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As fiscal challenges loom over Capitol Hill, the episode highlights ongoing budgetary debates with Congressman Chuck Fleischman. Explore the hurdles Congress faces with less than two dozen legislative days left, addressing the potential need for continuing resolutions to maintain government functionality. Meanwhile, examine China’s covert exertion of influence in the U.S., threatening both economic integrity and human rights. The conversation touches on the crucial intersection of policy and faith, demonstrated through the activities of the Family Research Council and its efforts to defend fundamental societal values.
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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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My administration is committed to strengthening our friendships in Africa through economic development efforts that benefit both the United States and our partners. And we’re shifting from AID to trade.
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That was President Donald Trump yesterday in a White House meeting with leaders from five African nations. Welcome to this July 10th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, coming up, could replacing aid with trade be the answer to prayer for African leaders who have repeatedly voiced disdain for the LGBTQ conditions often tied to U.S. foreign assistance? We’ll explore that question in depth with New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, who’ll join me here in studio. The Trump administration has already signaled its commitment to rolling back anti-family policies in foreign aid. In the rescissions package submitted to Congress, the administration proposed reductions to PEPFAR, the president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief, removing funding used to promote abortion and LGBTQ agendas. But here’s the twist. It’s not Democrats trying to reverse it. It’s Senate Republicans.
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For my part, I believe it needs some significant changes. For example, I want to strike the rescissions of funds for PEPFAR. I can’t imagine why we would want to terminate that program.
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Well, we’ll tell you why. That was Maine Senator Susan Collins. We’ll unpack the debate with FRC’s Arielle Del Turco and Senior Congressional Analyst for the Washington Stand, Mark Tapscott. Also ahead, after six months of work, Congress passed the reconciliation bill that is focused on last year’s budget. But with fewer than two dozen legislative days left in the House before the fiscal year ends, what about this coming year’s budget? Will the government be funded in time? We’ll ask Tennessee Congressman and House Appropriations Committee member Chuck Fleischman later here on Washington Watch. And finally, the death toll from last week’s devastating flood in Texas has climbed to at least 120. A little bit later, we’ll be joined by HUD Secretary Scott Turner, who led members of the President Trump’s cabinet earlier this week in prayer for the families impacted by that devastating flood. All of that and more ahead on this edition of Washington Watch. Well, leaders from five African nations are in Washington, D.C. this week for a three-day mini summit hosted by President Trump and his administration aimed at strengthening commercial ties between the U.S. and Africa. President Trump said he wants to exchange trade for aid. Joining me now to discuss this and more is Congressman Chris Smith, senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chairman of the subcommittee on Africa and co-chairman of the Congressional Executive Commission on China. He represents New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District. Congressman Smith, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you very much. Great to see you again.
SPEAKER 15 :
Thanks for joining us here in studio. Now, it may not be clear exactly from what President Trump’s comments were, but the suggestion he wants to trade aid for trade or exchange trade for aid, I would think is a welcome sign to many of these African country leaders who have been, these liberal policies out of the State Department have been imposed upon them.
SPEAKER 08 :
There’s so many nefarious promotions of abortion, LGBTQ, by NGOs, many of them from the United States and the European Union and elsewhere. And they build up a local capacity among African countries with like-minded ultra-leftists. And it’s a very, very… dangerous situation for the morality as well as the health and well-being of people in these countries. Trade, you know, I’m a big promoter of Power Africa to help them matriculate from a very dearth of capability to run machines to run their hospitals. I mean, power and the climate change folks have made that even harder for them to build up that capacity. So what we’re saying is that a lot of countries want trade. They want to raise the middle class, which can happen. But so long as the NGOs and the vast industrial complex of NGOs, as our Secretary of State said in a recent statement, it carries with it.
SPEAKER 15 :
a whole lot of baggage. Isn’t that something similar to what we’ve seen domestically, where instead of empowering people, like we saw in the last Trump administration, helping people to create jobs and opportunities, rather than keeping them dependent upon the government?
SPEAKER 08 :
It’s a great Great point. I do think we need to ensure that where there’s refugees, like we’re seeing in DR Congo, and certainly as a result of the fighting that’s been going on there, we need to be first and foremost in providing humanitarian aid. But when it comes to the everyday, you know, what are we doing vis-a-vis name the country in Africa or elsewhere, we should be saying, how do you develop that middle class and entrepreneurs and people that can create jobs?
