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Dive into the complex interactions in the Middle East as President Trump continues his diplomatic mission. CBN News’ Chris Mitchell offers insights into Israel’s reaction to the trip and the evolving regional dynamics. Meanwhile, Tony Perkins invites you to take action on pressing issues related to religious freedoms, as Alliance Defending Freedom steps into the ring to challenge restrictive counseling policies. Discover the grassroots movement to influence legislation and defend the freedoms we hold dear.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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Big abortion providers are not a healthcare provider. They’re an abortion business. Under this legislation, big abortion providers can continue their activities with private dollars, but the organization would no longer be subsidized by the federal government.
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That was Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger earlier today as a House committee continued working through the details of the one big, beautiful bill. Welcome to this May 14th edition of Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. House Speaker Mike Johnson says the process remains on track.
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back in January. I said that we would try to do this as quickly as possible. We’re still on target to hit that Memorial Day deadline, which people balked at when we first said it. The American people are counting on us to get this done and get it done quickly. And we are on target to do it.
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The speaker also weighed in on the recent altercation involving Democratic lawmakers at an ICE detention facility in New Jersey.
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Instead of condemning the action, of course, the Democrat leadership in the House sent out a statement of support. My friend Hakeem Jeffries said, quote, we will never bend the knee. Bend the knee to what, Hakeem? To ICE?
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Come on. We’ll talk with Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter about that incident last Friday and a bit more. Also today, a significant free speech case is unfolding in Missouri. Alliance Defending Freedom appeared in federal court challenging a Kansas City policy that prohibits counselors from counseling children experiencing gender confusion. We’ll get the details from Hal Frampton, senior counsel with ADF. And speaking of gender policy, some in Congress want you, the taxpayers, to fund transgender procedures that, according to a growing body of research, are not only ineffective but often harmful. We’ll hear from Mark Mitchell, vice president of operations and chief pollster at Rasmussen Reports, about where the American people really stand on this issue. And finally, President Trump continues his Middle East trip today.
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Does this trip sideline Israel at all? No, not at all. No, this is good for Israel. Having a relationship like I have with these countries, the Middle Eastern countries, essentially all of them, I think it’s very good for Israel.
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That was President Trump aboard Air Force One earlier today en route to Qatar. We’re going to check in later with CBN’s Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell, who is in Jerusalem. And so we’ll get a perspective on how those in Israel are viewing this Middle East trip by President Trump. The website TonyPerkins.com. Better yet, download the Stand Firm app. Have you got the Stand Firm app? If not, you can get it at the App Store or text APP to 67742, and I’ll send you a link. On the Stand Firm app, not only can you watch Washington Watch no matter where you go, you’ll have access to FRC’s biblical commentary and news, the Washington Stand, as well as my daily devotional, Stand on the Word. All that can be found on the Stand Firm app. Well, as the debate over the one big, beautiful budget reconciliation bill continues, some focus has shifted to cutting taxpayer-funded abortion and so-called gender transition surgeries on minors. The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s portion of the bill includes language that would put the family first agenda into law. But how is this being received and what are Republicans doing to pass it? And is it going to be strong enough? Here to discuss this, Congressman Buddy Carter, who is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee as well as the House Budget Committee. He represents the 1st Congressional District of Georgia. Congressman Carter, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you, Tony. Always a pleasure to be with you, man.
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I know that votes are happening on the House floor, so you stepped off the House floor to give us a call. You were in the Energy and Commerce Committee meeting today as your portion of the reconciliation bill is being marked up. What are we looking at right now as it pertains to government taxpayers, I should say, taxpayers subsidizing big abortion operations like Planned Parenthood and this issue of gender transition issues? surgeries and hormone treatments?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, first of all, Tony, it is, what, 510 right now? We just finished at 430. 26 and a half hours that we worked on this straight through. We were in all night last night. And I am very proud of the product that we put out and the Energy and Commerce Committee. It is really good. What we did was we improved one of the most important programs in our government, and that is Medicaid, which is for the Least vulnerable, the most vulnerable, the most vulnerable patients in our society. And we improved it. We banned gender transition funding in Medicaid. It’s not going to happen. Taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be used to fund child abuse. And gender transition is child abuse. And we have always been for youth. You know, Democrats, they’re for they, them. Republicans, we are for you. And we’re not going to allow this to happen. I was very proud we had it in there. We also abandoned abortion funding and Medicaid. Taxpayers’ dollars shouldn’t be going to organizations that provide abortion services. It’s as easy as that. I mean, and we did that in this bill. Now we’re going to be sending it to the Budget Committee, which I also serve on. So I’ll get a second shot at it. And we’re going to put it all together in the Budget Committee, take all the committees that have done their work, and we’re going to put it together in the budget resolution.
