clyde, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Budget Committee, represents the 9th Congressional District of Georgia. Congressman Clyde, welcome back to Washington Watch. I know you’re just stepping off the House floor. The House is in vote, so I appreciate you joining us by phone.
SPEAKER 05 :
Absolutely, Tony. Great to be with you. You’re right. I just finished voting and we’ve got another vote here coming up. So I appreciate the opportunity of chatting with you.
SPEAKER 08 :
So what do we make of the House Intelligence Committee’s assessment of the investigation of the 2017 shooting?
SPEAKER 05 :
I think they’re spot on. I mean, you know, when the FBI prematurely declared the case to be, quote, suicide by cop, you know, that to me has a negative political bent to it. That means that there were political determinations that made up their decision and not actually the facts. As I think one of my colleagues has said, the only obvious determination is that this was an act of domestic terrorism. And that’s absolutely correct. The shooting at the baseball field in 2017, It wasn’t active domestic terrorism. It was a Democrat trying to take out Republicans. And for the FBI not to call it what it is and to literally hold that information and obstruct a congressional hearing for four years was totally unacceptable. And it has led to the FBI’s reputation being tarnished with the American people. I was with the newly confirmed director, Kash Patel, just a little earlier today. He had a hearing in Commerce, Justice, Science, our appropriations subcommittee. And I will tell you that I think Kash Patel, him being the new director, is the best thing that has happened to the FBI in the last decade, maybe two decades. So I think he’s going to do a lot to restore the confidence of the American people in the FBI.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, that’s saying a lot, Congressman, because a lot has to be done to restore the confidence of the American people in the FBI. I want to play a clip from that hearing. You were in that hearing. I want to play this clip of his exchange with Congresswoman Dean. Play clip number three, please.
SPEAKER 19 :
As you and the president continue to weaponize and investigate his perceived enemies. As you follow this blueprint, when can I, a former impeachment manager, expect the FBI at my door?
SPEAKER 15 :
Ma’am, you want to know who was targeted by a weaponized FBI? Me. You want to know how and why? You want to know what I’m doing to fix it?
SPEAKER 19 :
Let me move on.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, you should read the book because there’s no enemies list on that book. There are people that violated their constitutional obligations and their duties to the American people, and they were rightly called out.
SPEAKER 08 :
I don’t think she wanted to hear that response.
SPEAKER 05 :
No, I remember that quite well. I was sitting there. The other side always accuses us of doing what they are actually doing. As an impeachment manager herself of a false and fake impeachment, she has the gall to say that. I mean, it’s one of the reasons why I love Kash Patel, because he was actually a victim of the weaponization of the government against him. And so he has even more reason to ensure that the FBI, as my exchange with him went, upholds the rule of law and upholds those four words that you see above the Supreme Court, equal justice under law for all of us. And we talked about the judge in Wisconsin and – and how even judges are subject to the rule of law as well. And so I was very, very pleased with our exchange and very pleased with Kash Patel. He’s got a lot of work to do, like you said, and I reminded him of that. But he’s committed to doing it for the good of the American people and the rule of law.
SPEAKER 08 :
Congressman Klein, let me ask you about that. What recommendations? I mean, I’ve got some recommendations. For one, they could stop using the Southern Poverty Law Center as a resource, which the FBI has done. They were a part of weaponizing the left. I mean, they led to that. Their labeling of us led to a act of domestic terrorism at our facility in Washington. But what recommendations or actions are you suggesting to Director Patel?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, that one, to stop using the Southern Poverty Law Center, I think is a phenomenal recommendation. And I did not actually give any specific recommendations to him because I want to give him a little bit of room. He’s only been on board for about a couple of months. as the director. But we will be watching Cash and Patel and seeing what he actually does. So I’m just excited that he’s there and the fact that he’s got Dan Bongino with him.