SPEAKER 15 :
Let me give you a prime example of something you’ve led on. I’ve mentioned it. We’re going to talk about it later in the program, so I don’t want to get too deep into it, but PEPFAR. That program started in 2003. That’s right. It’s been around for 25 years, and it’s just grown. I mean, I think we’re over $125 billion that it’s been. It was called an emergency plan, but it’s still there.
SPEAKER 08 :
That’s right. No, when it was first proposed, Henry Hynde was the prime author of it. And, of course, George W. Bush was behind it completely. But the problem is that all of a sudden it went from abstinence and the big emphasis on being faithful as a way of mitigating the pandemic. I remember those debates. I was here. Now they’re promoting philosophies that are antithetical to everything we believe in.
SPEAKER 15 :
It’s been traced to funding abortion. That’s right.
SPEAKER 08 :
No doubt about it. And Biden hijacked PEPFAR, put out guidance, as he called it, that said every recipient of funds need to change the laws in their country that they’re operating on, on sexual and reproductive health and rights. That’s abortion and the entirety of the LGBT agenda.
SPEAKER 15 :
So is that not an example of what’s happened with our foreign policy?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, it has been hijacked by the leftists. You know, we should have a humanitarian core, you know, And Rubio has talked about the America First project, and that’s where the funding from USAID will now go over to. And we’ve got to make sure that it’s really focused on humanitarianism.
SPEAKER 15 :
And it addresses emergency. It doesn’t become a perpetual government program like PECC.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, PEPFAR got up to about $6.7 to $7 billion. I asked the head of it, John de Gunnison, who ran it for the Biden administration. And I have to tell you, he’s still, he’s a deputy. He’s still in the mix in this administration in running this. I met with him with my wife, Marie, for two hours. Asked him, what are they doing on abortion? What are they doing on all these issues like the LGBTQ? He said, I don’t know. I’m at 10,000 feet. I don’t know what’s going on in the ground. I have asked repeatedly to say, what are they doing with taxpayer monies? And we get critics.
SPEAKER 15 :
So the Trump administration and the recisions has cut not the treatment. They’re leaving money in there to help those to still deal with those issues. But cutting out the NGOs that are promoting these woke ideologies of abortion.
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That’s right.
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But the Senate wants to put it back in.
SPEAKER 08 :
Senate Republicans want to put it back in. Why? I know. Well, Bush and Obama and Bono are pushing very hard for that. And I’m very disappointed in President Bush. I tried for eight years to get him to include the pro-life Mexico City policy for this entire program. I remember. And they wouldn’t do it. I said, you know, Planned Parenthood and their ilk make a beeline for this massive amount of money. Then they integrate what is good, mother-to-child transmission drugs and the like, with…
SPEAKER 15 :
This is what is so good. I mean, the Trump administration is zeroing in on these issues. It’s disruptive to the left, but he is zeroing in on it. And what’s frustrating is you have same thing happened in the reconciliation bill where the Senate allowed the funding for Planned Parenthood, the reduction that was there for 10 years. They reduced it to one year. They took out the prohibition against funding transgenderism bill. trends into procedures. I’m not sure what’s happening over there among Republicans in the Senate, but folks, I’m going to give you some homework later. We’re going to talk about this when Arielle joins us about what you could do. Before we run out of time, Chris, we’ve got about four minutes left. You and I were on the Hill earlier this week speaking at a forum for China aid, Bob Fu, regarding religious and human rights persecution in China. You spoke, I spoke But there was a prime example of what the Chinese Communist Party is doing. I had just left. I think you had just left. But a man connected to the Chinese Communist Party was there and started an altercation.
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with Bob Foo’s wife. Got too close, and that’s something that they do very well. They put a camera right into your face. It’s provocative. Provocateur is what this band was all about. And we got to realize, I mean, I haven’t… This kind of thing happens in all of our districts as well. You know, they shout horrible things at you, get real close. That’s not the Chinese. That’s the leftists. But it’s the same tactic, trying to provoke you to push you away. Then they claim that you have committed some kind of— And this is about intimidation.
SPEAKER 15 :
You know, Bob Fu, who’s actually a senior fellow here at the Family Research Council as well, I’m an amazing man. He really is. His house, his home in Texas, targeted for three months a few years back. The Chinese Communist Party, I mean, they’re trying to infiltrate our government at every level. They’re stealing trade secrets. They’re part of – we talked about this in the program this week – is the Department of Agriculture announcing that we’re going to block China from buying agricultural land, especially those land near military installations. But there is an effort to intimidate Chinese Americans and silence them from speaking out about the abuses of the Chinese Communist Party.
