On today’s program: Casey Harper, Managing Editor for Broadcast at The Washington Stand and Host of the “Outstanding” podcast, provides an update on the health insurance legislation proposal and President Trump’s order for a military blockade in
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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. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
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Americans of every stripe in every region are about to experience their health insurance premiums. INCREASE IN SOME INSTANCES BY $1,000 OR $2,000 PER MONTH. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.
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THAT WAS HOUSE MINORITY LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES EARLIER ON THE HOUSE FLOOR INSISTING ON EXTENDING THE NOT SO AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SUBSIDIES. WELCOME TO THIS DECEMBER 17TH EDITION OF WASHINGTON WATCH. I’M YOUR HOST TODAY, JODY HEISS, FILLING IN FOR TONY PERKINS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. ALL RIGHT. House Republicans blocked a Democrat effort to extend the COVID era Obamacare subsidies. And now all those are set to expire by the end of the year. And now Republicans are moving forward with their own health care plan. Texas Congressman Pete Sessions will be joining me momentarily to break all of that down for us. Plus, Luke Niferatos, Executive Vice President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, will be joining us later to discuss President Trump’s plans to reclassify marijuana. House Republicans blocked a last-minute effort by Democrats to extend the COVID-era Obamacare subsidies, and now they’re all going to be expiring at the end of the year, December 31st. And GOP leaders are now putting forward their own plan that they say will protect hardworking Americans from the rising premiums and expand access. to affordable health options for small businesses as well as families and faith-based organizations. And joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper, who’s been following all of the day’s stories. Casey, this is a pretty big deal to start with. Can you tell us what unfolded there on the House floor today?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, thanks Jody. So the House voted 204 to 203 to stop Democrats attempt to extend the Obamacare subsidies. Here’s what Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier today on the House floor.
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Under no circumstances should we leave this Capitol, this week, before voting on an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credit bill that we know will pass, that the votes exist in a bipartisan way to protect the health care of everyday Americans.
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Now, Republican leadership is saying it’s time to focus on a long-term plan that controls costs and strengthens the health care system without expanding government dependency. The GOP bill aims to lower premiums for many while giving small businesses, freelancers, and faith-based organizations new ways to access group health coverage. Republican lawmakers say it encourages personal responsibility and protects family budgets. The House GOP is expected to vote on their plan soon, maybe within the hour, Jody.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right. Well, thank you, Casey. You know, we got on that on one end of the Capitol. The House has been dealing with the Obamacare subsidies on the other end, the Senate side of the Capitol. They passed a huge defense bill today. Do you know what’s in that bill?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, Jody, it’s a massive piece of legislation, the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, but a few line items. It includes a 4% pay raise for our troops, it has new equipment purchases, and measures to strengthen U.S. competitiveness with China and Russia. Now, the bill also provides $800 million in security aid to Ukraine over two years, it supports NATO allies in the Baltics, and it maintains a minimum of 76,000 U.S. troops in Europe. Lawmakers say these steps reinforce U.S. global leadership. Now, on the domestic policy front, the NDAA includes provisions reflecting Republican priorities, such as barring transgender women from women’s sports at military academies. Despite some calls to improve helicopter safety after a recent deadly crash in D.C., the bill moved forward with broad bipartisan support, passing 77 to 20 in the Senate and already approved by the House, Jodi.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right. Very interesting. Well, thank you for that. One more question before I let you go real quick, Casey. President Trump has ordered, as we’re all watching right now, a full blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers and also calling the government their foreign terrorist organization. What does all this mean? Where is this headed?
SPEAKER 09 :
Sure, Jody, a lot of developments. So President Trump says this blockade targets a regime involved in terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. He announced a total blockade of all sanctioned oil takers entering or leaving Venezuela. Here’s what President Trump said earlier today about the war against drugs.
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Just a blockade. We’re not going to let anybody going through that shouldn’t be going through. You remember, they took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil. from not that long ago, and we want it back. But they took it. They illegally took it, getting land, oil rights, whatever we had.