SPEAKER 10 :
Now, you’ve also, through the reconciliation, added some, you know, beyond eliminating the bad stuff that attacks the family, we’re seeing some improvements being made in policy that actually supports the family.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely, there are improvements that are going to support the family. And certainly, you know, these are examples of how we can improve the family, but there are other examples as well. We put a number of things in this bill. Again, you know, what we’re trying to do, we have community involvement. The Democrats, they want to call it work requirements. It’s not work requirements. It’s community involvement. We want to help people step up and get off of Medicaid and get on to another insurance. And that’s important because if we’ve got an able-bodied adult that is just not doing anything except getting Medicaid, not working, not volunteering, not doing anything, that’s not what Medicaid is for. And we’re trying to transition those people. So we’ve got the community involvement in there. You can work up to 20 hours a week, 20 hours a week, and it can be volunteer work. Or you can get a job working 20 hours a week. But that’s going to be a requirement now. That’s going to be a requirement for you to be on the Medicaid program if you’re able-bodied. Now, if you’ve got children or you’re taking care of a parent, Our child, no. No, you will be exempt from it. There are exemptions in there. But if you’re able-bodied.
SPEAKER 10 :
I mean, this sounds like one of those common-sense policies. I mean, nobody should be just sitting there on the couch having everything taken care of because they don’t want to go out and work. Let me ask you this question. Let’s go back to the funding of organizations like Planned Parenthood. It’s not just Planned Parenthood, but it’s other organizations that would fund abortion. There were some Republicans last week who said they couldn’t support the reconciliation bill if that prohibition against taxpayer dollars going to abortion organizations was in there. Are we going to be able to get the Republicans on board with this?
SPEAKER 14 :
I certainly hope so. And, you know, the speaker and leadership warned us early on, don’t throw any red lines. Don’t say in the media, I can’t vote for it if it’s got this in it. You know, don’t paint yourself into a corner. There are things in this reconciliation package that I’m not necessarily going to like and that I would like to change. But you have to look at it in its totality, and you have to understand just how important it is. How important it is we get this done. If we don’t get it done, 88% of Americans will be looking at the highest tax increase, the largest tax increase they’ve ever had. We’ve got to get this done. And I’m very proud of the work, as I said earlier, that we’ve done in the Energy and Commerce Committee. We’ve put out a great product.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I think people need to understand that we’re talking about 220 Republicans, and they come from a variety of districts, backgrounds, and ideological makeups. And so reaching consensus is a part of the legislative process. You know, it’s often where the majority is when you’ve got, you know, 205 of the 220 that are all lined up saying, you know, this is something we’ve worked on for decades to defund Planned Parenthood. Then the other 15 ought to come along for the good of not just the party, but for the country, because this is something that taxpayers have said over and over again. Planned Parenthood should not be getting $800 million a year in taxpayer money to take the lives of 400,000 babies.
SPEAKER 14 :
They should not be getting one red cent a year. They should not be getting anything. But to your point, Tony, and it is a good point, ours is a big tent. You know, it’s a very diverse conference. And, yes, we’ve got some people in swing districts and swing seats that – You know, they’ve got some strong feelings. And then we’ve got some other people in deep red seats, and they’ve got strong feelings. And, you know, at the end of the day, we’re all on the same team. We’re all trying to achieve the same thing, and we need to understand that. We need to come together.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, and just like you said, there’s going to be some things in this bill that you do not particularly care for, but you recognize that it is a consensus-building process. And having served in the legislative body, I understand how that works. I want to shift gears, Congressman Carter. Three Democrat representatives, members of Congress from New Jersey, recently had a run-in with the authorities near an ICE detention facility in New Jersey. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says these members of Congress committed felonies on the premises. What’s your take on this?
SPEAKER 14 :
I think they have lost their mind. The radical left has lost their mind. They’d rather… raid an ICE facility and defend criminal, illegal immigrants and represent their own constituents? Are you kidding me? And, yes, Kristi Noem is exactly right. They have created, they have. Representative Watson Coleman, Menendez, and McIver, they should be taken, their committee assignments should be taken away. Now, for the last 26 and a half hours, I’ve been with Representative Menendez, and nice fellow, like him fine, but, hey, he shouldn’t be on Energy and Commerce with us. He should be removed from that. I’m on that committee for serious work. These clowns, unbelievable that they’ve done this. And, yes, there should be repercussions on this. We teach our children that actions have consequences, and they need to understand that.