SPEAKER 08 :
And there’s a term, transnational repression. They’re all over this country targeting the diaspora, especially the human rights activists. One of the ladies who works on the Hong Kong issue, Frances, she’s got a million-dollar bounty on her head from Xi Jinping. And she’s an amazingly heroic individual. Yeah, she was there. She was there speaking out boldly. We’ve got to get the FBI, we’ve got to get our country to do far more to end this repression where the long arm of Xi Jinping and his dictatorship ceases to intimidate or try to intimidate.
SPEAKER 15 :
I mean, I know when I was on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, I was sanctioned by China.
SPEAKER 08 :
We do.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, well, good. So I guess you and I both can’t go into Walmart because that’s pretty much everything from China is in Walmart. But that’s their role to intimidate is to say if you say if you challenge them on their civil right, their human rights abuses. my focus, obviously, on the religious freedom issue, which is getting worse in China.
SPEAKER 08 :
By the day.
SPEAKER 15 :
It’s not getting better. No, by the day. And American corporations, in many ways, have been facilitating this.
SPEAKER 08 :
They have enabled like no one else. Going back to Bill Clinton, when he delinked human rights from trade on May 26, 1994, And I have an op-ed that I wrote that’s sitting on my website. I couldn’t believe how he pandered, and that goes for his wife as well when she was Secretary of State, to enable these atrocities that are happening each and every day. And they don’t raise human rights. But they do it in a very, very quiet way.
SPEAKER 15 :
In fairness, Republican administrations have not been aggressive in addressing this issue either. I agree. Because of the large economic opportunity in China and the cheap goods that come from China, you know, Trump’s one of the first that’s been willing to upset the apple carton.
SPEAKER 08 :
You know, we saw it during the Olympics. I had a hearing. We asked Coca-Cola and others. And they wouldn’t say a thing about the genocide that the Chinese Communist Party was committing against the Uyghurs. A genocide in real time. And we might lose some market share.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, I tell you, we’re just about out of time here, Chris. But Americans, Christians, those that are concerned about this, can take action themselves by… looking at the products they buy and making sure they’re not from China. I mean, that’s what I do. It’s hard. It’s hard. When I shop on Amazon, I got to look very closely. And oftentimes they’ll try to hide it. But we should use our dollars to speak for those who cannot speak. And that includes product from China. Chris Smith, always great to see you.
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Thanks for being here.
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Thank you. All right, folks, coming up next, we’re going to take a look at what’s next for Congress as they start working on a budget for next year. Do they have enough time? Will they get it done? Don’t go away. We’re back with more after this.
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The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think had they not been here that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
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The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
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It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
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FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand. And again, we don’t retreat.
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You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent. Hello, friends, this is Tony Perkins. You know what? We just finished our 21 day family Bible challenge to the book of Matthew. And if you joined us, I pray that it has already borne fruit in your life and in your home as you place the Lord and his word at the center of your home. Now, our journey through the Bible doesn’t end here, though. The challenge was a part of our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan. And from here, we’re going to cover the rest of the New Testament. And now that we finished the book of Matthew, let me ask you, would you consider joining us for the rest of the journey through the Word of God? In 10 to 15 minutes a day, you’ll see how the good news of Jesus transformed the lives of common people, people just like you and me, and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. I invite you to continue the journey with me and discover the life enriching power of the Word of God. Visit FRC.org slash Bible for a reading plan. That’s FRC.org slash Bible to learn more. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. All right. If you do not have the Stand Firm app, let me encourage you to get the Stand Firm app. And you’ll see why a little bit later when we discuss more about the PEPFAR and the rescissions bill. It just makes it easier for you to take action. That’s one of the reasons we created the Stand Firm app. Not only does it have access to Washington Watch, The Washington Stand, our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, and my daily devotional, The Stand on the Word. But it has action items, and it makes it very easy for you to take action. Remember, our republic was not made for spectators. It was made for participants. So go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app. All right. While passing the one big, beautiful bill may have been one of the biggest challenges facing this Congress, it took about six months. Well, it won’t be the last challenge. The Congress now has to turn to the budgeting for the next fiscal year. Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson has long expressed his hope for restoring regular order. Now, what’s regular order? Well, that’s something we haven’t seen probably in a couple of decades. That is passing the appropriations bills one by one. and passing them from the House to the Senate, the Senate and agreeing on them, sending them to the President, and those setting the policy and the spending. We’ve been seeing omnibus bills. We’ve been seeing continuing resolutions. What’s ahead for this year? Just less than two weeks, less than 24 days of legislative days are left for the House in this session of, well, before the fiscal year ends. And will they have time to get this done? Joining me now to discuss this, Congressman Chuck Fleischman, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Congressman, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you.