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Now the enforcement details here are still unclear, but the U.S. had already seized a sanctioned tanker last week, and many ships are just now staying put. The military also has increased its presence in the region with warships and troops. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claims the U.S. is after his country’s oil, but the Trump administration says the goal is to hold the dangerous regime accountable. And notably, oil prices rose about 1 percent after the announcement, Jody.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow. A lot going on, Casey. Thank you, as always, for keeping us up to speed. We appreciate it. All right. I want to go back now to the battle over health care or really more accurately, the battle over health insurance. I want to get now a perspective from Capitol Hill and joining me to discuss this and more is Congressman Pete Sessions. He’s a member of the Congressional Border Security Caucus as well as the all-important Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He represents the 17th Congressional District of Texas. Congressman Sessions, great to have you back on Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
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Chairman, thank you very much. By the way, I don’t know that you’ve ever admitted to your listeners that you served as the chairman exactly as I do, and during that period of time held the Biden administration in check in lots of areas. So it’s an honor for me to be served on your show.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thank you so much, Pete. It’s always an honor to have you on with us, and listen, I know you’ve got votes that are about to be called, and your clock is ticking, so let me kind of jump into this. Let’s start off with the Republican health care bill that advanced the House today. Tell us a little bit about that and why you support it.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, in fact, I do. It may not be a Jody, the exact answer that gets through the Senate. But we have an agreement that we’re going to keep working this issue till they get it right. So what is in the bill that I do think is awesome is what’s called associated health care plans. So we would allow essentially 170 million Americans plus those on Obamacare. In other words, People that are not on the employer provided health care, the opportunity or anybody to be able to go to a larger group plan. This associated health care plan was actually stopped back when Hillary Clinton was in the Senate. She would not let it move forward because she wanted at that time Hillary care that is now called the ACA. The Affordable Care Act that’s known as Obamacare. The prices that are rising two times faster than other associated health care plans or employer provided health care plans is what Obamacare prices are doing. They are rising because of the way the Democrats wrote the legislation, and so they actually would have a government completely run health care plan because literally 90% of the people on Obamacare get it for free. But it’s not free to the government. It’s not free except the government is paying literally all the money. And so what we’re trying to do is give people an opportunity to go to a system outside of Obamacare that is more just like employer-provided health care. So this is a large group model, exactly the same thing that we keep prices down, and that’s what we’re going to push them more for. It’s very close to what my bill is, except that it does not offer every single person the opportunity to go to every doctor that they want.
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Well, it’s all coming down to the wire here, and it’s going to be very interesting to see how this moves in the Senate and what takes place there. If I can, Congressman Sessions, shift gears a little bit. There’s been some chatter over the past few days about a potential forthcoming EO from the Trump administration that would reschedule marijuana to a whole new set, making it really loosen up the restrictions on it. What’s your thoughts on that?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, in fact, the Biden administration said they were going to reclassify from class one to class three marijuana or THC. We took them on at the time because marijuana or THC is an addictive and dangerous product. I actually spoke to the White House. This news leaked out today. It’s new news and have said to the White House, I would like to talk directly with the president. Because you will recall the world learned more about just these addictive challenges when in Uvalde, Texas, some four years ago, when the grandmother of the shooter told him you have erratic behavior. I am worried about your health and mine and he shot her in the face and then went and killed all those children. PHC or marijuana is a dangerous, addictive product that pro family groups have opposed for a long time, and this would be a terrible mistake. If in fact the administration chose to do this because among other thing, it supports the drug cartels who want to push. Marijuana now some would say, oh, that that has nothing to do with it. It does. It’s more than a signal. They are saying it would allow more research to be done. Federal research has gone on for 25 years and every single time the word that comes back is that it’s addictive. It is dangerous. It creates psychosis. You lose your IQ ability and it diminishes your desire to go to work, but for women it is dangerous because men act and take violence into their own hands. This primarily impacts men, not women. And so let me ask you this real quick.
SPEAKER 04 :
We’ve only we’ve only got about a minute left. Isn’t there a bit of a disconnect here? I mean, when we we’ve got this war going on really with the narco terrorists down in the Caribbean and now here we’re going to loosen the restrictions on marijuana. Doesn’t that kind of a disconnect real quickly?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Chairman, as you say, anybody that’s a conservative Republican would understand the disconnect. But I’m giving this White House a chance. I was very direct with them today, and we have a letter going. Andy Harris, head of the Freedom Caucus, and I and 15 other members have signed a letter going to the president saying, you at least owed us a conversation. You at least should have a chance to come back and confront us or at least talk to us about this because we are universally opposed to this. And the last point, I know you’ve got just a second, is that every single jail in America is full of people who started with marijuana, who were addicted to psychosis and a lack of IQ. So this makes no sense. Absolutely no sense.
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Except for Texas Congressman Pete Sessions. Thank you so much for joining us. Merry Christmas to you and your dear family.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you. All right, friends, coming up, more Washington Watch.
