In this episode of Washington Watch, Tony Perkins takes you through the recent developments in the U.S. House of Representatives as they come together to pass a key funding bill that narrowly ends the latest government shutdown. With voices from both sides of the political spectrum, discover the intricacies of federal funding for crucial departments and the contentious immigration reforms being debated. Join Tony and his guests, including Congressman Ben Klein, as they unravel the impact of these decisions on the American political landscape.
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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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For some reason, many of the House Democrats wanted to shut the government down again and inflict pain on the American people. But I’m glad to tell you, I’m happy to report, Republicans got the job done, our majority worked together, and we got the bills over the line.
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That was House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier today following the House vote to end the partial government shutdown. Welcome to this February 3rd edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Well, coming up, the U.S. House narrowly passes a bipartisan deal to end the partial government shutdown, sending the bill to President Trump for his signature. The measure restores funding for several key agencies through the end of September, while extending Department of Homeland Security funding for just two weeks, as both Democrats and Republicans continue to wrangle over longer-term funding, which is tied to immigration reforms. Virginia Congressman Ben Kline will join us shortly with insights from today’s debate. Also, the daily headlines both here at home and around the world not only rob people of their joy, but often of their hope as well. That’s why Jesus told his followers in Luke 18 that they ought to always pray and not lose heart. That’s exactly what Family Research Council and Well-Versed will be doing tomorrow as we co-host the fourth national gathering for prayer and repentance at the Museum of the Bible here in Washington, D.C. Dr. Jim Garlow, CEO of Well-Versed, will join us later to discuss the event and its message. Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve a funding bill to end the partial government shutdown that began over the weekend. The legislation will fund defense, health care, labor, education and other federal agencies through the end of September, while temporarily extending funding for Department of Homeland Security as lawmakers continue negotiations on immigration policy. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper, who has been tracking the major stories of today. Casey, can you walk us through the latest from Capitol Hill?
SPEAKER 04 :
Sure, Tony. President Trump actually just signed the legislation that the Republican-controlled House passed with a vote of 217 to 214. Now, funny enough, 21 Republicans actually voted against the legislation, and 21 Democrats voted for it, canceling it out. But the point is, Speaker Johnson got the job done, and President Trump has now signed it. But the story is not really over, because lawmakers now have to work to quickly reach a deal on that ICE reform, those ICE reforms. And they only have 10 days to do it. Here’s House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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We have two weeks now to negotiate in good faith on both sides. The White House and Senate Democrats are going to engage in that, but the House Republicans are as well. We have to make sure we maintain the important parameters here. We can’t move down, go down the road of amnesty. You can’t in any way lighten the enforcement requirement of federal immigration law. That’s what the American people demand and deserve.
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Now, part of the holdup for some Republicans on this bill is they wanted to include provisions that would tighten voting requirements. They felt that if Democrats were getting a win in these negotiations, they should get something, too. But, ultimately, it’s now all turning to that two-week deadline to make some changes to ICE and refund the Department of Homeland Security, Tony.
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Well, we’re going to talk a little bit more about that in a moment with Congressman Klein. But I do believe, after talking with some members on the Hill, that that’s going to be a much heavier lift. All right, Casey, a Texas man has sued a California doctor under a new law in Texas that allows private citizens to sue abortion providers over abortion pills. Give us the insight on this case.
SPEAKER 04 :
Sure, this is a big case, and if you’re watching now or listening, this is one you want to pay attention to. A guy named Jerry Rodriguez out of Texas filed this lawsuit against a sort of now infamous California abortionist doctor for allegedly mailing abortion drugs to his girlfriend being directed by the girlfriend’s ex-husband. Now, the backdrop here is there’s this major battle, as we cover regularly on the show, over Mifepristone, where pro-life states have these abortion drugs mailed into the state. And now over 60 percent of abortions are happening because of these abortion pills or abortion drugs. Now, this doctor being sued is really a test of a Texas law and a California law. The Texas law allows private citizens to sue abortion doctors for, well, violating what would be Texas law. And California has also passed really reactive laws where they say, oh, you can’t find out who these abortionist doctors are or access their records. And so it’s a big case that has a lot of precedent. And the same doctor, by the way, has been indicted or charged in Louisiana, Tony. So big precedent here on this abortion story.
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All right. We’ll talk a little bit more about that later. On another story, former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in a congressional investigation into the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Casey, very quickly, walk us through the latest on that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I know. The Clintons and Jeffrey Epstein, two things we love to talk about. Not really, but we’re forced to, and it’s back in the news. But this development is because the House of Representatives was requiring the Clintons to testify in person. They refused to do so. So then the House threatened to hold them in contempt. So now they’ve gone back and said, OK, we’ll appear in person. And this is all against the backdrop of millions of government documents being recently released on Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s what House Oversight Chair James Comer had to say.