SPEAKER 08 :
Let me move on to budgetary issues. You serve on the Budget Committee, so you’re very well prepared to answer these questions. You’re a part of the Fiscal State of the Nation hearing held by the House Budget Committee. There’s concerns. I’m hearing reports that moderates do not want to roll back any of the Biden era Medicaid expansions. How else do you get to the one point five trillion dollar number that you need to get to to get the reconciliation package through?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, it’s not just one point five trillion dollars. I think we really need to be over two trillion dollars. In fact, somewhere between two point oh and two point five trillion dollars. And there is no way that we get there without dealing with Medicaid. You know, first off, we’re going to definitely look at it for the waste, fraud and abuse that is there. And there is a lot of it. I mean, the government accounting office in its 2023 report said that there were over 50 billion dollars annually, so 500 billion dollars over the 10 year budget window of misappropriated or incorrect payments. So, you know, that’s They’re looking for $880 billion. Well, $500 billion of it could come straight off the top on Medicaid when it comes to waste, fraud, and abuse. And then the other thing is this. Medicaid was originally designed for the folks that are low-income, are senior citizens, are elderly, the disabled, the pregnant women. And now the greatest percentage of those people on Medicaid are actually those who are able-bodied adults that are not working. And the greatest match, you know, the states get $9 for every $1 they invest in those folks, where the original Medicaid folks, really, it’s only about, if they invest $4, the state does, then they’ll get $6 from the federal government. That’s about 60%. So, you know, this greatest, what they call the expansion population, They should not honestly not even be on Medicaid. They should be working. But this is not a work requirement added to it.
SPEAKER 08 :
Right. And this was something that was pushed through by the Biden administration in their expansion in the last four years. So why are Republicans hesitant to just go back and dial this back from prior to the Biden administration?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I mean, you’re right about the the about Obamacare. Obamacare broke Medicaid, but we are going to fix Medicaid, and we, through work requirements and other means, we are going to make Medicaid stronger and more resilient in the future for those folks that actually need it, and not for the folks that are on it that don’t need it and shouldn’t be on it, like illegal aliens and able-bodied adults that refuse to work.
SPEAKER 08 :
Do your colleagues realize that it will sink the whole ship if they don’t? throw off the dead weight that Medicaid is carrying?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, we have to deal with Medicaid. If we don’t, we will see very soon. And I mean, you know, between three and nine years, we will see a sovereign debt crisis in this country. It is absolutely true that the debt is our greatest internal threat. And if we don’t deal with it and deal with it this year, then we will have shirked our responsibilities and we will not have done what the American people sent us here to do. So I believe, Tony, that we’ll get there. I believe we’ll get there and I believe that we will strengthen Medicaid. All right. But we will also ensure that the waste, fraud and abuse and those who shouldn’t be on it are not on it. So I have confidence that we will get there.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Congressman Clyde, I hope that your colleagues, all of your colleagues, share the urgency of understanding the significance of the debt that we’re carrying. And now is the time. If we don’t address it now, it’s not going to be addressed. So I think you’re absolutely right. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. Always great to have you on the program. Appreciate you joining us from the House floor today.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you very much. Great to be on Washington Watch with you, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Congressman Andrew Clyde of Georgia. By the way, I encourage you to sign our petition regarding the Southern Poverty Law Center. We’re going to ask the DOJ to stop using them as a resource, which the Biden administration did. They were a part of labeling us as a hate group leading to a shooting at our place. So text SPLC to 67742. That’s SPLC to 67742. All right. Don’t go away. We’re back after this.
SPEAKER 12 :
Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 10 :
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 08 :
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 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.
SPEAKER 14 :
Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to The Washington Stand, your ultimate destination for informed, faith-centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines, delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at The Washington Stand, where faith and facts meet every day.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Yesterday, India launched a rocket attack in Pakistan, striking at least five locations and killing at least 26 people. India says the attack is a defensive response that targeted terrorist infrastructure. Pakistan, however, has called it an act of aggression from India and says it has a right to respond however it sees fit. The latest flare-up between these two long-feuding countries raises the prospects of yet another hot war. Here to discuss this, U.S. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma. He’s a member of four Senate committees, including the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on Homeland Security. He is also the author of Turnaround, America’s Revival, which came out last month. Senator Lankford, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Tony, thank you very much. Good to talk to you again. Before we jump into this conflict between India and Pakistan, tell us about the book, Turnaround, America’s Revival.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, this was really a challenge to people. One is I don’t want people to miss their calling. And I have a lot of people I’ve talked to that know their career, but not their calling. And they see problems around them and think I should elect somebody to go fix that. And we lose track of the just simple principle of we the people. We see problems as followers of Christ. We see problems. We ask God what we’re supposed to do about it. We engage like Nehemiah did. And somehow we’re losing that. So this is a challenge for both people that are politically engaged, people that are not, to be able to look at who we are as Americans and to ask the question, if the nation’s going to turn around, it’s not going to be because we elect the right person, because we actually engage in our communities to turn things around.