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Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, and I want to invite you to join me for Stand on the Word, a daily journey through the Bible, 10 to 15 minutes a day, that’s all it takes. And in no time, you’ll have finished the entire Bible. And along the way, we’ll learn how to apply God’s truths to the world in which we live. As we’re about to start a new year, and as our nation is about to celebrate 250 years, there’s never been a better time for a fresh start in the Word of God. To join us, text Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742.
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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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For over 4,000 years, the Jewish people have had legal, historical, and biblical ties to the land of Israel, especially the heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria, which much of the world still calls the West Bank. To Israelis, Judea and Samaria is far more than a name. It’s the center of their ancestral homeland where nearly 80% of the Bible’s events took place. Abraham purchased property in Hebron, Jacob in Shechem, Joshua made an altar on Mount Ebal and led the Israelites into a covenant before God. On Mount Gerizim, overlooking Shechem, Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well about worshiping neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. Judea and Samaria is nearly a quarter of Israel’s current land mass, not a small strip of land on the Jordan River, but a vital and strategic part of the nation’s identity. The October 7th massacre, launched from Gaza, shattered the illusion that giving away territory brings peace. Gaza, which was once seen as the cornerstone of a two-state solution, became a launchpad for terror. Today, only 21 percent of Israelis support a Palestinian state. Trust in a two-state solution has all but collapsed. The Middle East is changing. Iran’s grip is weakening. New alliances are forming. But Western countries and some U.S. officials still chase the mirage of a two-state solution. History speaks clearly. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal, backed by the U.S., led not to peace but to a terrorist regime. Judea and Samaria are 24 times larger than Gaza, deeply woven into Israel’s geographic and spiritual fabric. To surrender them would not bring peace. It would invite conflict and existential danger. Family Research Council stands with Israel’s rightful claim to sovereignty. It’s time for America to do the same for history, for justice, and for lasting security in the Middle East.
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Good afternoon. Merry Christmas to you as you get geared up for it. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony and thank you for joining us as well. All right. In the latest move against operations of Venezuela’s disputed leader, Nicolas Maduro, President Trump announced yesterday a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going both into and out of Venezuela. He also said that that illegitimate Villa Venezuelan regime has now been designated a foreign terrorist organization. So where is all this headed? Joining me now to discuss this is retired Brigadier General John Teichert, former Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for the Air Force for International Affairs. General Teichert, welcome back to Washington Watch. It’s always a privilege to have you. Jody, thanks again for having me. OK, let’s start with this. So for those of us who are not really fully aware of what this president’s blockade announcement effectively does, can you kind of break that down for us?
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Jody, absolutely. There is a shadow tanker fleet that operates outside of international law that has about 1000 total tankers in it, and it’s estimated that about 50% of Venezuela oil exports and imports are serviced by that shadow tanker fleet again that operates outside of international law. And so the expectation is that these blockade announcements could very easily mean that the United States is going to act against 50% of the inflow and outflow of oil from Venezuela. And the important thing to remember here is that the Maduro regime, the federal government in Venezuela, makes 70 to 90 percent of the revenue from oil exports. So we’re basically cutting their federal government’s budget in half by this blockade and the announcement by the president last night.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, that would have to have enormous economic impacts on Venezuela.
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Jody, it would. And then you add to it this foreign terrorist organization designation, which means that any country or any entity, individual or company that does business with Venezuela or that supports Venezuela or has some type of collaboration could face severe consequences from the United States. So now you’re talking not just about cutting off 50 percent of the revenue of the government of Venezuela, but possibly a chilling effect that would deter any business from Venezuela. that would completely strangle economically the Maduro government.
SPEAKER 04 :
And this is pretty fascinating when you put all this together as you’re describing it. I mean, what appeared to be, at least at the beginning, the Trump administration putting a pressure campaign, if you will, to try to curb the flow of drugs. But it is certainly turned into something much more than a pressure campaign at this point, hasn’t it?
SPEAKER 10 :
Jody, it has. And I think that the strikes on the drug boats in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific were probably more for domestic consumption within the United States. But now these sanctioning of tankers and the blockade of tankers have a very significant impact on the ability of the Maduro government to continue. And I think that Ford carrier strike group that’s now been in the Caribbean for about a month, has been waiting to operate in a way that does things like the president now has initiated in the last week. And it’s pretty clear that the president is escalating the situation such that Maduro would take the hint and step aside and move on out of Venezuela because the pressure that we now have seen by the seizing of that individual tanker and then now almost the complete shut off of oil import and most importantly, export from Venezuela. is providing significant pressure that proves to Maduro that he, President Trump, is serious. And hopefully Maduro will take the hint and make the decision that now it’s in his best interest to leave the situation and pass the government back to the people of Venezuela.