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This will be their third date that we’ve given the Clintons. And three strikes and you’re out. The votes are there for contempt. I think the Democrats, I think there are Democrats that will vote to hold him in contempt if the Clintons miss this next date. So we’re hopeful that they’ll come in. We can ask questions I think every American and every curious reporter would have, and then we’ll move on.
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Now, former President Bill Clinton has admitted and apologized for flying on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane in the early 2000s. He says he had no idea of all the problems there. But many Republicans think there’s more to the story, Tony.
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Well, unfortunately, as you said, we’ll continue to see how that all unfolds. Casey, thanks so much. I’ll see you later in the program. Thanks, Tony. All right, I want to go back to the government funding battle in Congress and discuss what we can expect over the next two weeks. I believe it’s going to be a bit turbulent. Joining me now to discuss this is Congressman Ben Kline, who serves on several House committees, including the Budget Committee and the Appropriations Committee. He represents the 6th Congressional District of Virginia. Congressman Kline, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
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Tony, it’s great to be with you.
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What the House did today, I know it’s all surrounded in controversy because of the government shutdown, but quite frankly, it’s a big achievement. I talked about this over the weekend on my weekend program with the House speaker, passing 11 of the 12 separate appropriations bills. I know a couple of them were kind of bunched together, but this is something that hasn’t happened in quite some time.
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You’re absolutely right. You know you. The bar is set pretty low when regular order is what we strive for, but the American people are very frustrated with the lurching from shutdown to shut down from continuing resolution to continuing resolution. And so for us to be able to get 11 of the 12 done, hopefully we’ll get the 12th done is an accomplishment, but we’re not going to pat ourselves on the back for just getting the basic job done of the House of Representatives. ON THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK AND HOPEFULLY RAIN IN THE WASTEFUL GOVERNMENT SPENDING AND FOCUS ON GETTING RID OF THE WOKE AND WEAPONIZED GOVERNMENT THAT WAS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
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ALL RIGHT. THE ONE REMAINING BILL, THE HOMELAND SECURITY, THAT WAS PULLED OUT BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING ICE. THIS DOESN’T JUST COVER ICE, BUT IT ALSO COVERS AGENCIES LIKE TSA AND FEMA. How do you see this playing out in the next two weeks?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, it sounds like the deal was with the White House and the Senate Democrats to begin to negotiate about some reforms to ice in particular. But the enforcement of our immigration laws is not something that the House is going to negotiate on when it comes to following through on the mandate of the electorate last November when they said or in November of 24 that they said that they wanted the border enforced. and our laws enforced and those who are here illegally. Those who are dangerous criminals repatriated to their country of origin. That’s what. the Homeland Security Department is doing. And so we need to encourage them to continue to do their job. And if folks want to protest and exercise their First Amendment rights, they can do that, but they shouldn’t be getting in the way or somehow blocking ICE from doing their job because that’s when you have tragedies occur. Right.
SPEAKER 17 :
Is this not a little bit, as I understand it, it appears to me that this is a lot of political posturing because the lion’s share of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, about 96% of it, was in the one big beautiful bill, if I’m not mistaken, that most of that funding was in that bill. So that funding is there. What the Democrats are, this fight they’re putting up is actually would not defund the Department of Homeland Security.
SPEAKER 03 :
It would not. The continuing resolution will continue it for two weeks at existing levels, but ICE received a large amount of funding in the Big Beautiful Bill, and that is not affected by this continuing resolution. ICE will continue to receive the resources that we directed to it earlier last year because that’s what they need to do they need to continue to do their job of enforcing our immigration laws and we’ll look at ways that we can improve that process i’m on the judiciary committee as well and so we’ll talk about ways that federal law enforcement can continue to enforce the laws in a way that respects the constitution and the people who are impacted by that but we’re not going to stop enforcing our laws here in this country just because the Democrats don’t want to.
SPEAKER 17 :
Congressman Klein, I’ve been around for a while, and I can remember when there was a lot of bipartisan support for a lot of things. In fact, almost everything had bipartisan support. Now, bipartisan support is rare. It is the exception, not the rule. Our nation is, I mean, you look at the headlines on any given day, and there is so much going on here in America and around the world. It’s clear that we have a lot that we need to pray about. And this week, there’s a couple of prayer events going on. I’m gonna be talking about one a little bit later, the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. And you’ll be there, you’ll be a part of that. But also, we have the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, which you are co-hosting. I’m scheduled to be there. Speak to the need for prayer at this time as our nation enters into this celebratory year of 250 years.