SPEAKER 08 :
I like the example of Nehemiah. In fact, in our two-year journey through the Bible, we’ll soon be in the book of Nehemiah, is that Nehemiah, of course, it required leadership. Everything requires leadership at each level. But what Nehemiah did that was a game changer that allowed them to rebuild the wall in 52 years, a wall that had been sitting in rubble for years, was the fact that they built it in front of their homes. And they worked by families, and they took care of what was in front of them. So it’s bite-sized chunks, but taking personal responsibility of right where you are.
SPEAKER 07 :
They did. There are two big features there on that. One is exactly that problem. Take care of the problem right next to you. And if everybody starts working on that, we make an enormous difference. The second thing was the difference between Nehemiah and Hananiah. In the very first chapter, Hanani walks in. He just came from Jerusalem. Nehemiah says, what’s it like in Jerusalem? And Hanani says, well, it’s terrible. The walls down, the gates are burned down, the economy collapsed. Hanani walked away. Nehemiah dropped his knees and said, there’s a big difference between people that say it stinks to be them. I see the problem, but I’m not going to do anything about it. And those that drop to their knees and say, God, there is a problem. What is my part? How can folks get a copy of the book? It is literally available everywhere. Everywhere you go, you can go to Amazon, you can go to Barnes & Noble’s Books A Million. It’s available at Hobby Lobby. It’s available at Mardell. So wherever you get a chance to get your books on it, it’s there.
SPEAKER 08 :
You know, speaking of Nehemiah, this is probably one aspect of Nehemiah you relate to. It’s one that served me well in my entire public life and career is Sanballat and Tobiah. When they send message to Nehemiah saying, hey, come meet with us in the plain of Ono. And Nehemiah says, you know what? I’m too busy. I don’t have time to talk with you. And it was really a lesson to me to stay focused on mission and not listen to the critics.
SPEAKER 07 :
It is 100% there. There are plenty of San Valets and Tobias that are actually on social media attacking you and I both every single day. Then come talk to me. Don’t do what you’re supposed to. Come talk to me. Come take my complaint. I’m going to yell at you and you’re supposed to yell back. When we actually set that aside and say that’s a distraction from my mission rather than what I should consume my life with, it directs you back to what we’re supposed to do.
SPEAKER 08 :
And there’s so many of those distractions out there that I think are taking people, followers of Christ, away from, as you said, their calling in life to serve the kingdom. And I just think we’ve got to be careful of what we get involved in and what we respond to. And social media can be just quicksand. I mean, it can just suck you in and take all your energy and remove you from your focused mission.
SPEAKER 07 :
It is actually in my book, Turn Around, I actually have one of the chapters that deals a lot with social media and just how we interact with it. What do we believe? What do we not believe? It is a place to be able to share our faith. It is a tool, but it’s also a place that can have great distraction and becomes a rabbit hole of anger and pulling us into all kinds of conspiracies and things that are not of God. And literally, if you look at the third chapter of Titus, there’s a challenge that’s very specific for our day and time on how to be able to deal with some of the noise that we see in social media. And I try to highlight those things from Titus chapter three as well in the book Turnaround.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Well, I’m going to get you back on in a long segment so we can talk about the book. I’m going to read it. I haven’t read it yet. I’m going to get it. I’m going to read it and we’re going to talk about it because it sounds like it’s right down my alley. But let’s talk now about India and Pakistan. This is a long simmering conflict between these two countries over Kashmir. This is at a new level and these are nuclear armed countries. I think this is something that we should be very concerned about. What do you say?