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So what do you think the chances are of that happening? Is that what you anticipate is going to happen next, Maduro stepping down?
SPEAKER 10 :
Jody, I think it’s interesting to consider how much and how quickly this seizure or blockade will start to impact directly Maduro and his internal security forces. That the only reason he’s secure right now in his position is that he’s got the loyal backing of an internal security apparatus that he’s developed over the last several years. But I still think that that internal security apparatus believes that he, President Trump, is bluffing with respect to the kinetic strikes that may follow. And so we’ll see if this changes the calculus of the Maduro regime and his inner circle, such that they now realize that the president is dead serious in overthrowing the regime. And it is better for them now to step aside and move on than to wait for the kinetic strikes that likely will follow if this doesn’t work.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right. So let’s just suppose just throw this out to you that Maduro does step down. What happens next? I mean, what kind of person would step back in? Could we end up having someone just as bad or would things get better both for Venezuela and for relationships with the U.S.? ?
SPEAKER 10 :
Jody, regime change is always fraught with risk, because like you said, it’s possible that we could see someone just as bad as Maduro fill that power vacuum. But what we would hope, and hopefully some special operators in CIA are working diligently with them, there is a shadow government, maybe led by the Nobel Peace Prize winning Machado, that are waiting to immediately engage to take over the governmental situation in Venezuela. They were popularly elected in 2024. And the hope is that we, the United States, have been working underground with them so that there wouldn’t be this power vacuum and the rightfully elected government could very quickly assume those leadership roles. But one of the lessons that we certainly learned in Afghanistan and Iraq is that if you purge the government completely, the technocrats and the bureaucrats, then you leave a vacuum that can’t be filled by a government that stands up in the place of a fallen regime. And so hopefully the decision matrix now is that there is a shadow government, but they would keep a large number of the personnel that would be the technocrats or the bureaucrats so that we could immediately see a continuity of government with the rightfully elected leaders in place and in charge.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, so less than a minute to go. What do you think needs to happen next? What’s the next move? What needs to happen?
SPEAKER 10 :
I think, Jody, we take a break and we see how these economic conditions start to exacerbate the challenges of the Maduro regime. But then I think if it doesn’t immediately, and I say in the next couple of days or at least the next couple of weeks, cause Maduro to change his calculus and leave, then I think the next steps are some level of kinetic strikes from the United States inside Venezuela that would either strike drug locations or some of those internal security forces that would now prompt Maduro to understand that we’re not bluffing and it’s time for him to move on.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thank you so much, retired Brigadier General John Teichert, for keeping such a pulse on this and for keeping us informed as to what’s going on. Always great to have you on Washington Watch. Merry Christmas to you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Merry Christmas to you, Jody, and thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, friends, coming up, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order, possibly tomorrow, reclassifying marijuana. What does all this mean? Find out right after the break.
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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 series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash godandgovernment or on the Stand Firm app.
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The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stand on the Word is Family Research Council’s journey through the living and active Word of God. Follow the plan starting January 1st. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading God’s Word and over the course of two years, discover that the Bible is one big story, a story of many words pointing to the Word, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, because the Word is alive, and His name is Jesus. Find the Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us as we stand on the Word.
SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. Thank you for being with us. Hope you’re having a great, great day. All right. President Trump is expected to sign an executive order, possibly as soon as tomorrow, that would reclassify marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug. which effectively that would just ease the federal restrictions on what’s currently a Schedule I drug, which is a classification for substances with a high potential for abuse. So we’re going from Schedule I potentially to Schedule III. And what can we make of all of this? And what would the ramifications be? Well, joining me now to discuss this is drug policy expert, Luke Niferatos, who serves as Executive Vice President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Luke, thank you for joining us on Washington Watch. Good to have you.
SPEAKER 13 :
Congressman, thanks for having me on. God bless you.
SPEAKER 04 :
God bless you as well. All right, let’s start with this. For those who are unaware of all this classification scheduling, how does that work?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, so there is this myth out there that marijuana shouldn’t be in the same class as heroin. They’re both Schedule I drugs. That means they both are considered the worst. But actually, our scheduling system is very different from that. It’s not a harm index. It doesn’t mean that if a drug is in one, it doesn’t mean it’s the worst drug ever and drugs in five are the least bad. What actually it’s based on is whether they have medical use that is accepted by the medical, by FDA, and their level of potential for harm or abuse. It’s those two criteria that decide whether a drug gets, where it goes in the schedule. And so you have fentanyl, for example, that nobody would argue it’s probably the most dangerous drug out there right now, but schedule is, fentanyl is schedule two. because it has a medical use that hospitals prescribe it for certain uses for patients. So it’s not because fentanyl is less bad than marijuana or heroin that it’s one schedule lower. It’s simply that it’s based on both their medical application as well as the potential for harm. So the idea that marijuana would go down to three makes no sense because marijuana is not an approved medication. You can’t smoke your medicine. And marijuana has gotten much more harmful and more addictive than ever before. That’s what all the research is telling us. So this would be a very bad decision for it to go down to three at this point.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, you started down that path. I’d like for you to run down there a little bit further and with more clarity. What does the data tell us? Is there ambiguity, in other words, about marijuana and the scheduling of it? What does science and data actually tell us about this drug?