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Well, we know that our nation was founded 250 years ago on Judeo-Christian principles. And the idea of prayer for our nation, prayer for our leaders, prayer for those with whom we agree and those with whom we disagree is a critical part of that tradition. big melting pot that is the United States. And so coming together in prayer is something that’s been done since the first Congress. You have paintings of the first Congress being led in prayer, all different faiths participating. And that continues. And then about 75 years ago, under President Eisenhower, he remarked about the loneliness of the Capitol. with him and for him and for our leaders. And that eventually developed into the National Prayer Breakfast held at the Hilton Hotel up in Washington. It’s the biggest ballroom in the city. 5,000 of your closest friends from all around the world who come together to pray for our nation, pray for our president. President Trump will be there. Speaker Johnson will be there. And my co-host, Jonathan Jackson, Jesse Jackson’s son, will be my co-host, and we will together Pray for this nation and pray for our leaders to come together and work to solve the nation’s problems. I also look forward to your event tomorrow, this breakfast for prayer and reconciliation. It is so important to come together. I look forward to participating and seeing you there as well.
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We look forward to seeing you as well, Congressman Klein, and thanks so much for joining us today. Folks, a lot to pray about. I encourage you to pray. All right, don’t go away. When we come back, Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota joins us. We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill, urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates and multiple Republican congressmen.
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There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug, Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
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The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
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It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
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And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
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As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
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It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
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We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It is now time to deal with this issue.
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We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
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Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
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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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Back to Washington. Watch. Thanks for tuning in on this Tuesday. The Web site, Tony Perkins dot com. Tensions between the United States and Iran continue to rise and fears of possible a military conflict are escalating. Presently, intense diplomatic efforts are underway to prevent such a conflict. And it’s all over Iran’s nuclear program and their treatment of their citizens. Now, discussions between the U.S. and Iranian officials is expected to take place this Friday in Turkey. Now, this comes as President Trump has increased naval forces in the Middle East. So what is the desired outcome in Iran? Can that be reached without military intervention? Joining me now to discuss this, Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. He serves on several Senate committees, including the Armed Services Committee. Senator Cramer, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.
SPEAKER 19 :
Always great to see you. Thank you, Tony.
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So what do you make of the rising tensions between the United States and Iran over their nuclear program? I mean, this is something that’s been in the headlines for decades now. There’s been lots of talk. What will one more meeting in Turkey bring about?
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Well, Tony, I don’t think it will bring about anything different than all the other meetings over the course of the decades because I think you’re dealing with a regime that can’t be trusted even if you did have some sort of a negotiated outcome. And I think they’ve demonstrated that. And they’re certainly demonstrating it right now with the way they are slaughtering their own people who dare stand up to them. And we all remember the decades and the promises of presidents from the United States that led to no real outcome that was favorable to the freedom-loving people of Iran. But it’s not just about them. It’s also about just stability in the Middle East. So I think if Midnight Hammer didn’t convince the ayatollah that Donald Trump’s serious, there may be other actions required.
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Call me skeptical, Senator, but I’ve seen this before. What Iran, I think, is doing here is simply trying to stretch this out as long as they can, hopeful that there’ll be a new administration at some point in the near future that would take the same course that the Obama and Biden administrations took and give new life to the Iranian nuclear program.
SPEAKER 19 :
I think that’s exactly right. I think it’s similar to what other leaders are doing in our world today. But like I said, if Operation Midnight Hammer doesn’t convince the Ayatollah, then certainly a discussion in Turkey is not going to either. You’re right. That’s the history that we have with this regime. And I think that’s the history you can expect. And I certainly hope that Donald Trump WON’T DISAPPOINT THE IRANIAN PEOPLE WHO ARE LITERALLY WILLING TO DIE AND ARE DYING FOR THEIR OWN FREEDOM TODAY. BUT I ALSO THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LINCOLN STRIKE FORCE THAT’S HEADING TO THE ARABIAN SEA OR IN THE ARABIAN SEA AND YOU SEE OTHER ASSETS, MILITARY ASSETS BEING POSITIONED, THIS ISN’T GOING TO BE A SURPRISE IF DONALD TRUMP DECIDES TO FLEX. IT SHOULDN’T SURPRISE ANYBODY, NOR DO I THINK IT WILL BE MUCH OF A COMPETITION.
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So let me ask you, Senator, what would be these discussions? And I think everyone would rather have a peaceful outcome than have to use military resources. But what would it take to ensure that this nuclear program is being dismantled? Because they’ve lied for decades about what they’ve been doing.