SPEAKER 07 :
The Hindu nation that is India and the Muslim nation that is Pakistan, both nuclear armed, both pointed at each other. They’re in conflict over the Kashmir. India dominates much of that area. Both of them claim it. And there was a terrorist attack that killed multiple, multiple Indians just last week. So India has responded with, I’m going to take out terror bases. They didn’t just attack Kashmir. They actually reached in with missile attacks and actually went into Pakistan itself. Pakistan obviously is saying they’re going to respond. This is a very tenuous moment for President Trump and his relationship with Prime Minister Modi to be able to step up and to say, everybody take a deep breath. Let’s get a chance to be able to work this out. But this is something that should be resolved diplomatically and will require American leadership as we engage with both of those countries consistently to be able to bring the volume down.
SPEAKER 08 :
We just have about a minute and a half left, Senator. But I think people need to see this not as one dimensional. But when we look at these countries, I mean, this is a chessboard. I mean, you’ve got India and there’s a relationship that we pursue with China or that counters China. You’ve got Turkey. You’ve got so many different countries lining up one side or the other.
SPEAKER 07 :
We really do. And it’s a really, really challenging region and great conflict possibilities there and literally well over a billion people that are in that area. So high population, there are some areas of high poverty. It is a challenge in multiple, multiple ways. China and India have not done well together. They’ve also had skirmishes over their border as well between China and India. So it is a very, very challenging region and will require leadership. and some diplomacy, and I would challenge even your listeners to be able to pray because there are a lot of Christians that also live in that area as well that are caught up in two nations that sometimes receive them and many times do not.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, religious freedom is a real issue there, especially in India, which is an issue of great concern for me. Thirty seconds left, Senator. What role is religion playing in this conflict between the two countries?
SPEAKER 07 :
It certainly is playing a role there. Obviously, it’s a dominant Hindu nation for India. not only Muslim nation in Pakistan, as you and I both know, they face a lot of religious liberty issues in India. They have a basically a First Amendment right to freedom of religion in India. But there’s been wide scale oppression of Christians and Muslims that’s happened in India for quite a while. And so this has also become a tension about the terrorism in that area about Kashmir as well on a religious issue.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, Senator James Lankford, we’ll leave it there for now, but we’ll talk soon. Folks, stick with us. We’re back after this.
SPEAKER 11 :
At Family Research Council, we believe religious freedom is a fundamental human right that all governments must protect. That’s why FRC President Tony Perkins went to Capitol Hill to testify on behalf of persecuted Christians in Nigeria. Islamist terror groups target Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria with brutal violence. Representative Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, said 55,000 people have been killed and 21,000 abducted in the last five years alone. The congressman also stressed that 89% of Christians in the world who are martyred are from Nigeria.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yet the government of Nigeria has failed to make progress against religiously motivated persecution of Christians despite religious freedom being enshrined as an essential human right in their constitution.
SPEAKER 11 :
Tony Perkins called for the United States to send an unmistakable message.
SPEAKER 08 :
This is systematic religious violence. Nigeria must be redesignated a country of particular concern. The Biden administration’s removal of this designation was a reckless mistake that emboldened the very terrorists who are slaughtering Christians.
SPEAKER 11 :
Redesignating Nigeria will enable the U.S. government to pressure Nigerian leaders to protect vulnerable Christians.
SPEAKER 08 :
These are not just numbers. These are fathers, their mothers, their children, their families.
SPEAKER 11 :
Bishop Wilfred Anagabe risked his life to speak out, sharing firsthand accounts of the danger faced in his church district in central Nigeria.
SPEAKER 01 :
We live in fear because at any point it can be our turn to be killed. But to remain silent is to die twice. So I have chosen to speak.
SPEAKER 11 :
FRC is calling on President Trump to act now to promote religious freedom around the globe and speak up on behalf of Christians in Nigeria.