SPEAKER 10 :
Congressman, I know you need to go vote. You’ve got about a minute left to go cast this vote. So I appreciate you joining us there from the cloakroom, and always great to talk with you, Congressman Carter. Thank you so much. That was Congressman Buddy Carter of Georgia. I want to pull in very quickly, Kena Gonzalez, who is our director of government affairs, just with some action items on this to kind of wrap up as we go into this break. Kena, thanks for joining us. All right. You heard Congressman Carter. What are the action items folks need to take?
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Yeah, this bill is far from being finalized. This is just the first step of several that it needs to clear in the next few weeks. And right now, people can go to frcaction.org slash defund or tonyperkins.com and find the link to weigh in with Congress and make sure that these provisions that we just talked about, defunding big abortion, defunding gender transition procedures across the board, not just on minors, are strengthened and retained in the bill as it heads through the House and over to the Senate.
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All right, folks, you could do that. You can also text Congress to 67742. That’s Congress to 67742, and I’ll send you a link. Kena, thanks so much for jumping in here and giving us those action items.
SPEAKER 17 :
Really grateful for people who take action.
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And Kena could use the backup. He’s up on the Hill every day working with members and the staff on these issues. So help him out. Text Congress to six, seven, seven, four, two. We’re going to talk more later about the whole gender funding of this gender transition and where the American people stand on it. All right. Don’t go away. We’re coming back with more Washington Watch on the other side of this break.
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In a time when Washington seems clouded by compromise, a bold group of lawmakers are standing firm in defense of the values which our nation was built upon. At FRC Actions 100% Awards, 171 members of Congress were honored for voting 100% in line with policies that promote faith, family, and freedom.
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Faith and family made our country, it’s the foundation that made our country not only great, but good.
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The values that make America, faith, family, hard work, personal responsibility. I mean, that to me is the heart of FRC and grateful for everything that they do.
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It’s very important for us to have organizations such as FRC. First of all, I think it keeps us grounded, in addition to which the issues that you champion are issues that we should all be championing.
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FRC is very, very good at honing in on those things that really affect Christians’ lives. Also, working with members of Congress, too, to make sure that those values are instilled in the legislation that we create.
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Having the Family Research Council to guide us is critically important to being able to do the right thing consistently.
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These lawmakers have drawn the line, not just in policy, but in principle. This is more than politics. This is conviction in action. Visit frcaction.org for more information on how you too can make a difference.
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Jennifer, it’s so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God’s Design. Who is actually going to benefit from reading this book in your view?
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There are so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
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This is really magical to have the therapist and the individual who suffered come together and write about why this is happening and why we’re seeing this.
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And we brought all of that experience to the table. We want to see people walking in the fullness of who God has called them to be and not a false identity.
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Pre-order today at embracethedesign.com.
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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.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Again, text CONGRESS to 67742. That’s CONGRESS to 67742. And you can weigh in on these issues. In fact, it’s really helpful if you’ll just get the Stand Firm app. We can have push notifications so when things like this come up, and you want to be involved, because as I’ve said before, our republic was not made for spectators. It was made for participants. So best thing to do, get the Stand Firm app, get the push notifications. We’ll have your zip code so we know when your member of Congress needs to be, well, you need to reach out and touch them. But for now, text the word Congress to 67742, and I’ll send you a link. All right. Earlier today, licensed counselors from Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, had their day in court challenging a troubling local ordinance that is essentially a ban on counseling that does not push children to reject biological reality. And we’re seeing this across in different places of the country, different parts of the country. It’s a little surprising it’s in Missouri, but it’s there. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a frequent guest on the program, also joined the lawsuit as a co-plaintiff to protect the freedoms of other Missourians impacted by these ordinances. So what did the oral arguments look like in court today? Well, joining me now to share what happened is Hal Frampton, Senior Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom and Director of their Center for Conscience Initiatives. He has been deeply involved throughout the proceedings of this case. Hal, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Thank you, Tony.
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Great to be here.
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Okay, let’s jump right into this. How did the oral arguments go today?
SPEAKER 24 :
They went well. They were very lengthy. The court was very engaged, asked very good questions of both sides, and we are hopeful that right and truth will prevail and that the counselor’s freedom to counsel people in accordance with their conscience will be upheld.