SPEAKER 12 :
Tony, it’s always a pleasure. Thank you for what you and your show are doing. I appreciate all the kind accolades for my brothers and sisters in Congress who do what you want done. But it’s an honor to be with you, sir.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, thank you. It’s always great to see you. Let’s talk just for a moment. I touched on this, but there’s been a real desire to get back to regular order. And this is important because you spend a lot of time on appropriations. And for the most part, it’s almost been for naught.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, Tony, thank you for raising that. I’m what we call a cardinal, a subcommittee chairman on appropriations. I chair the Energy and Water Subcommittee. But you are so right. We work for months, sometimes for hours a day, trying to get a bill crafted. My bill, the Energy and Water Bill, will actually be in full committee for what we call markup for passage. But so many times, because of the failures in Congress, because we don’t have regular order, Our work will go for naught, not just my work, but my my fellow members on the Appropriations Committee in the House. The Senate has a corresponding committee that does the same thing. But the failures turn up in something that we call a continuing resolution or, God forbid, even worse, a government shutdown. Sure.
SPEAKER 15 :
So let’s talk about that because I don’t put a lot of stock into the Hill press because, you know, a lot of them, they’re designed just to create angst among people. But they’re saying, look, they don’t see how Congress is going to get these appropriation bills through the process without having to turn to another continuing resolution. Your thoughts.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, thank you. The fiscal year ends September the 30th. The new year begins for Congress for fiscal 2026, October 1st. So the clock does become the enemy. It’s going to be very difficult to get that done. We have passed some bills. The Milcon VA bill has been passed. We’ve had that on the floor. The House has done that. The Senate is working on their appropriation bills. This week, or actually next week, the defense appropriation bill will actually be going to the floor. But there’s just no way we’ll be able to get… 12 appropriation bills done by the time September 30th rolls around. So probably a short term continuing resolution only probably into early December so that we would have an opportunity to do regular order and get the House and Senate together. conference a bill that we can send to President Trump for his signature.
SPEAKER 15 :
Congressman, explain why that is so important, getting back to regular order. Now, again, I know we touched on that, but combined with funding, I mean, the Bible says where your heart is, your treasure will be also. And our money determines our priorities. Right. Well, you’re so right.
SPEAKER 12 :
Once again, view it this way. A family has a budget, but those needs change year from year. They may add a child. They may have a new job. The needs of the country change year to year. For example, I think we’re in a much more dangerous world. Thank God we have President Trump in this position to well, the threats of Iran and an overly aggressive Russia and China, but the reality is the needs of the country change year to year, and Congress is supposed to do its job and address that. If we fail, we get a continuing resolution which is basically a repeat of the prior fiscal year. So it wouldn’t work for a family. It certainly doesn’t work for a country. And God forbid, if we get into a situation where we fail totally, and that has happened three years in my tenure, in my 15-year tenure in the House, where we’ve had a government shutdown. And then our troops are at peril because they don’t get paid. We have so many different issues. And then, unfortunately, it costs so much more money to reopen the government. So ideally, we will get a budget done with the House, with the Senate, and the president can sign it. At worst, a short term CR and get something done maybe by late November, early December. But we should we owe it to the American people, Tony, to get a budget done. That’s our job.
SPEAKER 15 :
I would agree with that. And I do appreciate those who have been diligently working on that. And I should point out the House has done a pretty good job. in getting those through. They’ve died, though, in the Senate. Now, we have new kind of leadership in the Senate. We’ll see. They still have that 60-vote threshold they’ve got to go through, so the challenge is still going to be there. About 30 seconds left, Congressman Fleischman. How can our viewers and listeners be praying for Congress at this moment?
SPEAKER 12 :
We need to pray every day for our Congress, for our leaders, for the people like us who agree on conservative fiscal and social values. I think that’s very important, biblical values. But we’ve got to pray to God. God’s got it. We know that. But good, faithful stewardship, good prayers for our country, making sure that our great republic, that I think is a gift from God to the American people, stays strong now and in the future.
SPEAKER 15 :
Chuck, thanks so much for joining us. Always great to see you on the program.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 15 :
God bless you. All right. And folks, I do think, you know, as Jesus said, you know, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. I think, you know, where we, what we prioritize, where our heart is, that’s where we’re going to place our treasure. And so we need to make sure Congress is prioritizing the right things. All right, don’t go away. We’re coming back with more Washington Watch on the other side of the break.