SPEAKER 19 :
WELL, NO, THAT’S RIGHT. I MEAN, ONE OF THE, BUT THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU COULD TRULY ENFORCE SOME SORT OF A NUCLEAR DEAL, AND LET’S REMEMBER, NOT FORGET, WE ARE COMING UP ON FEBRUARY 6TH WITH, WHICH IS THE EXPIRATION OF THE SMART TREATIES WITH RUSSIA. And that’s a regime that we haven’t been able to trust, which is why they’ve expired in the first place. So I think this regime is even far worse, much less, shall we say, pragmatic about this. So I think the only way to have it is to have a very transparent enforcement PROCESS, AND EVEN THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO TRUST SOMEBODY OTHER THAN THE UNITED STATES, THAT IT WOULD BE, LET’S SAY, THE UNITED NATIONS OR SOME OTHER GROUP THAT WOULD BE AT THE FRONT END OF ENFORCEMENT AND INSPECTIONS, ENFORCEMENT STARTING WITH INSPECTIONS. I JUST DON’T SEE IRAN AS HAVING THE TYPE OF REGIME THAT’S GOING TO WANT TO BECOME PART OF THE CIVILIZED, IF YOU WILL, BECAUSE THEY’RE RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS, AND WE CAN NEVER FORGET THAT.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, it is that ideology that is driving them, and I think that’s one of the things we have to understand. That’s where, you know, as a Christian, one who has a biblical worldview, I believe the Bible. I believe it gives direction to us. They believe the Quran, and they believe it gives direction to them. It just happens to be kind of the counter-opposite of the Bible. And I think the struggle that the Western mindset has had is that as we become more secular, we don’t think people believe their religious convictions, nor do they act upon them.
SPEAKER 19 :
There’s no question, Tony, and somewhat that’s happened because the Christian church hasn’t always demonstrated that we believe what the Bible says. And so you’re exactly right. We’ve lost some of that moral authority and that understanding within the Western thought process, although it’s up to the church and those of us who do proclaim Jesus Christ as God. NOT JUST SAVIOR, BUT LORD, TO HELP THEM BETTER UNDERSTAND, TO HELP OUR COLLEAGUES BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT, BECAUSE THIS RELIGIOUS ZEAL OF IRAN IS DANGEROUS NOT ONLY TO CHRISTIANS, BUT EVEN TO OTHER MORE MODERATE MUSLIMS, AND THIS IS WHY THE REGION IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL EVEN. IT’S ABOUT THE PEACE LOVING, FREEDOM LOVING, YOU KNOW, ARAB WORLD STATES THAT ALSO WANT TO, I THINK ARE LOOKING TO US FOR LEADERSHIP IN THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT AND I CERTAINLY HOPE WE DON’T DISAPPOINT THEM.
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Senator, we just have a little over a minute left. I want to talk about that application of that Christian biblical worldview. You have joined Senators Young and Senator Hyde-Smith in supporting the Save Moms and Babies Act. It seeks to reverse something I think is totally wrong. That is that The FDA policy regarding chemical abortions, which has caused the number of abortions in this country to go up. It’s undermined the pro-life laws of states like my home state of Louisiana, your home state of North Dakota. Tell us about that and the prospects of it.
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, what it does, it deals really with some of the FDA rules in the sense that the move to change some of the labeling for chemical-induced abortions, which at the very basics are awful, As you probably know, chemical-induced abortions have by far the highest rate of complications associated with them. But when you consider that a doctor in California can mail to a patient in Louisiana, so you have that. They should not be able to mail this deadly drug and this complicated drug that’s designed to take a life. IN A VERY CRUEL WAY, I MIGHT ADD, WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE DETAILS, SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAIL IT. BUT ALSO JUST IF YOU’RE GOING TO UTILIZE IT, IF YOU’RE ALLOWED TO UTILIZE IT, THERE SHOULD BE CLEAR LABELING AS TO RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
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SENATOR, WE GOT TO LEAVE IT THERE. ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU, MY FRIEND. FOLKS, STICK WITH US. WE’RE BACK WITH MORE AFTER THIS.
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From the beginning, America has understood that liberty flourishes only when grounded in faith, humility, and dependence on the Lord. America needs God. So in 2026, as our nation marks the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, we pause not simply to celebrate history, but to seek the God who gave it purpose. Family Research Council invites you to join us online tomorrow, February 4th at 7 a.m. Eastern Time for the fourth annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C. This sacred gathering will bring together members of the U.S. Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation. United as one voice, we will seek the Lord together, praying for all 50 states that God might bless the next 250 years of our historic nation. To watch the live stream, visit PrayDC.org. That’s PrayDC.org.