SPEAKER 10 :
So this is basically the city putting in a gag rule saying that there’s certain things you can’t say. If someone comes to you with gender dysphoria, you can’t counsel them that there’s other options.
SPEAKER 24 :
That’s exactly right. It’s censorship, pure and simple. It is the government putting its thumb on the scale and saying that in a private counseling conversation between a counselor and a willing client looking to find a way through their gender confusion, the counselor cannot say, well, there are actually ways that you can develop comfort with your natal sex, as we know the overwhelming majority of children with these concerns will do if they’re given the chance to. Government putting its thumb on the scale and saying, you can’t say that.
SPEAKER 10 :
But Hal, this is… It’s absurd because we’re talking about counseling. We’re talking about having conversations. We’re talking about just helping people go back to the source of possibly conflict because we know from most cases there’s some point of crisis, conflict that they could possibly work through. In most cases they do, but rather they would have them go down a path of taking hormones or surgeries that are irreversible.
SPEAKER 24 :
Yes, and that’s what’s so disturbing about it is that we know that there are essentially two paths here. There’s path one where a counselor helps a child through their confusion, has open and honest conversations with them, and the child develops comfort with their natal sex. That’s one path. The second path and the one that Kansas City is essentially forcing counselors to send kids down is the path towards medicalized transition and dangerous drugs and surgeries that we know in the end do not actually make people happier and carry inordinate risks.
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And most times irreversible.
SPEAKER 24 :
Absolutely. Most of those interventions are indeed irreversible. They can lead to a person being a patient for life, becoming sterile, and having a lifetime of regret.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, so how are people harmed by having conversations about things in the past that may have created this dissidence within them about their sexual identity?
SPEAKER 24 :
Well, they’re not. And that’s one of the falsehoods that we have to deal with in these cases is the lie that if you just have a conversation about this, this will somehow harm the child or they’ll do something to themselves or something. And the research simply doesn’t bear that out. There’s no evidence that having… conversations is remotely harmful and in fact the emerging evidence is that it’s helpful and that it helps children ultimately understand themselves better and understand who they are and who God made them to be.
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, Hal, I know it’s always hard to read the courts, but oftentimes based upon how the justices or the judges engage in the conversations and the questions they ask, you know, you try to predict which way they might be leaning. What kind of conversation took place? What were the questions that were being asked in the courtroom today?
SPEAKER 24 :
There were a lot of probing questions, some about the issue that you and I just talked about, whether there really is evidence that these kinds of conversations harm anyone. And we pointed out that that evidence doesn’t exist. And we’ve submitted a great deal of research on that point. So we never want to try and predict an outcome because you never know. But we were encouraged with the level of engagement and the fact that the court seemed to be working through all of these issues carefully.
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, how I mentioned this earlier, I would be nice to say that this is a one-off, that what’s happening there in Kansas City is unique, but it’s not. We see this happening in jurisdictions across the country.
SPEAKER 24 :
We do. One of the things that we really take hope from is that the Supreme Court is going to deal with this very issue in the fall in another case that we are involved with, the Childs case out of Colorado, where the state of Colorado has a law very similar to Kansas City’s ordinance there. And we’re very encouraged that the Supreme Court granted cert, agreed to take that case, and we’ll hear all of these arguments and hopefully
SPEAKER 10 :
uh hand down a decision affirming that yes indeed counselors have a first amendment right to have these conversations with with struggling kids it’s it’s amazing this is where we have come to but this is this is really extension of the council culture just wanting to silence that which they cannot confront with truth and facts so they just want to silence it and this is such a just such a revealing example of that. And that’s why we have to advocate for the truth and why I’m so grateful for Alliance Defending Freedom and that you’re out there fighting for the freedom of speech and religion all across this nation and literally around the world. So Hal, thanks so much for taking time to join us today.
SPEAKER 24 :
Thank you, Tony. I really appreciate it.
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And folks, be praying about this. As Hal mentioned, not only do we have these cases around the country, but we have the Supreme Court taking on this issue. And we need to pray. Never… underestimate the power of prayer. In fact, as Christians, as followers of Christ, we’ve been admitted to the bar of heaven. Okay. Just as we have attorneys that go into court and argue these cases, we have the ability to boldly approach the throne of grace and appeal to the King of Kings, to the one who literally the court of heaven is what moves us. the government of man. And so pray, pray for these things. All right, don’t go away. We’re back with more Washington Watch after this.
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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.
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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.
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Tony Perkins called for the United States to send an unmistakable message.
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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.