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The Center for Biblical Worldview’s all-day workshops delves into the formation of a worldview, what it is, how it’s formed, when it’s formed, what that means to them personally and their churches and communities.
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My hope for people when they come to these worldview workshops is that they will come away better equipped to engage the people and the ideas that they’re living with and around. And our goal is to give people more confidence in the gospel, in the fact that what God said to us actually is true, actually is the path to happiness and human flourishing for all of us, but also more confidence in their ability to have these conversations and help lead other people to the truth.
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for Bible believing Christians to know what God’s Word says on these issues and to learn how they can apply it to their lives. And we believe that the more Christians that we equip, that’s how we’ll change the nation.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey, fam, listen, Pastor Sammy here at Lighthouse Church, and I cannot tell you how equipping, how empowering, how… incredibly educating this conference has been. And so I just want to encourage anybody that either has not been part of or is thinking about hosting this event, certainly to pastors, leaders, even CEOs for that matter. This conference is lights out. Stand behind it myself. I can’t commend it enough. We’re going to be talking about this for some time to come.
SPEAKER 02 :
The culture is kind of squeezing in on us as God’s people, forcing those of us with biblical views to change those views or to suppress those views. It’s forcing us to engage with issues that we’ve never had to engage with. And so what this teaches us is what those issues are, what the Bible says about those issues, and then how we can critically engage our culture on these things in a way that is committed to biblical principle.
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Visit frc.org slash worldview for more information.
SPEAKER 15 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. All right, search and rescue operations in the flood-devastated areas of the Texas Hill Country have shifted to a recovery phase as the one-week mark approaches. Authorities have confirmed at least 120 deaths across six counties in the wake of the July 4th floods. There’s still, as we heard early in this week, there’s about 173 people still missing. As Texans grapple with the fallout from the natural disaster, the nation continues to rally behind them, offering prayer, assistance, and more. Joining me to discuss this is Scott Turner, Secretary of the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development. And he’s a Texas native. He actually was in the Texas legislature. before joining the first Trump administration, helping with their enterprise zones. He is now Secretary of HUD. And Secretary Turner, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 19 :
Hello, sir. Great to be with you. Always a pleasure to see you, Tony.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, I was just thinking Dr. Carson was a great ally in the first Trump administration at HUD. He had just the right disposition. I can’t think of anybody else who could step into that role that could do it just as well as you. And so we’re thankful that you’re there. Thankful for the The ministry spirit that you bring to this, I saw earlier in this week, Tuesday at the cabinet meeting, you led the president and the cabinet praying for Texas.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes, sir. You know, President Trump has made it very clear that prayer is important, not just for the cabinet meeting, but for those who are in leadership and those in our country. And so we had a time of prayer for our brothers and sisters and brothers our people in Texas, you know, we wanted to as a cabinet to convene and let people know that we’re not only thinking about them, but we are literally making intercession for them. And so I’m so grateful to have a president who values prayer, who values faith in Christ and Christianity and really all, you know, religions and holds up the Constitution. But to be in the White House, to be in the cabinet room and to pray is very humbling and a great honor.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, we’re thankful for the fact that he’s tapped people like you to serve in his cabinet. Let me ask you, I know you’ve been in constant touch with what’s happening on the ground there in Texas. HUD is taking actions to assist. Give us the latest regarding the situation there and how HUD is involved.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes, sir. Well, you know, it’s a devastating situation, as we all know, just a loss of life. You know, the sudden impact of these devastating floods, Tony, really has just crippled and broken the hearts of so many people in our country, in particular in Texas. But I’m reminded of the resiliency of the people of Texas and the faithfulness of God, even in the valley. And at HUD, you know, we have people at HUD, man, we really care about the people that we serve. And so right now with our loan programs at HUD to help people to rebuild their homes, to reestablish their homes, and also to own new homes. We have those loan programs available for those that have been impacted from the floods, and also working with our local partners, the whole of government from a federal, state, and local standpoint, working with faith-based institutions to make sure that we’re serving people on the ground, those that are doing the search and rescue, and those that have been impacted by the floods to make sure that we’re providing shelter, food, counseling, family assistance. And so HUD is here now, but we’ll also, Tony, be here for the long haul. And when I tell you that we have a group of people that really care, I do mean that. And so we’ll be here until the end to make sure that people’s lives and homes are rebuilt.