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What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful 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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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. Remember the website, TonyPerkins.com. Better yet, get the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store and download the Stand Firm app. All right, it’s clear from one look at the headlines on any given day that there are many issues and problems facing our nation and, quite frankly, the world. I’m not sure in my almost quarter of a century of being here—that sounds like a long time— that the place—the world has been more volatile. And there’s no program, no person, no party in the world that’s going to fix all of the issues. Now, I’m grateful for the leadership we’re getting right now from this administration. But, look, this problem is bigger than what any one human being or one administration can fix. We need prayer and we need repentance. We need God to work in this nation again. And what better time as we move to the 250th anniversary of our country to return to and rediscover those biblical roots of our nation and teach those to this generation. Well, three years ago, Dr. Jim Garlow and the now House Speaker Mike Johnson organized the first annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance that brought together members of the U.S. Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders and intercessors from across the nation and literally from around the world. This year, as our nation marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, we need to remember this. America needs God. So this year’s fourth annual gathering will take place tomorrow, February the 4th, at the Museum of the Bible here in Washington, D.C. Joining me now to discuss this and to share with you how you can be a part of it. is Dr. Jim Garlow, founder and CEO of the ministry Well-Versed. He is also the author of a newly released book, The Executive Orders of Donald Trump, A Biblical Perspective. Dr. Garlow, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thank you, Tony. Good to be with you. It’s good to see you in person. Most of the time you’re joining us by Zoom from California, but now you’re here in frigid Washington, D.C.
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It was 88 degrees two days ago in San Diego, and now we are here below freezing.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, it’s a bit chilly, but there’s going to be a lot of heat tomorrow. We’re going to get the boiler room is going to be moving tomorrow at the Museum of the Bible as we pray.
SPEAKER 18 :
My sensing is, Tony, that we are moving from the outer court to the holy place into the holy of holies. The only chance I see for our nation to survive, for this republic to survive, is two things, are two things, standing on the word of God in all aspects of governance, and number two, walking in the spirit of repentance before a holy and righteous God. And so thank you to you for co-hosting, co-sponsoring for now our fourth year together an event where we call people to do something that I don’t think, to my knowledge, happens very often in a public setting in Washington, D.C., where members of Congress and this year, thanks to your encouragement, we’re going state by state, members of state senate and state representatives coming and literally praying state by state, repenting for the sins of America and repenting for the sins of their state before God. And in other countries have joined us. Quite a few other countries have joined us with the same spirit And there’s not a bunch of preaching, not a bunch of speeches. It’s people are to talk to God and they have a prayer of repentance. It’s not a prayer of breakfast. We’re all prayer and no breakfast. And they come for the purpose of praying prayers of repentance before God.
SPEAKER 17 :
Dr. Garlow, talk a little bit about that focus tomorrow, where we’re actually praying through the 50 states, because there is such rich history in the states. As they all join the union, we’re actually going to be praying as they join the union in sequence. Now, we don’t have—we don’t have some leaders from some states, so we’re going to be praying for them, that they would rise up biblically-based leaders. But when you look back at the history of the states when they joined the union, you look at their declarations, you look at their constitutions and the preambles of their constitutions, unmistakable the connection to God and the crying out to God for his blessings.
SPEAKER 18 :
This is what’s amazing to me. It was a number of years ago, I didn’t realize until just a few years ago, that every single state constitution, all 50, 50 out of 50, refer in their preamble to God or a supreme being or a divine being, some appeal to God in some way. That is even stronger than our own U.S. Constitution in that regard. Our Declaration of Independence certainly does that, but the U.S. Constitution does not with the clarity that these 50 states do. So all 50 states acknowledge this. AN INTERESTING SIDE NOTE HERE, TONY. I DID AN ANALYSIS A YEAR OR SO AGO ON THE NATIONAL, THE ACTUAL NATIONAL ANTHEMS OF THE VARIOUS SONGS OF THE COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. 66 OF THEM ARE PRAYERS OR APPEAL TO GOD. These are national anthems of nations all over the world. So why do you think that is? Because we had a strong foundation, a good foundation, a godly foundation. We had moral people. They were very aware. It took a moral people. They would say a religious people. You and I would use the term a spiritual people. And they were all Christocentric. This wasn’t just pluralistic religions. This was distinctly Judeo-Christian values based upon the Word of God. And were they not seeking God’s blessing? Absolutely, they were. And they recognized they had to come—that’s why days of humiliation were called, or days of prayer, or solemn assemblies. I think over 36—I believe the count is—36 of our 47 presidents have called for our nation to come before him and humble ourselves before him. Think of that heritage, even FDR at the outbreak of World War II, a six minute long prayer before the nation.
SPEAKER 17 :
You know, some would say, well, we only have like 45 seconds left, but tomorrow there will be prayer, genuine prayer from our leaders. God hears those prayers. How can people join and be a part of it?
SPEAKER 18 :
They go to NGPR, now it stands for National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, NGPR.org. Thank you. And go there and tune in. It starts at 7 a.m. Eastern time. So all my friends on the West Coast in California, get up at 4 and join us. Just stay up and join us. Don’t go to bed if you’re on the West Coast.