SPEAKER 13 :
The science and data have actually never been clearer. We have more than 50,000 research studies that have been done. That’s something that President Trump said a few days ago. He said we need to reschedule it so we can research it. We have more than 50,000 research studies on marijuana. everything about the drug. We know about its addictive potential. We know now about the growing trend of increased potency. In the 1970s, marijuana was 2% to 3% potent in your average joint. Now we’re talking about new kinds of products like candies, gummies, waxes, shatters that are up to 99% potent. So brand new class of drug at this point. much more potent than it has ever been and now we’re seeing the link with psychosis schizophrenia um all kinds of mental illness it’s causing violence now we’re seeing in basically every one of the last you know dozen or so shootings and violent events we’ve seen over the last couple of years here in our country uh the common denominator was marijuana use for for those shooters and perpetrators so we’re seeing a lot of very concerning data now um it’s not ambiguous marijuana is unequivocally much more dangerous than it’s ever been. And I think that that’s why sending a message right now that marijuana is somehow less harmful by moving it to Schedule 3, it couldn’t be a worse message. It just couldn’t be at a worse time.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, it’s really terrifying what you’re sharing. So how strong is the case to reclassify marijuana? Is this like a big movement? Is the president being pushed into this somehow? What is the force behind this?
SPEAKER 13 :
The case is a terrible one. I mean, let’s just not forget where this started, Jody. It started with President Biden making a campaign promise in his 2020 election. He promised to reschedule marijuana. Biden. And then Biden took office. and he worked with Rachel Levine to totally throw out the rules at the DEA, invent a whole new test, make marijuana qualify as schedule three, even though it absolutely does not. So they basically pulled a bunch of chicanery, made a rule that basically they finished the rule, got it all the way up to the point of just needing the president’s signature essentially, and then President Trump took over. So this is a holdover mess from Biden and Rachel Levine. And it is absolutely unthinkable that President Trump wants to take this rule and sign his name to the whole mess and own everything that they put together. So no, the case is not good. But what we are hearing is the reason why the president is thinking about this is he has heard from a few marijuana CEOs namely Kim Rivers, who is the CEO of a major pot company in Florida called True Leave. And we think that promises are being made about the midterms. And I just have one thing to say to that. If he thinks marijuana is going to help on the midterms, they may say marijuana is medicine, but marijuana is no cure for Trump derangement syndrome. It’s not going to help him get more votes at the midterms. I think people are looking at much more important things there.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, less than a minute left. Last question here. There’s been rumblings that this could happen as early as tomorrow, the signing of the executive order. Is there still time to speak out on this? What’s your message to the White House and to people watching and listening right now? About 30 seconds.
SPEAKER 13 :
The time is right now. We have heard that his signing ceremony for this is 1.30 p.m. tomorrow, Eastern Time. So it is coming. Now is the time to call the president, call the White House. We have it on our Twitter. You can go to LukeNiferados on X, or you can go to LearnAboutSam.org, our website. Call the president. Call the White House. Call the phone number. If you care about this, if you don’t want to see marijuana normalized across this country, if you don’t want to see President Trump sully his reputation by becoming the most pro-drug president in the history of this country, now is the time to call him.
SPEAKER 04 :
Luke Niferatos, Executive Vice President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, thank you so much for joining us. All right, friends, coming up after the break, a lot of other items in the news. We’ll hit on as much of it as we can. Stay with us. We’ll be back in just a moment.
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At Family Research Council, we believe religious freedom is a fundamental human right that all governments must protect. For years, Islamist militants in Nigeria have targeted Christians and other religious minority groups with brutal violence. Since 2009, 52,000 Christians have been slaughtered. A staggering 89% of Christian martyrs in the world today are from Nigeria. The first Trump administration declared Nigeria a country of particular concern, a designation reserved for countries whose governments engage in or tolerate religious freedom violations. However, this designation of Nigeria was quickly reversed by the Biden administration. Following consistent calls from FRC President Tony Perkins and other religious leaders across the U.S., President Donald Trump has responded.