SPEAKER 15 :
Secretary Turner, talk a little bit. I mean, you’re a man of faith. You served as a pastor on staff there at Prestonwood Baptist. Talk about the role that faith plays, not necessarily from the government, but partnering with faith-based organizations, Christian organizations that go beyond the material to touch the real heart need that often surfaces during crises like this.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes, sir. You know, our faith-based organizations in our country are doing a tremendous job. When I was in Los Angeles, California, visiting the victims of the fire there, working with the faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, also in North Carolina. like the Samaritan’s Purse and others who are working to serve people who have been impacted by these natural disasters. I was speaking at a pastor’s roundtable there in North Carolina where churches literally came together to feed those without food, to give water to those who are in need, to give clothing to those. One church even started a small bank to give microloans to people to restart their businesses. And so the faith-based institutions are the ones that have their hands to the plow Tony, and their feet on the ground that are actually doing the work. And so at HUD, we want to make it better and more attractive to work with our partners on the ground, to work with faith-based institutions, to bring about real results for the people in America that have been impacted by these natural disasters.
SPEAKER 15 :
Secretary Turner, we just have about a minute left, and our folks here, we’ve challenged our people to pray for the next 30 days for the folks of Texas. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick was on the program, and he said, don’t just pray for this week. Pray for 30 days at a minimum because there are needs there, and we’re doing that. But I want to ask you, it’s the first time you’ve been on the program since you’ve taken this role as secretary. Forty-five seconds. How can our viewers and listeners be praying for you?
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, thank you, Tony. I would say please pray for those that have been impacted by these natural disasters in Texas and around our country, and also pray for our president, for our cabinet administration, and all of those who serve in public service. As we serve the people of America, I pray that we would be strong, that we would be healthy, that we would lean on the everlasting arm of the Lord, that our eyes would not be taken off of him, but we will look to God. We will look to Christ for wisdom. We will look to him for strength and clarity because as we put our hands to the plow, we’re doing it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to serve those he’s called us to serve. And so as people intercede for us, just pray for God to keep us strong, to keep us humble, and to keep us to where our eyes are stayed on him.
SPEAKER 15 :
And we will do just that. Scott, thanks for joining us. Folks, stick with us.
SPEAKER 22 :
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SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
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.
SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
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.
SPEAKER 11 :
Order today at embracethedesign.com.
SPEAKER 24 :
How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 15 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Let me again remind you, get the Stand Firm app. That way you can have access to Washington Watch no matter where you go. You also will be getting the Washington Stand news and commentary from a biblical perspective. You can find it in the App Store. Our word for today comes from Luke chapter 9. And it happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him and asked him, saying, who do the crowds say that I am? So they answered and said, John the Baptist, but some say Elijah, and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again. Jesus then zeroes in on the most important question of all. Who do you say that I am? Peter answered and said, The Christ of God. Well, that same question echoes through the ages. Who is Jesus to you? Is he simply a wise teacher or historical figure, or is he truly the Christ, the Son of God, who came to redeem us? Once we know who he really is, the only response is to follow him, regardless of the cost. Jesus said, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. Discipleships means daily surrender, denying our own will, embracing the cross, and living wholly for him. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. All right, as we were talking about earlier in the program with Congressman Chris Smith, U.S. Senate has until the end of next week to pass the White House’s $9.4 billion rescissions package, which formally formalizes many of the Doge spending cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting. And according to reports… Some Republicans are trying to restore some of the reductions to the woke foreign aid. Buying into talking points from those claiming that cuts to global HIV AIDS funding will kill millions. But what’s the real issue here? Well, here to shed some light on this is Arielle Del Turco, the Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council, and Mark Tapscott, Senior Congressional Analyst here at the Washington Stand. Arielle, Mark, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 08 :
Good to be here. Good to be with you.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, let’s start with the history behind the president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief or PEPFAR. I touched on this earlier with Congressman Smith. Someone would think, well, it’s an emergency. I guess it just came about. No, it’s been around for about a quarter of a century.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yes, indeed, since 2003. You may recall there was a tremendous epidemic throughout the middle of Africa, HIV and AIDS. There were great drugs that were widely available here. but too expensive in Africa. So we put forth a big program, PEPFAR, to make those drugs available. It was very effective. We’ve spent $125 billion on it since then. 2017, the first Trump administration said, you can’t spend those monies on abortions. 2021, Joe Biden said, yes, you can. And that opened the doors.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, going all the way back to the beginning, as we were talking with Congressman Chris Smith earlier, I remember those debates because I was here and there was, yeah, so I’ve been around a while. That’s what happens. You know, that’s the problem. Some people don’t realize there are people actually know what happened back then when they had these debates. abstinence only so it was it was to promote family it was not to facilitate behavior that was conducive to spreading aids exactly exactly but it has been hijacked And so, Arielle, what are the issues now? I mean, you’ve been tracking this. You actually wrote a report on this a couple of years ago under the Biden administration on how this has been hijacked by the left to advance a host of leftist agenda items.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, and it’s just so sad because we heard about the origins and the AIDS crisis that was happening. But as the funds grew for PEPFAR, it really became a bit of a cash cow for some of these leftist projects. And as we are funding these huge NGOs, many of these NGOs started to promote abortion overseas. They would promote LGBT programming. Some of this was actually instructed for by the Biden administration. He was specifically asking for this type of programming. And some of it just goes under the radar because we’re looking at a massive program. And it’s hard to keep track of absolutely everything. So we need to be putting clear guardrails on it. And when we can, we need to be defunding the programs that are specifically woke, which I think these rescissions try to do.