SPEAKER 08 :
This is Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, and it’s good to have you along with us. The website, TonyPerkins.com. Better yet, get the Stand Firm app, and you’ll have Washington Watch with you no matter where you go. You’ll also have access to the Washington Stand, our news feed and commentary, all coming to you from a biblical perspective, and my daily Bible commentary or devotional, Stand on the Word. All of that can be found at the Stand Firm app. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed a victory to the Trump administration regarding its effort to prevent gender-confused individuals from serving in the U.S. armed forces. A Defense Department policy created by executive orders specifically lists individuals with gender dysphoria as falling short of meeting the mental qualifications needed to serve. A policy was placed on a temporary hold by a district court while it moves through the court system. But yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling overrides that order, therefore allowing the DOD to enact the policy. Well, given the threats facing the U.S., how significant is this news for our military? Here to discuss this, Congresswoman Sherry Biggs, who is serving her first term in Congress. She is a member of three House committees, including Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs. She is also a lieutenant colonel. in the Air National Guard. She represents the 3rd Congressional District of South Carolina, and she joins us by phone from the House floor. Congresswoman Biggs, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 09 :
Hello. Thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, first of all, congratulations on now serving your first term in Congress. Before we get into the topic, I just want to ask you a question. I know you’ve served in the National Guard, a lieutenant colonel. Why did you decide to run for office?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, it’s a long story, but I’ve been in the health care industry most of my professional career. I joined the military a little later in life, started doing some nonprofit work in my community, and just saw the brokenness of not only our health care system but our mental health and actually spiritual well-being in general. So I just really felt like I was called to do something more, and here I am.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, let’s talk about that as you come with a unique background, enabling you to address many of these issues. Let’s talk about our nation’s military and the fact that just the court ruling yesterday allowing the Trump policy on gender dysphoria to go into place in our nation’s military. Is it time that we move away from this social experimentation that’s been taking place in our military back to a focus on the military’s core mission, fighting and winning wars?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, absolutely. I feel like President Trump is reinforcing our strength and trying to ensure our mission readiness. I think it’s a huge win for the military and I believe the members will be pleased with this outcome.
SPEAKER 08 :
I want speaking of the military, I want to ask you about this. This is a report that was just released to Congress about a week ago. And this was the the report oversight report by the special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction that that shows that the. Biden administration left behind literally billions of dollars worth of U.S. equipment that had been provided to the Afghan army that is now not only being utilized by terrorist organizations, but is being sold to fund the work of multiple al-Qaeda affiliates and other terrorist organizations?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. And I think as an American and take away the peace as a member of the military. But I’ve seen members sacrifice. I’ve seen families sacrifice. And I think this is common sense. You know, a lot of individuals felt let down by what happened. And it was not a source of strength. It showed weakness and very much a lack of leadership. So I, for one, am glad to see America being put first in strengthening our military and taking care of our service members. I think we owe that to those people that have sacrificed. And the people that I know are patriots, look, they want to serve. They don’t expect anything in return. They just want to make this a better and safer place for our families. I mean, I’m a mom. And I can tell you when I go to sleep at night, it gives me comfort knowing that we have people protecting us. And I think most mothers would identify with that. So I’m happy to see the change that’s come about by this administration. And I wholly support what’s being done to uphold our troops and to take care. I mean, this is common sense policy to me. And I feel like the members would share in my belief on this and those that have sacrificed.
SPEAKER 08 :
We just have about a minute and a half left, Congresswoman Biggs. Any surprises for you? I know this is, I always like to ask our new members of Congress, as you’ve come, you’ve been here a while, you’ve gotten your feet on the ground. Any surprises?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, I can tell you it’s been very busy. This first hundred days has been nonstop. And I And, you know, I love that. I like being busy, and I love doing the work and serving my district in South Carolina. But I think one thing that has been maybe enlightening, the people that I’ve come here to serve with, a lot of members in the freshman class are here for the same reason that I am, to serve our district, to serve our state, and to serve our country. And that’s very reassuring to me, and especially right now under President Trump’s leadership. I think it’s a great time for America. You know, we’re having to iron out some wrinkles right now, and it’s a little bumpy road. But I look forward to the future and to the change that’s coming.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, we definitely need that change. Congresswoman Biggs, I want to thank you for joining us today. And again, congratulations on serving your first term in Congress. We look forward to talking to you again real soon.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, thank you so much, and I enjoyed talking to you.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, take care. All right, coming up next, we’re going to be joined by Senator Josh Hawley, so don’t go away.