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DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States of America, Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed. I am hereby making Nigeria a country of particular concern.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is a huge step forward for the protection of Christians in Nigeria as well as religious freedom across the world. While this opens the door for the U.S. government to pressure Nigerian leaders to protect vulnerable Christians, it is only the beginning. We must continue to pray diligently, work strategically, and stand firm for the protection of religious liberty across the globe.
SPEAKER 06 :
In times like these, we need something solid to stand on. That’s why I’m inviting you to join me on January the 1st for Stand on the Word, a daily journey through the entire Bible. Each day, we’ll read God’s Word together, discuss how to apply His truth to our lives. 15 minutes that can transform your year. Join me and thousands of others as we stand strong by standing on the Word of God. Text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742.
SPEAKER 05 :
should a christian support israel that question has become one of the most emotionally charged issues of our time both in the world and within the church family research council president tony perkins offers a clear biblical and prophetic answer in his latest book he examines israel’s past present and future through the lens of scripture revealing why support for israel is not rooted in politics partisanship or cultural sentiment, but in the unchanging promises of God. Drawing from Genesis to Revelation, Tony Perkins demonstrates that the ultimate rationale for a Christian support for Israel is spiritual. Should a Christian support Israel invites believers to see beyond headlines and ideologies returning to the foundation of God’s Word to understand His heart for His chosen people and the blessings that flow when we stand with what He has established forever. Text the word Israel to 67742 for more information.
SPEAKER 04 :
Watch. I’m your host today, Jody Heiss, and we are here to bring you the current news and to do so from a biblical worldview perspective. Thank you so much for joining us. All right, before I get into the last segment, I’ve got a couple of real quick items I want to throw your way. First of all, of course, it’s the end of the year and the beginning of a new year. Time for New Year’s resolutions, and I know you’re already thinking about some of those. I One that I want to put on your radar and urge you to participate in is spending more time in God’s Word in 2026. And one of the best ways I can think of to do that is join the FRC team and thousands of other people across the country on our Stand on the Word program. It’s a two-year chronological journey through the Bible. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes a day, and you’ll go through the entire Bible in two years, and it will transform your life. We want to encourage you to come on board with us to get more information about it all. Go to frc.org slash Bible or simply text the word Bible. to 67742 that’s bible to 67742 last item i want to bring to your attention is of course we are entering into a new year the 250th anniversary of our country And right in the middle of all of that is FRC, Family Research Council continues to stand strongly for faith, family, and freedom. And we’re gonna be doing that in all sorts of ways in this coming year. And we ask you to help us out as we make not only our voice and the voice of scripture available, but your voice that we want to broadcast for the things of God. And right now, now through the end of the year, Every gift you give will be doubled thanks to a special challenge match that we have. So look, no gift is too small, none is too big. You can double your impact here at FRC. Simply text the word AMERICA to 67742. That’s AMERICA, 67742. Alright, as we’ve highlighted today, there is a lot going on in Washington DC and around the world. There’s so much to discuss and obviously we can’t cover everything, but we do want to discuss some of the latest developments that touch on the issues that we work on here at Family Research Council. So with me to share their insights of today’s news and and more is our FRC panel and we are blessed today. to have on that panel, President of Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, as well as FRC’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, Kena Gonzalez. Tony and Kena, as always, great to see you both, and thanks for joining me.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, thank you, Jody, and again, thanks for filling in today so I can take care of some other business, but it’s good to join you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, listen, it’s always an honor to have you as a host and it’s an honor to have you as a guest. So let me start with you, Tony. I don’t know if you saw the last segment. I had a gentleman with me on the marijuana issue. And he was talking about this whole rescheduling, reclassification of marijuana, and it brought up some powerful points. I know that you are a former police officer, got quite a perspective on all this as well. What’s your take on this anticipated move from the president?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, first off, I thought that interview was very good. I thought he brought a lot of information to the forefront on this. And this is not, you know, we don’t have to guess at this. As he said, there’s a lot of studies. In fact, there was a 2017 report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. They concluded there was substantial evidence that marijuana is use is associated with developing problem use in other substances and that was a like a mega study look at all these different studies but we also have states like Colorado that have legalized marijuana and they they speak very openly about the problems they have more Accidents with automobiles related to marijuana. You touched on this earlier, both with Congressman Sessions, is that the there’s an increase in violence because this is not, you know, to borrow a phrase that’s used a lot today. It’s not your daddy’s marijuana. This is much more intense. But I would say, Jody, there’s a spiritual aspect to this as well, okay? The Bible speaks to this. It doesn’t say marijuana, but there’s a word that’s used in the New Testament, find it in Galatians, find it in Revelation, and it’s sorcery. Well, pharmakia is the Greek