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Redesignating Nigeria will enable the U.S. government to pressure Nigerian leaders to protect vulnerable Christians.
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These are not just numbers. These are fathers, their mothers, their children, their families.
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Bishop Wilfred Anagabe risked his life to speak out, sharing firsthand accounts of the danger faced in his church district in central Nigeria.
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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.
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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.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. As congressional Republicans hammer out the bills to fund the federal government, they have a chance to end taxpayer funding of abortion providers and so-called gender transition procedures. This is happening as we speak. So I want to encourage you to send a message to your member of Congress and your senators. Text the word Congress to 67742. That’s Congress to 67742. And I’ll send you a link so that you can communicate with them. And one of the things that’s happening right now, and this really shouldn’t be a debate, quite frankly, and that is whether taxpayer dollars should fund transgender surgeries and hormone treatments, that it’s in the reconciliation bill. Now, they’ve cut off funding for minors, but there’s still money in there that would fund these experimental drugs and surgeries. I mean, this should be a non-issue for Republicans. Why? Well… Why allocate scarce federal resources to procedures that, according to a growing number of studies, are often ineffective and in many cases harmful? And second, while public opinion shouldn’t be the final determinant, Recent polling shows that a majority of Americans oppose using taxpayer money to fund gender transition interventions. Here to unpack the latest data is Mark Mitchell, vice president of operations and chief pollster at Rasmussen Reports. Mark, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 25 :
Great to be here. And what a topic. The Republicans in Congress, they need to get a lot more brave on things. I 100 percent believe. Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
Mark, wasn’t this a major issue in the last election?
SPEAKER 25 :
Absolutely. In fact, we were polling on it in the fall. One of the things that Kamala Harris was supporting was taxpayer funding for transgender medical treatments and voters overwhelmingly opposed it. I’m looking at numbers. Sixty four percent oppose. Fifty two percent strongly. Only 28 percent are in favor. Only 12 percent are strongly in favor. And none of the Republicans want it. 84% oppose this thing, 75% strongly. But here’s the thing. I’ve talked to some of these offices down in D.C. The Republicans, I don’t even think, believe in polling because nobody’s coming to me and asking for these crosstabs. And I’ve been doing these issues for years. And these polls are not getting done by anybody, not any of the 501c3s. They’re losing on issues like abortion. They’re losing on issues like, like, why don’t we have E-Verify? It’s overwhelmingly popular. They should just pass the law.
SPEAKER 10 :
This is another example. All right, let me go back. Let me get you to clarify this. You said they’re losing on issues like abortion. In what way?
SPEAKER 25 :
Well, for instance, you have Republicans undercutting each other because they’re not anti-abortion enough, and why don’t you support 100 percent? But people have to understand the realities and where the Overton window is. And if you wanted to win on a topic like abortion or a topic like transgender stuff, you would pick the no-brainers that everybody supports— And everybody opposes late-term abortion. That’s a winner. Like, go after that. And everybody opposes transing the kids, going after the kids, having taxpayer funding. Like, these are obvious because it’s a little bit more mixed. If you just ask somebody, do you support transsexualism, you’ll get a lot more muted results. But they’re begging for Republicans to take action on this stuff.
SPEAKER 10 :
So when it comes to I agree with you, where you find is your strongest point and you build from there. And when you look at taxpayer funding of these initiatives, whether it’s abortion, like through Planned Parenthood or it’s the transgender experimental treatments, that’s where I think you find your strongest point. But, you know, I mean, you’re doing the polling. Am I correct?
SPEAKER 25 :
Absolutely. That’s how you do it, because these are no-brainers. And listen, Donald Trump won on a whole lot of no-brainers. Border invasions, super unpopular, right? Transing the kids, super unpopular. Overspending in the government. But the problem comes back to Donald Trump has really great favorability numbers right now. The right direction polling for our country is off the charts better than it’s been in 20 years. But Congress is getting rated poorly, especially by Republicans. And that is a really bad formula for— For the midterms, only 16 percent of Republicans rate Congress excellent right now. And do you agree or disagree with his statement? Republicans in Congress are not delivering on the mandate given to them by the American people. And 60 percent of Republicans agree with that statement, 25 percent strongly. Only 13 percent strongly disagree. These numbers are going to get worse. They haven’t really been in session. They haven’t really passed legislation. They’re not going after the obvious stuff. Why haven’t we gotten these things like the SAVE Act? Why haven’t we put things like E-Verify into place? Why haven’t they codified any of his anti-LGBT executive orders in the law? Let’s up the pace.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, and that’s why reconciliation is so important, because so much of that is rolled into this reconciliation. But what you have… The outliers that are kind of dragging this process with just a few votes to to spare are those in blue states and these what they might call swing districts that are afraid. But you’re saying when you look at Republican voters who would be voting in these primaries, they’re amped on these things.