SPEAKER 17 :
Jim Garlow, I want to thank you for your leadership on this. It’s been an honor to partner with you, and I’m praying that God would… I know he’s going to hear the prayers, but I pray that we will touch the heart of God. Yes, we must for the sake of the nation. Folks, stick with us.
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Back with more after this. 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.
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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.
SPEAKER 08 :
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.
SPEAKER 13 :
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.
SPEAKER 22 :
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.
SPEAKER 07 :
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.
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
SPEAKER 17 :
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. All right. Thanks for tuning in and being a part of Washington Watch. As we were discussing earlier in the program, we ran out of time in the segment with Senator Kramer. But I wanted to mention on the issue of life, we’re still working on this and we’re not going to let it go. This whole issue of the abortion drug, which has caused abortion rates to climb in this nation, Despite all the things that have happened, the overturn of Roe, despite the fact that abortion clinics are closing, they’ve simply moved to kind of an Amazon model. And it’s being facilitated by the policy of the FDA through these abortion pills. So if you’d like to weigh in on this, text the word LIFE to 67742. That’s LIFE to 67742. All right, our word for today comes from Job chapter 40, as God steps into the protracted debate between Job and his friends, giving Job the opportunity that he wanted to make his case before God. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, now prepare yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer me. Would you indeed in all my judgment, would you condemn me that you may be justified? Have you an arm like God or can you thunder with a voice like his?” I tell you what, this is a powerful question from God that would leave any of us speechless. Would you condemn me that you would be justified?” Think about that, the reality of that question. We question the character of a holy God by asking why, oftentimes just to justify our own unholy character. The problem is not with God, it’s with us. God does not conform to the character of the created. That’s what idols are made of. We, as followers of Christ, are to conform to the character and the ways of the Creator. For more on our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. All right. I want to bring in two of our reporters from the Washington stand to cover a number of stories that have been breaking already this week. Joining us is Sarah Holliday and managing editor for broadcast Casey Harper. Sarah, Casey, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thanks for having us.
SPEAKER 17 :
All right. So I want to start with you, Casey. The story we touched on earlier in the program about a Texas man suing a California doctor for mailing the abortion drug into the state of Texas and taking the life of his unborn child, that in violation of Texas law. This is what’s called a private trial. right of action.
SPEAKER 04 :
Talk about that. Yeah, that’s right. This is really the first real test, I would say, of this Texas law where California doctor is mailing abortion pills into not just Texas, by the way, many other states like Louisiana. Yeah.
SPEAKER 17 :
In fact, this is the same doctor that’s been indicted.
SPEAKER 04 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 17 :
in Louisiana, and the Attorney General, Liz Merle, who we’ve had on the program before, has sought to extradite him, but there are these shield laws that are protecting him in these blue states.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s really a constitutional crisis, because in reaction, California has said, well, we’re going to hide the records. What are you hiding, is a good question. But California has made it where you cannot get the information or records of these abortionists. Really, you know, you have two different states of laws that are conflicting. It comes down to the federal government and the policy via Mifepristone that they’re allowing. It’s creating a constitutional crisis by allowing pro-life states babies are still being killed by the abortion pill that’s shipped in.
SPEAKER 17 :
So this is all being created, this conflict between the red states and the blue states is basically what it is, is being created by the federal government’s policy on Mifepresto.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s right. I think in the post Roe v. Wade world, there was this myth that Well, the blue states will do their thing and the red states will do their thing and they’ll be pro-life states and they’ll be pro-choice states. That’s not true. All states under this Mifepristone FDA policy are effectively pro-choice states. It’s actually in some ways worse than before Roe v. Wade was overturned. Abortions are up. The abortion pill now accounts for about 63% of all abortions in the country and that’s happening in very red states like Louisiana, very pro-life states like Texas.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, again, talking to the Attorney General in Louisiana as she was preparing her case, because she has actually sued the FDA over this policy, that as best as they can tell, and it’s hard to get numbers because there’s no reporting requirements, but they’re estimating that the number of abortions in Louisiana are actually higher now than prior to the overturn of Roe, and abortion is illegal in the state of Louisiana.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and it’s, you know, what’s maybe most frustrating to many pro-lifers is they elected a Republican House, Senate, and White House, and this is still happening.
SPEAKER 17 :
Sarah, there’s a similar element of this, this private right of action that allows this Texas man to sue the doctor. This is not the state taking the action. This is the individual taking the action. Well, we’re seeing that now take place when it comes to these transgender procedures that have been performed on minors. We actually now see them turning around and suing the doctors and the medical institutions that did it.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s correct. In fact, we have a historic trial that we are now seeing unfold right before our eyes with Fox Varian, 22 years old now. But, I mean, at 16 years old, she was put on this conveyor belt of so-called gender-affirming care, and she had a double mastectomy. And now she is one of those people who is filing a lawsuit, who has filed a lawsuit, because She’s suing her psychologist and her plastic surgeon because she was, like many people, rushed. She wasn’t properly evaluated. She’s claiming that there were standards of care that were completely sidelined. And now here she is, so young, 22 years old, with irreversible harm done to her body in the name of this inclusion, this transgenderism. People have—they should have the right to challenge the people that have done the harm to them. that are hiding the truth of this.