word there, and sorcery, witchcraft, often included. potions, drugs, and that’s what it’s talking about. So there’s a long history here. Our government has a long history with wanting to keep people from dangerous behaviors. But there’s an inconsistency here, and you touched on this earlier. You know, the administration is fighting a shooting war against drug traffickers in the Caribbean. while at the same time talking about decriminalizing marijuana and normalizing it here at home. I mean, that is a, I mean, it’s a glaring policy contradiction. I mean, you can’t tell our troops that these substances are dangerous enough to justify, you know, lighting up drug boats with missiles and then telling teenagers here at home it’s okay to light up a joint in the backyard. It’s an inconsistency. And then not to mention, and maybe Kena can speak to this, but our National Defense Authorization Act for the last several years has been funding and promoting the use of psychedelic drugs to treat post-traumatic stress syndrome. So there’s a striking incoherence in our policy.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and I’m glad you were able to see the interview with Luke Niferatos. He said that this is not nothing ambiguous about all this. The data has never been more clear. The potency, as you referenced to this drug. What do you think is pushing this? What’s the driving force? Tony, do you have any idea what’s behind this?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I can only speculate based upon what I’ve seen and what I’ve seen with other issues. And the former Speaker of the House, John Boehner, was big on pushing this because it’s money. It’s become a big industry. And so I think what’s driving this is money. And in fact, even some of the government officials in Colorado and elsewhere that are not critical of it but are now embracing it say, hey, it’s revenue. We’re able to tax it. We’re able to regulate it. But what I have found when you start placing taxes on quote unquote sin taxes is that the social costs related to them are way higher than what you gain from the taxation.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. All right. Well, Kena, let me jump over to you. I know this is an issue that you’ve been dealing with for a long, long time from the psychedelic aspect of drugs, as Tony referenced, to the marijuana specifically. Your perspective, what would you tell the Trump administration on why they should not reschedule marijuana?
SPEAKER 14 :
I think it’s interesting that back when Trump was running for office the first time, he was very public about the fact that one of the things that he told his children is, don’t drink, don’t smoke, and don’t do drugs. And he said this repeatedly on the campaign trail, and that’s really telling advice. If you would tell your own children not to do drugs, and you would publicly go out and tell young people this as part of your campaign stump speech, I think it’s important to remember why. We know that drugs harm development, as has been referenced already on the program, harm especially the young brain as it’s developing. And so this is, among other things, this sends the wrong signal to America’s youth that marijuana is not that dangerous. And it really downplays the danger that in the public mind, I think, or it runs the risk of downplaying the danger in the public mind, that marijuana is not a drug that will lead to other drugs and lead ultimately to addiction.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, let me shift gears with you while I can, because I know there’s so many issues, Kena, but I know you’ve also been following a lot that’s been taking place on Capitol Hill before the Christmas break here, but specifically health insurance, Obamacare, all of this has been dominating the discussions. For those who may be having trouble tracking all of this, like probably most of us do, can you kind of give us up the speed, the highlight version of this thing?
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, the quick version is pretty straightforward. The media is probably lying to you, depending on where you get your media. Not from us, of course, but the mainstream media has really been downplaying this. They’ve been playing along with Democrats who, really since September, have been saying that Obamacare, that people who have plans under Obamacare are not going to be able to afford their premiums come the new year. And this is because Obamacare is not affordable. The Affordable Care Act is the unaffordable care act, as it turns out. And it needs government subsidies. Reid, it needs your taxpayer money subsidizing other people’s premiums. And this is not just the poor. They’re talking about solutions, quote unquote solutions, that would subsidize with taxpayer money People are making 400, 500, 700% of the poverty rate, of the poverty level. So this is just talking about continuing big government and business as usual. And unfortunately, some Republicans have been bitten by the scare bug that this is going to affect the elections next year and are desperately looking for a way out. The good news is that conservatives in the House and the Senate are holding the line. The Republicans, as we speak, are holding votes tonight on an actual health care reform proposal that would lower health care costs overall but does not continue these Obamacare subsidies, which, by the way, Democrats were unwilling earlier and even now to extend if the cost of extending them was making sure that they did not fund gender transition procedures and abortions, which we know that they do. So there were some Republicans who were willing to try to cut a deal on that. And the Democrats said, no, it needs to continue as it is funding abortion and gender transition procedures. That’s what’s going on on the Hill. Amazing. Right now, tonight, the House will vote on their package. Hopefully that will pass. The Senate is set to go home. They have just finally passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which is the other big bill that was due at the end of the year. The Senate is wrapping up and getting ready to go home. As was referenced at the top of the show, this will provide pay raises, equipment, and vital assistance to some of our allies in terms of military cooperation.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right. Well, let’s let’s hit on that, Tony, with you. The National Defense Authorization Act is, as kind of just mentioned, just gone past the Senate. What’s your thoughts on what’s coming out of that?