SPEAKER 25 :
Well, especially blue states. Listen, I would stick to Donald Trump’s platform because it’s overwhelmingly more popular than he is. All of the parts of the MAGA agenda are essentially 60, 65 percent issue. And Donald Trump’s only got a 52 percent favorability rating. I talk to candidates in the blue states and they say, man, the establishment Republicans just want to run squishy moderates. And I’ve done the polling. If you ask People who vote in Republican primaries in these states, would you rather have an America first Trump Republican or a traditional Republican? People say Trump Republican overwhelmingly and just culturally in almost all of these states. I’ve done polling in places like California. Guess what? California’s Californians are overwhelmingly against late term abortion, too. The problem is their leaders just frame it in a way that. They get the support.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I would think in these blue states, they see the results of bad policy. And so they’re eager to embrace, as you said, America first policies, not necessarily, you know, Donald Trump’s polling is not the same as his policies. It’s the American first policy agenda that drives that support. Mark, we’re out of time. I want to thank you for joining us. Always great to talk with you. And we’ll continue to track these issues because I think they’re only going to get stronger. Yeah, thanks for bringing me here, Tony. Appreciate it. All right, Mark Mitchell with Rasmussen Reports. These are no-brainer issues. They’re common-sense issues, and I think that’s why people are embracing them. All right, don’t go away. We’re back with more after this.
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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.
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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 23 :
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SPEAKER 10 :
This is Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Glad to have you with us. All right, let me again give out the text… of the word Congress to 67742. That’s Congress to 67742. So you can weigh in on this reconciliation bill, encouraging Congress not to fund organizations like Planned Parenthood and not to fund these transgender procedures. It’s crazy. Republicans should not be supporting that. So text the word Congress to 67742. I’ll send you a link, which will then help you connect directly with your member of Congress. Our word for today comes from the prophet Haggai. Thus says the Lord of hosts, these people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord. Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins? Misplaced priorities. The people who had returned from exile to rebuild God’s temple had become preoccupied with their own comfort and prosperity. They abandoned the very mission that they had willingly embraced when they left Babylon. But their misplaced focus came at a cost. Look at verse 5. Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. You have sown much and harvested little. You earn wages to put them in a bag with holes. Now, here’s a truth found throughout Scripture. Whatever God calls us to, Satan will try to pull us away from. If we don’t recognize and resist that tactic, we risk falling into the same trap the exiles did. Busy lives, empty results. Let’s keep God’s priorities first and stay faithful to the mission He’s given us. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. President Donald Trump’s trip through the Middle East continues. Following his speech in Riyadh yesterday, he met with Ahmad Asharah, the interim president of Syria. According to reports, President Trump urged the Syrian leaders to join the Abraham Accords as a step toward normalizing relations with Israel. And he called on him to reject support for terrorism from neighboring regimes. Meanwhile, our friends in Israel are closely monitoring these developments, especially as missile attacks from Yemen continued to escalate. Joining me now with the latest on these unfolding events is Chris Mitchell. He joins us from Jerusalem. He is the Middle East Bureau chief for CBN News. Chris, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 08 :
Great to be with you again, Tony. And speaking of those missile attacks, I would say there was one this morning at 7.30, one last night about 6.30. There were sirens here in Jerusalem, so it’s a very real thing for us here in the city.
SPEAKER 10 :
Now, I want to point that out, that, you know, When we’ve seen these attacks from Gaza, and I was talking to a member of the Knesset, there were a couple of rockets that were fired from Gaza. But these are missiles, much different, coming from Yemen. And usually Jerusalem has not been affected by many of these attacks, but that’s changed with these attacks coming from the Houthis.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah. Last night, like I said, there was a ballistic missile and another one early this morning. Thankfully, they were both intercepted. But what that does is you have a couple of million people that are running the bomb shelters. You know, all of us in the office today, we’re talking about where you were when the siren went off. Our production manager has to take his three little children into the staircase. So it’s a very real threat here. Thankfully, most of them are intercepted. But but Some have come through, like a couple of weeks ago at Ben-Gurion Airport.
SPEAKER 10 :
You’re right. That was like a day or so after I was there at the airport that struck. And that’s actually affected travel. Many airlines have, in fact, United, which I was flying on, has suspended their flights into Israel. So this has an impact upon Israel.