SPEAKER 17 :
And they’re doing it because of political pressure. We’ve seen these medical institutions or medical associations changing policies because of the political pressure. They should have to give an account for that. That is one way to do it. This is actually one of the legitimate uses of our court system.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, and they should definitely have to be held accountable because a lot of these ideologies, whether it’s pro-abortion or pro-transgenderism, is based on lies and deceit. Not only is it going against the Word of God, the fact that we are made beautiful the way God created us to be. genetic makeup is fixed. We can’t just decide to be a man or a woman whenever we feel like it. And we can’t just say that a human life in the womb is all of a sudden just a clump of cells and not bearing inherent dignity and value. And so these are ideologies that are counter to God’s word, his truth. They’re completely dependent on lies. They operate, they cannot operate without those lies. And so they need to be held accountable because accountability is going to expose
SPEAKER 17 :
And the court is one of the ways to do that. Casey, back when I was in the legislature as a very conservative legislator, I know you find that hard to believe. Yeah, that’s breaking. But I worked with trial lawyers, Christian trial lawyers, because the Bible lays out very clearly tort And that people have a right to be made whole. And in this case, I think this is a very effective use of the courts. I am glad to see, A, states providing that private right of action. I hope we’re able to get that at the federal level as well. And then, secondly, to see trial lawyers, lawyers that are taking on these cases, because This will shut down a lot of this very quickly because they will soon find it’s impossible to get malpractice insurance. And so you’re going to see institutions and doctors moving away from this.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, that’s right. And I think for people in our world, this transgender issue has been a very political issue. We think about it politically and Republicans and Democrats and how it affected the election. But what these lawsuits remind us is it’s a justice issue. And that’s why the courts are working. Exactly. And there are real victims. It’s not just an abstract bad policy economic idea. There are real victims. I mean, you can’t even get a tattoo. And if you give a kid a tattoo, you can get in trouble. But you can give them a mastectomy. Or an abortion.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah. I mean, these are politically protected. But this is going to break through that barrier of political protection when people start getting sued for engaging in this charade, which is what it is. I wonder why that affects malpractice. It’s going to make it very, very difficult. And that’s why I encourage my trial lawyer friends to get into this and even search out and solicit, because as Walt Heyer has been on the program before talking about this, There are so many that have regrets, and just as this case here, that they were underage, they can’t make certain decisions for themselves, but they were led down this path. I’m glad to see it. It’s tragic that it had to happen, but I hope this could be another turning point to where this is put far into the past. All right, I want to go on to another topic. I want to play a clip from Pam Bondi, the attorney general, talking about Minnesota and the violation of what should be a safe space, if you will.
SPEAKER 06 :
We live in the United States of America, and you will have the right to worship safely and freely in a house of worship, whether it’s a church, a synagogue, a temple, a mosque, any house of worship in this country, you will be safe. And these people committed a crime under the FACE Act, and they will be held accountable. Nine of them have been charged and you will not do this in our country. We’re coming after you if you do this because we are going to protect houses of worship.
SPEAKER 17 :
Casey, I have been advocating for years that the FACE Act be used to go after those who disrupt church services. It was designed to shut down pro-lifers outside of abortion clinics. FINALLY, IN THE SECOND GO AROUND OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, THEY ARE USING IT.
SPEAKER 04 :
YEAH, IT’S SORT OF A, THERE’S KIND OF TWO WAYS TO LOOK AT IT HERE. YOU COULD SAY, I THINK MANY DEMOCRATS DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT THE FACE ACT HAD THIS PROVISION IN IT. THEY DIDN’T. THEY’RE TOTALLY IGNORANT WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT IT. AND THIS LAW HAS BEEN USED TO REALLY ABUSE AND BLUDGE IN THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT FOR MANY YEARS. AND SOME WILL SAY, WELL, THIS LAW SHOULDN’T EXIST. AND IT’S, WELL, IT TOOK IT BEING USED AGAINST BOTH SIDES BEFORE.