SPEAKER 15 :
Okay. So let’s be very clear so our listeners understand, because folks, I’m going to ask you to take some action steps here in just a moment. But the rescissions, the cuts does not eliminate the program.
SPEAKER 18 :
No, not at all. And I want to be very clear with our listeners on this, Tony. So this would cut $400 million from a certain part of the PEPFAR program. However, it would leave available $10 billion, with a B, still available for PEPFAR. So all of the good things that PEPFAR does, like life-saving treatments, providing food, life-saving drugs for free to very needy countries, that would still be occurring even under these recisions.
SPEAKER 15 :
I mean, I think America should help, and I’m all for emergency help, but a quarter of a century is not an emergency. That sounds like a government program here in Washington, D.C. My conversations with the administration is that they want to kind of, in fact, as the president was meeting with African leaders this week, Trade, not aid. I think we want to wean these countries off of this dependency upon foreign aid. You know, Mark, one of the things that we’ve heard is that, well, if the U.S. pulls out, China’s going in. China’s already there. Their Belt and Roads Initiative is already there. This is not going to affect how they view China or the United States.
SPEAKER 14 :
China’s Belt and Road Initiative has focused very specifically on Africa. One of the leaders or the largest recipient, most active participant with China is South Africa. PEPFAR has spent millions and millions in South Africa. So that’s just one of the many myths that the other side puts out there.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, so very surgical reduction of the portion of the program that has been used to advance anti-family, anti-life elements of the program, correct?
SPEAKER 18 :
Right, and these are exactly the recisions that the White House requested to Congress, that certain recisions be made to PEPFAR. And they specifically requested that some of these categories that often include abortion be removed, the categories that would include LGBT advocacy of different kinds be removed, and just generally un-American programs. And I think we would support cutting all of that. And I think most Americans would, too.
SPEAKER 15 :
And the House did. The House approved it. Yes. But the Senate wants to put it back in.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 15 :
What’s going on here?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, some senators think they want to put it back in, mainly Senator Collins from Maine, maybe Senator Tillis from North Carolina, maybe a couple of others.
SPEAKER 15 :
I was speaking with a conservative senator last night who said that he doesn’t think they’ll be able to get it passed unless this is amended to restore the cutting of these woke policies. I’m not so sure about that. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, well, we have to remember that many of these NGOs that get the grants from PEPFAR, they have enormous budgets. So they are fighting very hard right now. And they’re communicating to senators in a way that I think is dishonest, basically scaring them into thinking that lives are going to be lost in Africa if these funds are cut. And that’s simply not true.
SPEAKER 15 :
So, folks, you can weigh in on this. You can text the word PEPFAR. Now, let me spell that for you because it’s one of those Washington, D.C. acronyms. P-E-P-F-A-R, PEPFAR. That was the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Yes. Twenty-five years ago, it was emergency. Today, it’s, I guess, still emergency. Text the word PEPFAR to 67742. PEPFAR to 67742. You’ll get a link. That link will help you get to your two senators to tell them, don’t fund the left’s woke anti-life, anti-family policies in this program. Now, I know some would want to go further and just eliminate PEPFAR. I do think we have to, and I’m for that eventually, but I think we have to be prudent, these countries that are depending upon this for certain elements of healthcare. We created the dependency. We can’t just take it out overnight, but we should take it out. Eventually, it should come out. What are some of the other arguments that are being used to suggest that… I mean, we’re hearing people are going to die. And I mean, $400 million and there’s $10 billion left? I mean, what… They ought to be thankful.
SPEAKER 14 :
Here’s the choice that every senator is going to have to start making beginning on Tuesday when the debate begins. You can be funding actual help that helps people who have AIDS, or you can be funding things like $3.1 million for pastry cookie training programs for male prostitutes.