SPEAKER 12 :
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SPEAKER 17 :
What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful 13-part series that equips you with biblical truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates, from the Ten Commandments in classrooms to the immigration crisis of America. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. New episodes available each Monday. To view the series on the Stand Firm app, text COURSE to 67742.
SPEAKER 02 :
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SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. I have some people asking about the SPLC petition that we’re going to be sending to the Department of Justice. Just text SPLC, that’s SPLC, to 67742, 67742. It’s time to end any relationship that the federal government has with this organization, SPLC. All right, our word for today comes from Daniel chapter eight, where Daniel receives a prophetic vision that foreshadows the rise of the Antichrist in the end times. Quote, his power shall be great, but not by his own power. And he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. Verse 24, by his cunning, he shall make deceit prosper under his hand and in his own mind, he shall become great. Without warning, he shall destroy many and he shall even rise up against the prince of princes and he shall be broken. but by no human hand, verse 25. Well, deception will be a primary weapon of the Antichrist. That’s why Jesus in Mark 13 repeatedly warned his disciples, do not be deceived. And Daniel gives a clear profile of the Antichrist. His power is not his own. It’s demonic. He is cunning and manipulative. Deceit will flourish under his influence, and he will exalt himself with pride. In fact, he will dare to oppose God himself, yet he will be destroyed, not by human hands, but by divine judgment. For more on our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. All right. I wanted to go back very quickly to the previous conversation we were having about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and what was left behind. Now, according to this report from the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, this is what was left behind. OK, just hold on. The United States left 78 aircraft. 78 aircraft, 40,000 military vehicles, and over 300,000 weapons when they withdrew. Now, this is falling into the hands of terrorist organizations and they’re selling it on the black market to fund their terrorist activities. This is criminal. I mean, how do you leave 78 aircraft behind? How do you leave 40,000 vehicles? I mean, they used to destroy this stuff when they would leave it behind in previous wars. But we just kind of, we turned the keys over to terrorists. This is criminal. I would hope that once the Congress now has this report, and as we talked about earlier, they are ferreting out the agents of the deep state. People need to be held accountable for this crime. Again, this is criminal behavior. On Monday, the Trump Department of Justice asked a federal district judge in Texas to throw out a challenge by three states, and they were Republican states, to the Food and Drug Administration’s regulations adopted during the Biden administration, which allowed abortion pills to be prescribed without medical oversight. Now, that combined with an opinion by the Biden DOJ that the pills can be sent through the mail, essentially nullifies the pro-life laws of the states. This Trump DOJ filing is inconsistent with the claim that the administration supports the right of the states to adopt pro-life laws. So why are they doing this? This has been my contention with the Trump administration, even the Trump campaign. This was when we were addressing the platform issues. You cannot say you support the right of states to have pro-life laws, but then have a federal policy that allows the abortion pill to be mailed into the states because nearly 70 percent of abortions are now being done by the abortion pill. Well, my next guest, I think, feels very similar because he sent a letter to the Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding an explanation for this surprising stance. He’s here now to discuss this. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. He serves on four Senate committees, including the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Hawley, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you for having me, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Were you surprised by the position of the Trump DOJ in this case?
SPEAKER 06 :
Stunned. Yeah, just stunned. I mean, Missouri… It’s one of the states in this case. In fact, Missouri is leading the lawsuit. And it’s really a question of are voters going to be able to set the policy and protect life in their states or not? And the position of the Biden administration is it doesn’t matter what the voters vote anywhere. It doesn’t matter what state legislatures do. the Biden DOJ and the Biden FDA said, we’re going to allow providers to mail in chemical abortion drugs into every state, no matter what. If your state restricts it, doesn’t matter. We’re still going to mail in the abortion drugs. And now women can take them under the Biden rules without any physician supervision, any physician help and assistance. It’s incredibly dangerous, Tony. And it’s also totally cuts the legs out from under the Dobbs ruling. I don’t know why the current Department of Justice would defend this rule, it seems to me to be totally antithetical to the president’s position during the campaign and also to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, there’s a simple solution here, if I’m not mistaken, Senator, and feel free to correct me. But you can have the Department of Justice reissue an opinion saying the Comstock law applies to abortion pills as it did prior to the Biden administration. And you can also roll back the FDA rule that simply requires medical oversight of the prescription of the abortion pill.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, and that is that you’re correct, and I think that’s exactly what needs to happen, and here’s why. Just in the last week, we’ve had a major study. of the different prescriptions of the abortion drug to women, 865,000 different prescriptions of this drug. And what this study found over a course of years, the data it looked at, is that almost 11% of women who take this drug experience a serious adverse development. That’s the lingo. What that means is a threatening event, emergency room visits, hemorrhaging, This is a huge number, huge number. It shows that the drug is not safe, and that is why, since it has been available in this country, it has always come with safety protocols. Doctors have to prescribe it. Doctors have to administer it. They have to be available to their patients to help them in the event of a serious health complication. Biden got rid of all that, and I think this administration… could do a world of good by putting those safety restrictions back into place immediately. It’s a matter of life and death, literally.