SPEAKER 06 :
Jody, before we get to that, if I can ask Kena a question here. I know you’re hosting, but yesterday he was talking about the health care and the abortion funding and the transgender funding. Yesterday, Kena, I believe you delivered petitions from many of our listeners and viewers to Capitol Hill, to the Speaker’s office on that. Can you update our viewers and listeners who signed on to that petition?
SPEAKER 14 :
Yes, thank you to the almost 37,000 viewers and listeners who signed that petition. We did deliver it both, as promised, both to Speaker Johnson and to Leader Thune in the Senate. And they were very grateful. Both of their staff expressed gratitude for the reception of this. That petition called on Congress not to extend these subsidies, but if they are extended, to make sure that they do not continue to fund abortion and gender transition procedures. And really, Tony, that’s been the issue behind the shutdown, the news behind the news, if you will, is that Democrats simply wanted to continue business as usual, and conservative Republicans finally finally had a chance to say, no, enough is enough. We cannot continue to kill children in the womb or butcher them after they’re born.
SPEAKER 06 :
And that message coming from folks across the country was actually encouraging them in that position. And that’s exactly what we see unfolding tonight, is it not?
SPEAKER 14 :
Yes, that’s exactly right. We’re watching now as the negotiations, I won’t get into all the ins and outs of the negotiations, but that’s exactly where Congress is landing, is that we’re not going to extend the subsidies at the cost of gender transition procedures and abortion funding from taxpayers.
SPEAKER 06 :
Sorry, Jody.
SPEAKER 04 :
Let me interject in here. No, no problem. We just got so many things to cover. I got a whole list of things here. Another one of the items is not making a whole lot of news. And I wanted to get your take on this, Tony, is reports that Marjorie Taylor Greene has been speaking with her colleagues and trying to come up with an effort to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson. What’s your thoughts on this? What do you think is going on here?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, first off, I think it’s, you know, she has announced that she’s resigning from Congress. She’s not going to be back after the first of the year. I think this is a vindictive move. But, as you know, the rules were changed where before, you know, one member could launch this effort or just it didn’t take much to start this process of vacating the chair. But the rules have been changed. She is going to have to get some of her GOP colleagues to join with her. I don’t think that’s going to happen. In talking to other members, I think, first off, I know they kind of see through this, what it is, but they also understand the difficult position that the Speaker has been in. I mean, he’s this month celebrating two years, two months in the Speaker’s chair in a very difficult environment, razor-thin majorities, and he’s been able to thread the needle and get quite a bit done. I think most of the members overwhelmingly recognize that and are grateful for his leadership in these difficult times.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I certainly agree with that. The members that I speak with, and I was with a number of them this week, and I agree. I mean, he’s got the toughest job in the world, and to watch Marjorie Taylor Greene come at this point on her way out like this is just pretty stunning to me. Kana, your two cents on this? Anything that you’re hearing further?
SPEAKER 14 :
The discharge petition is a really bad idea, and I think Tony’s exactly right. I don’t think this is going anywhere. You know, people need to remember two things. One, about Speaker Johnson. One, we have never had such a committed pro-life, pro-family Speaker of the House. We’ve had many good ones, but he has really led on these issues. He’s been front and center, and we simply don’t have time to take off all of the ways in which he’s done that. But the other is that the last time that this happened, it threw Congress into chaos, and that’s a real mistake at this juncture.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, there’s enough chaos going on without adding to it. We certainly don’t need to create more of our own with all of this. And I agree. Speaker Johnson has just done a spectacular job given some of the most difficult circumstances that he inherited with all of this. And I just encourage our viewers and listeners to be in sincere prayer for him during this time. Tony Perkins, Kena Gonzalez, thank you. both so much for joining me on Washington Watch. Always great to have you. God bless you.
SPEAKER 06 :
All right. Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 14 :
Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 04 :
Merry Christmas to you as well. All right, friends, that wraps up this edition of Washington Watch. Hope you have a fantastic evening and we’ll be back with you again tomorrow. We’ll see.
SPEAKER 01 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