SPEAKER 15 :
I don’t think I want to eat those cookies. So let me ask you, well, I don’t know, I threw myself off there. Let me go to you. I’m sorry. Russell Moore, the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today. told a writer at The Atlantic that PEPFAR should be an easy call for evangelical Christians. He said, quote, it affirms human dignity and the sanctity of life in ways easily within the reach and responsibility of our country. It is hard to know whether the glee for destroying one of the most effective and successful moral reforms American evangelicals have ever supported is more sadism, cruelty for cruelty’s sake. I mean…
SPEAKER 18 :
i mean where’s he coming from yeah that’s such an accusation uh i would respond that it’s not compassionate at all to support a program that we know has cost the lives of unborn babies in africa unnecessarily yeah unnecessarily yes the cdc uh revealed recently that uh at least 21 unborn or babies that were killed via abortion paid for by PEPFAR in Mozambique. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we know about.
SPEAKER 14 :
There must be more.
SPEAKER 18 :
And we know many more organizations that PEPFAR has funded has promoted abortion overseas to these countries where they don’t have a strong culture of abortion to begin with.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, exactly. I was talking about this with Chris Smith earlier, is that I have personally And I know Chris has many, many more spoken to ambassadors and others who are so tired of being strong-armed by the U.S. government to receive foreign aid. They have to change their policies on life and on human sexuality. And PEPFAR is just another sledgehammer for them to use.
SPEAKER 14 :
A lot of the PEPFAR funds even go to efforts by these NGOs in those countries to persuade them to change their pro-life laws.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, they’re funding these NGOs.
SPEAKER 14 :
So I can see why they become irritated. It’s not just talking from our ambassadors, people we put there.
SPEAKER 15 :
So let me go back to my earlier question. um there are republicans who want to restore these i mean this is even a haircut i mean 400 million dollars out of 10 billion dollars nothing but they want to restore it and here’s mark why i believe this is the case now some of them don’t really care about the issues we care about. But here’s the bigger issue, is that they don’t want to face a narrative in their reelection that you cut PEPFAR and that children in Africa are dying because you cut PEPFAR.
SPEAKER 14 :
Am I right? Absolutely. But my suggestion to them is they will face that kind of argument in any case. Their choice is are you going to fund actual help for AIDS victims or are you going to fund this kind of stuff?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, when you look at the fact that we are approaching $37 trillion in debt – The issue is going to be, are you going to, at some point, there’s going to be some politicians that are going to have to answer the question, are you going to save this country or let it go down the tubes because of the money that you’re spending irresponsibly? And this is an example of how a good program, I would say the merits of this when it started, the intentions were good. Of course. But programs in Washington, D.C. never go away, and they morph over time to become a vehicle for the professional NGOs that make money. Let me just say this. FRC has never received any government grants or government money. We’re all privately funded, so I can say this without hesitation. It’s a cottage industry. Actually, it’s more than a cottage industry. It’s a huge industry. It’s a complex, industrial complex on government money. At some point, we’ve got to demand maturity in our government to say we cannot keep doing this.
SPEAKER 14 :
I have to say, I’ve talked to a number of folks in the Senate today. I’m somewhat optimistic. I think there’s going to be more of an effort focused on defunding or restoring the defunding of NPR and PBS.
SPEAKER 15 :
I’ve had conversations with members about that. I wouldn’t say I sympathize with this. I can identify with it because the former head of public broadcasting in my home state of Louisiana was a friend. Her husband was one of my best friends. Not that I agree with it, but there’s relationships, and that’s where it gets difficult sometimes at the state level. But, again, it’s just we can’t afford to keep doing these things. Choices have to be made. Yeah. Final thoughts, Arielle.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, well, I would just say about the life-saving care line that people also said this when Secretary of State Rubio enacted a foreign aid pause earlier this year. And we did not hear any reports from Africa that thousands of people had died, like they said would happen. We didn’t hear reports that anyone had died. So I think we’re really undermining these countries’ ability to take care of themselves. We’re underestimating them when we’re saying that, oh, without this $400 million, you guys are all going to die. That’s just not true. And these countries have learned a lot as the PEPFAR program has been enacted in their countries. These people have learned how to treat PEPFAR for themselves.
SPEAKER 15 :
And we need to allow them to take ownership of this. Arielle, Mark, thanks so much for joining us. And folks, thank you for joining us again. Text the word PEPFAR to 67742. That’s P-E-P-F-A-R, PEPFAR to 67742. All right, we’re out of time for today, but after you make the phone call, after you pray, you know what? Take a stand and just keep standing.
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.