SPEAKER 08 :
What is preventing them from doing that?
SPEAKER 06 :
Nothing. Nothing’s preventing them, and the Department of Justice, I think their position in this suit is baffling for many reasons. You’re right, I did write to the Attorney General today, and I asked her to review their position and change it. I mean, they need to be pushing to allow voters and states to defend life. And they certainly shouldn’t be in court defending the Biden administration’s rules. And I’ve also, for the same reasons, pushed the FDA. And they’re the ones who have the authority here to put in place the safety regulations. I continue to push the FDA to put back in place these safety regulations. In light of this new data that we have, Tony, it is absolutely necessary. It is absolutely vital that they do this ASAP.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, I’m going to go back to this filing by the Department of Justice in this case that is in Texas. So you have three states. You have Missouri, you have Kansas, and you have Idaho. Now, they were kind of piggybacking on a previous case. What the federal government is saying is that they don’t have standing. They lack standing to bring this case in that jurisdiction. Do you buy that? I mean, you’re a former attorney general of the state of Missouri. Is that a legitimate legal argument?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I don’t really buy that. I do not buy the argument at all that the states don’t have the right to bring the suit. And that’s really what the Department of Justice said here. They quarreled a little bit with what court it got brought in, which is very sort of a lot of legalese. And but then they also said, you know, we really doubt, frankly, that states have the ability to to bring this suit at all. And, Tony, I just completely disagree with this. I mean, listen, the state of Missouri has a responsibility for its citizens, in this case the women of Missouri, many of whom are experiencing major health effects, adverse health effects, from the abortion drug that’s getting mailed into our state. And that’s why Missouri is suing. They’re saying, hold on, thousands and thousands of Missouri women have had to be rushed to hospitals because of the side effects of this drug. Oftentimes the states had to pick up the tab, but that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is their health, their safety, which is severely at risk. That’s why these safety regulations, Tony, have got to go back into effect.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, I don’t buy this interpretation of the Dobbs decision that it simply said it’s a state issue. I think it put it back into the hands of policymakers at every level because I think there’s a federal role, as we see right here. But let’s just say for case of argument that it is a state issue and then the state has a right to deal with the issue. Well, this would completely undercut that if you allow a federal policy to continue to mail abortion pills circumventing the state law. So you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say that you support the right of states to protect the unborn and their mothers and at the same time oppose. have a policy that allows these abortion pills to be sent into the state.
SPEAKER 06 :
That’s exactly correct. This is why the Biden administration put this policy in place. They did not want anybody deciding to restrict abortion in any way. They didn’t want anybody protecting life, not any voter, not any legislature, not the Congress, nobody. So they created this regime where it just doesn’t matter what voters say. Voters can vote to say, you know what, we don’t want there to be abortion at all in our state, or we don’t want there to be abortion after X number of weeks. It doesn’t matter now. Providers, others can mail this drug in to any state they want. No hold safety protocols. So you’re right, Tony. It totally undermines the right of the people at any level, local, state, federal, to decide this video.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, I believe you’ve introduced legislation addressing this issue with Mifeprestone. Tell us about that.