SPEAKER 08 :
Very much so. And almost every day, Tony, the airlines come out with a new time where they’re going to delay their flights. And it just keeps going on and on. You know, Delta, I think, is back into June right now. But so it does have a big impact on tourism here for sure.
SPEAKER 10 :
So let me just start with that point. I want to get to the Syrian leader and the meeting that President Trump had with him. But prior to him going to the Middle East, the president or the Trump administration negotiating with the Houthis to end the attacks on U.S. shipping. But Israel was left out of that agreement. And we’re seeing what appears to me to be an escalation of these attacks from Yemen.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, they’ve decided Yemen certainly did not agree that it would stop attacks on Israel, and it wasn’t part of the agreement with the United States. There have been an increase in the last several weeks. I think about 31 in the last couple of weeks. Actually, since the beginning of the—or when the ceasefire ended, the Houthis decided to continue their ballistic attacks against Israel. So they haven’t stopped, and it wasn’t part of the agreement with the United States.
SPEAKER 10 :
So how does Israel view that? I mean, are they a little concerned that America kind of looked after its own interests without looking out for the interests of our closest ally in the region?
SPEAKER 08 :
It is disconcerting to people here in Israel, and it’s not the first time. It’s not the only issue. I think in the last few weeks, the UT agreement that did not include Israel, the Iranian nuclear deal that Israel’s not a part of, this negotiations, this idea of Saudi Arabia normalization, seemingly something that Israel’s not a part of. But yeah, it’s been disconcerting, I think, and very troubling for people here in Israel. in these particular cases.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, let’s talk about the last 36, 48 hours as the president’s been in the region meeting in Saudi Arabia, as I mentioned earlier, meeting with the new interim Syrian leader, a meeting in which even the Turkish president, Erdogan, was a part of. And I think the president acknowledged that he took this meeting with the Syrian leader, a former member of ISIS, al-Qaeda, at the urging of Erdogan. That is—when you look at that region, Erdogan and Turkey, they have a clear objective to reestablish the Ottoman Empire, the caliphate. That is seen as a threat to Israel, is it not?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, it is. I mean, Erdogan has a longstanding dream of reestablishing the caliphate that had been destroyed after World War I, and it lasted for 400 years. So that has been his dream. He said that in his rhetoric. He actually spoke to the Turkish parliament today, thanking President Trump for his agreement to meet with Shira. And he was part of the conversation yesterday with Mohammed bin Salman, President Trump, and the leader, the new leader of Syria right now, Shira. What troubles people here, Tony, I think, is his background. He was a member of al-Qaeda. He has been part of what’s called HTS. That was the group that took over from the Assad regime, and he has since disbanded it. Many people wonder his new makeover. He’s no longer dressed in fatigues, but he’s dressed in a suit, and he’s appealing to Western countries. He visited French President Macron just a few days ago. The concern is that he will establish another Islamic regime. I just talked to a man named Dr. Kamal Sido. He’s a human rights activist. He’s Kurdish. He was born in Syria, but he lives now in Germany. He just spent a lot of time in Syria right now talking to a lot of minorities, including Druze and Kurds, Christians, and what they were telling him Is there concern this might be an Islamic regime, a concern that these minorities would be at risk, particularly Christians would be at risk, and that there would be an attempt to either persecute or pressure people to convert to Islam? And so that is the balance that right now people are wondering. Will Shara become more Western, not only in his dress but in his behavior? And the other thing is that what Dr. Sito was telling me, that really Turkey has a great influence there in the government and that many of the members of the government, right, are Turkish. He was warned when he was in Damascus to be careful what he said on the phone because of the… the Turkish police and Secret Service. So it’s troubling and concerning. And certainly that’s what Israel, as soon as the Assad regime fell and they saw what was being taken over, they destroyed much of the Assad military, not wanting it to fall into the hands of this new regime.