SPEAKER 17 :
My argument was that if we wanted to make it go away, which I would like to see it go away, is use it. As Orrin Hatch was the one that put that, the very last part of the debate over the bill in the Senate, he put that in there. This is one of the benefits of longevity, being around, you know. And so he put that on and it passed the same year, by the way, that Bill Clinton signed the International Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the no, I take that back. The Religious Freedom Act, the domestic. He signed that into law almost just just not far apart from signing the FACE Act, which. this provision protecting religious freedom, there was no objection to it. But we didn’t see the hostility back then toward religion that we see today. But I can assure you, if we have administrations that continue to apply this to those who barge in, disrupt or block church services, the left will want this law to go away.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s limited government 101 to be careful what you do now because later it will be used against you. And also, I think it really speaks to the importance of the work that’s done at FRC. One provision and a law in the 90s that people are working behind the scenes to get could 30 years from now change the whole debate and protect a lot of liberties.
SPEAKER 17 :
Part of that is actually being able to look downrange and see the trajectory of culture and building. See, if you’re trying to build a defense when you’re under bombardment, it becomes very difficult. But if you’re beginning to build those protections, you know, years in advance, knowing what is happening as we have, you know, taken out of our schools any references to God, if it’s a positive reference, prayer, Bible study. We have a growing population that has no understanding or respect for God.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. Yeah. And talk about long-term consequences. Nothing’s more long-term than how we educate our kids.
SPEAKER 17 :
I want to go back to another topic, Sarah. We were talking about the abortion pill, abortion drug, that’s such an issue in these states, about a dozen states that have total protection for the unborn and for their mothers, but all those laws are being undermined. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced some policy changes to the abortion drug.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s correct. So for a little bit of context, there was, as we all are aware, the Dobbs decision in 2022 that gave the abortion issues back to the states. It overturned Roe versus Wade. In response to that, the very radically pro-abortion Biden administration had issued this guidance that affected 60,000 pharmacies nationwide.
SPEAKER 1 :
60,000.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s a lot. And it was pressuring them is the way that we sort of look at this, this legality that it was pressuring these people in a way that they weren’t sure if it was really giving them a choice as to whether they had to dispense the abortion drugs or not. But it was interpreted in that they had to dispense it. They were pressured to dispense it.
SPEAKER 17 :
At that point, Biden pulled his whole. cabinet together and said, we want a whole of government response to the overturn of Roe. And so this was a crisis for them. I mean, the world could have been burning up and it wouldn’t have mattered then. This was their focus. And so this is a part of that outcome.
SPEAKER 05 :
Of course. And they put this guidance out there and religious pharmacies, people that are pro-life said, hey, hold on. What about our protection of conscience? What about our religious liberty? What about the fact that WE WANT TO PROTECT IT. WE DO VALUE LIFE AND WANT TO PROTECT IT. AND SO THERE WAS LEGAL CHALLENGES WHICH LED TO SOME REVISIONS BUT IT STILL HAD SO MUCH AMBIGUITY AND PEOPLE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT, HOW MUCH OF A SAY DO I REALLY HAVE IN WHETHER OR NOT YOU’RE FORCING ME TO DISPENSE THIS REALLY DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING DRUG, RIGHT? AND SO THAT LED TO TODAY WHERE THE HHS HAS NOW FULLY RESCINDED THAT BIDEN ERA GUIDANCE WITH THE GOAL OF GETTING RID OF THAT As we’ve been talking about, there’s still so much issues with this abortion drug. And so while—talk to the pro-lifers. They will tell you that they welcome this move with open arms. They want these pharmacies to have the right to not dispense this drug. But there’s still so much work to do, because, as you mentioned, 63 percent of all abortions
SPEAKER 16 :
So this is good.
SPEAKER 17 :
This is good because it protects the individual rights of conscience. So this is good. We celebrate this. We welcome this. We’re happy about this. But when you look at the bottom line, this really is not going to impact the abortion rates in this country via the pill.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s a fact. And honestly, this whole time we’ve been talking about accountability and consequences, and I think we really need to be able to uphold those two principles firmly, because at the end of the day, these people will continue to push back against the laws that we put forth to protect life, to protect the truth of God. They’re going to keep finding loopholes, but we need to tell them that, one, we’re not going to back down, and two, there are consequences that will affect you.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, in part, the Dobbs decision recognized the right of the states to protect the unborn. The federal government is violating that principle by allowing these abortion pills to be mailed into the states.
SPEAKER 05 :
Exactly. All the while, they’re telling us that they’re doing this review of the safety of the drugs, and then they’re administering new— That’s been going on for nine months.
SPEAKER 17 :
We could have a baby, by the way. You know, somebody could have a baby right now.
SPEAKER 16 :
That’s very ironic.
SPEAKER 17 :
You actually have one. I did, yeah. Or your wife did, not you. Right, well— All right, text the word LIFE to 67742 and add your voice to this debate. Sarah, Casey, thanks for joining me. Thanks, Tony. And folks, thank you for joining me as well. And until next time, I leave you with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, prepared, taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 08 :
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.