SPEAKER 06 :
My legislation would put back into place the long-standing safety regulation. So it would say the drug can only be prescribed by a real doctor, honest-to-goodness doctor. It can only be dispensed by a doctor. A doctor has to be on hand to help and assist in the event of a medical emergency. There’s got to be follow-up with a doctor. This is really important. My legislation would allow women… who have experienced major medical emergencies because of this drug, it would allow them to sue the telehealth providers, so-called, who have sent them the drugs. What’s happening now is doctors don’t have to prescribe it. So you could have somebody who doesn’t know the dangers of this drug, they don’t ever meet a doctor, they go online somewhere, and a website sends them the drug, mails it through the mail. You ought to be able to sue those people. if you’re injured because you take the drug under false pretenses, and that’s what my bill would do.
SPEAKER 08 :
So, presently, there’s no liability for those that would be trafficking in these drugs?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, you could try to sue them under our existing statutes, Tony. It would be very difficult because, currently, Under the regulations you pointed out, the Biden administration said you can absolutely mail the drugs through the mail, no problem at all. You can dispense them by telehealth, no problem at all. So it’s pretty darn hard to sue anybody. We need to allow women who have been harmed by this drug, and that’s a lot of women we now know, we need to allow them to get into court and say, hold on a minute, and you prescribed me this drug, you should be liable for how I was hurt.
SPEAKER 08 :
Senator Hawley, speak to the issue of the Comstock Act that was in place and would have prohibited, did prohibit the mailing of abortion drugs until a DOJ opinion in the Biden administration.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, this is a longstanding law, Tony. It’s been around for a year. I mean, decades, decades, decades old and has said, has always been understood to say that. that you cannot do what the Biden administration is doing now and what they have given us now, which is you cannot mail abortion drugs through the mail, which is always a requirement that in order to get an abortion drug, do a chemical abortion, a doctor had to prescribe it and a doctor had to administer it in person. But the Biden DOJ wanted to create a whole new system. They wanted to create a whole new abortion industry. And so they said, oh, never mind. We’ll allow people to mail this drug. We’ll allow people to mail it without a doctor visit. We’ll allow anything goes.
SPEAKER 08 :
And so that’s… I think we may have lost… Senator, are you there? I think we may have lost him momentarily. Let’s see if we’re getting back. This is… There’s a couple of things here. First, this is a policy, as Senator Hawley said, that was put in place by the Biden administration. Two aspects. One is the Comstock Act, which was an opinion. This is a statute, but an opinion from the DOJ was given saying that it doesn’t apply to the abortion pill. And then secondly, there was these new rules promulgated for or adopted by the FDA that allows this abortion pill to be prescribed without any kind of medical interaction. All right. And that’s those those requirements have been in place for decades. Going back to the Clinton administration, those two things need to be changed and they can be changed by the Trump administration. And that’s our point is that the Trump administration needs to fix this because the Trump administration cannot say that they are are are respectful of the rights of states to protect the unborn and women and still have this policy in place. I think we have the senator back. Senator, final question for you. We’ve got about a minute left. Is there a legislative remedy on the Comstock Act?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, the legislative remedy, I think, Tony, is to put back into place, to mandate in the law, all of these safety regulations. And that begins with in-person dispensing. That means no more dispensing this drug through the mail. We need to put back in place the rule that says if you’re going to get this abortion drug, you have to go to a real doctor. He or she has to give it to you in person. There’s got to be follow-up visits, etc. That would take care of the mailing issue. And Tony, the other thing is we’ve got to shut down these. Some of these are overseas telehealth providers. They’re like from India. We’ve got to ban them from sending the drug into the United States and from, quote-unquote, prescribing it to women in the United States.
SPEAKER 08 :
Because you don’t even know if it’s the purity of the drug or what the drug is. I mean, there’s no accountability here. I mean, this is so dangerous. Senator Josh Hawley, always great to talk with you. Thanks for joining us today. Thank you. Folks, another reason to pray. Okay, we need to be praying. Pray that the heart of the president would be gripped by this and he would make the right decision to protect the unborn that would be consistent with the Dobbs decision. It’ll allow lawmakers to make these decisions. All right, folks, we’re out of time. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul, who says, when you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed and you’ve prepared, you’ve taken your stand, just keep standing.
SPEAKER 18 :
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.