SPEAKER 10 :
So, as you interact with those there in Israel, kind of assessing the last 36 hours as the president, President Trump, has been in the region, is there—I mean, is there a shifting of power or a regaining of standing by some of these nations that the president has been interacting with?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, that’s the assessment of some is that Israel is sort of becoming diminished in a sense. Many of these other powers like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, where he is today, UAE, will he be going in probably just a few hours, gaining influence and prestige with the United States. while Israel is trying to finish its war with Hamas in Gaza. Right now they’re on the cusp of perhaps a large offensive and operation that will finally bring an end to the war, defeat Hamas, and hopefully bring back all the hostages. So it does seem like there has been a bit of a shift here in the region because of what’s going on. Thankfully, people are saying, They were concerned that there would be a sense of establishing a Palestinian state there in Riyadh. That didn’t happen. But certainly there’s a feeling of a shift going on right now here in the region.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, my sources there in Israel have told me that the president assured the prime minister that there would not be the proposal of a of a Palestinian state on this trip, that he that was kind of a red line. The president has in all of his conversations, Saudi Arabia with Syria, encouraged and used his influence to get these members to join, these other countries to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relationships with Israel. That has to be somewhat reassuring to those there in Israel.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, for sure. And Saudi Arabia would change the whole region for sure. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said nothing better would he have than he could shake the hands of Mohammed bin Salman. You know, if there were The Abraham Accords joined by Syria, that would be a game changer as well. Right now, I would say there’s a strategic concern by Israel, and they want to be cautious about what’s happened and maybe cautiously optimistic. But that would be a game changer if the… if all these nations, as President Trump is encouraging them, to join the Abraham Accords. And I would say, as well, there were five criteria that the president set forth, or the White House did, of what they want to hear from Syria. And that would include expelling most of their or all of their foreign terrorists and changing their attitude toward terror and coming against terrorism in the region.
SPEAKER 10 :
Chris Mitchell, let me ask you about Iran, because that also has been a topic President Trump has brought up repeatedly as he’s been asked about it. He’s made very clear that Iran has to give up their nuclear plan. But the secretary of energy, Chris Wright, told CBS News that he anticipates a deal with Iran by the end of the year. is there that much time or does something have to happen sooner?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, a lot of people think there may not be that much time for a couple of reasons. First of all, they believe Iran, despite the talks, is pursuing enriching uranium up to nearly military grade uranium. That would be enough to make the amount of uranium they have would enough to make several nuclear weapons. That’s one thing. The other thing is that right now, currently, Iran is vulnerable to any military attack because of what happened last year with many of their air defenses being destroyed by Israel, not only in Iran, but also in Syria. So there does seem to be a window of opportunity right now. I’m not sure it’s going to last till the end of the year. And a lot of people are wary of Iran because they’re master negotiators, and they’re excellent at dragging out these negotiations while they continue their nuclear program. In many ways, that’s what Iran is so good at, and that’s why the concern is here, is that the window of opportunity may not last that long.
SPEAKER 10 :
But that leaves Israel somewhat in a bind with a ticking clock, but yet at the same time, they can’t move without at least a green light or a blessing from the United States. I don’t want to get crossways openly with the Trump administration.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, that’s why it’s such an awkward position for them right now. They’re certainly looking at the negotiations now, and there have been four meetings, and yet they don’t want to go against and preempt those negotiations. Well, President Trump really does want to reach a deal. But what would the deal mean? Would it mean reducing their amount of enriched uranium? Or would it mean what some people say is an elimination, a destruction of the entire nuclear infrastructure? I understand today there was a letter written by senators and congressmen that that would be what… what they want to see. They want to see like a destruction of their whole nuclear program. But it seems like these negotiations are talking about things that would be less than that. And certainly Israel is wanting, and Prime Minister Netanyahu said, they want what’s called the Libyan model back in 2003 or 2004, where Libya’s nuclear program was completely destroyed. And that would be the best thing that Israel would prefer.
SPEAKER 10 :
Final question for you, Chris Mitchell. We got about 30 seconds left. I know a lot of folks there in Jerusalem, many Christians are there in Jerusalem and in Israel just praying, spiritually discerning what is going on. How should Christians back here in the United States and elsewhere be praying right now, given what is unfolding in the Middle East?
SPEAKER 08 :
Tony, I would say pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray that God would continue to protect his people here in this country. Pray that there would be peace in the region like President Trump is advocating for. Pray for great wisdom for Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Israeli government, and especially for President Trump as he navigates the Middle East. Give him wisdom for what he needs to do or not do. Pray also for our good friend Israel. Mike Huckabee, new ambassador here to Israel, for wisdom for him. And I think that would be that God’s purposes would be fulfilled here in the region and not the plans of man.
SPEAKER 10 :
Absolutely. That’s what we want to pray, pray for God’s plans and purposes to be accomplished through his people. Chris Mitchell, always great to see you. Thanks for joining us. Great to be with you, Tony. And folks, I want to encourage you to do just that, to pray. All right, we’re out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, keep praying.
SPEAKER 05 :
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.
