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Join us on this episode of Washington Watch as guest host Jody Heiss navigates through a myriad of pressing issues affecting our nation today. In an impactful opening, he reflects on the tragic school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, and leads a call for prayer and healing. As we delve into governmental affairs, Congressman Chuck Fleischman provides insights into the USA’s ongoing struggles with budget appropriations and the looming threat of a government shutdown.
SPEAKER 14 :
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.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, welcome to this Monday edition of Washington Watch. I hope you had a fantastic weekend. I am Jody Heiss, the Senior Vice President here at the Family Research Council and President of FRC Action. It’s a tremendous honor, as always, when able to, to fill in for Tony. Thank you so much for joining us today as well. And certainly before we begin, I want to encourage everyone who’s watching and listening to the program right now just to join me in praying for the community of Madison, Wisconsin, where details of yet another school shooting earlier this morning are even still unfolding.
SPEAKER 17 :
Today, around 1057 a.m., our officers were responding to a call of an active shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School here in Madison. When officers arrived, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was Madison, Wisconsin Police Chief Shawn Barnes speaking today at a press conference. And if we could, even right now, let’s just take a moment to pray for this situation. Lord, you know what’s happening right now in Madison, Wisconsin and the broken hearts, the lives that are absolutely shattered. by this yet another vicious mass murder. And Lord, we pray for the families involved. We pray for this community. We pray that the presence of God would be real and intervene in their behalf. And Lord, we just recognize all across this country the deep need for you. And so we pray, Father, for an outpouring of your spirit upon this country, and particularly right now for those in Madison, Wisconsin. Show yourself strong in their behalf, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. As I said, details of that tragedy continue to unfold, but we want to pray for them and encourage you to do the same. All right, we’ve got a lot coming up on the program today. We’re going to start with the text of a stopgap measure to fund the government. It was expected today, but at least as of a few moments ago, it still has not been released. And yet we’re just days away from a potential government shutdown. So what’s the holdup? I’ll be joined here in just a few moments with Congressman Chuck Fleischman, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, to discuss that. And President-elect Trump held a press conference today and was asked about a number of items, including the mysterious drones that have now been spotted flying over New Jersey and New York and elsewhere across the country.
SPEAKER 04 :
Our military knows and our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense. I can’t imagine it’s the enemy because if it was the enemy, they’d blast it out. Even if they were late, they’d blast it out. something strange is going on for some reason they don’t want to tell the people
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, the Biden administration continues to insist that there is no threat and no nefarious activity related to the drones, and yet they continue not to provide any more details to anyone, including lawmakers. And given the dangerous times in which we live, is our government responding appropriately to all of this? Or are we inviting bad actors who will have nefarious motives? Well, we’ll be discussing this later when I’m joined by Gordon Chang, so you don’t want to miss that. And speaking of bad actors, there’s concern that a hole left behind by the collapse of brutal Assad regime in Syria could be filled by terrorist groups, including ISIS.
SPEAKER 18 :
ISIS fighters are killing machines. They want to purify our Islam. They want to take down the King of Jordan, the King of Saudi Arabia. They want to replace the UAE with a theocracy. You don’t want these people in charge of the Mideast.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina yesterday on NBC’s Meet the Press. So what sorts of threats do the Islamist rebel forces pose to the people of Syria, including, of course, the Christians who are there? Well, Jeff King of International Christian Concern will be joining me to discuss that. in a little bit as we get into the program a little bit later and then there’s some pleasant news coming from the washington post editorial board if you can believe that they have admitted that the so-called science behind puberty blockers and hormones for minors suffering from gender dysphoria is not clear at all so what are we to make of all of this Well, Dr. Quentin Van Meter of the American College of Pediatricians will join me for that discussion. So as always, we’ve got a lot coming your way. And of course, as always, you don’t want to miss any of it. But I know sometimes things happen. And if by chance you do miss a portion of this program, you can go back and catch it at our website, TonyPerkins.com. Of course, not only this edition of Washington Watch, but tons of other past editions also available for you, as well as lots and lots of resources. So be sure to bookmark that page, tonyperkins.com. All right, let’s jump into the details of today’s program. And we’re going to begin with the mysterious drones that have been flying over New Jersey, New York, and other places across the country. They certainly have captured the attention of many. Is there a potential threat? Is it coming from Washington? Who knows what’s going on? But we also have another looming problem. a potential government shutdown, and that’s to take place potentially on Friday. The text of the continuing resolution for the funding package was expected today, but at least as of just a little while ago, it still has not come through. And reportedly, that’s because of the late round haggling that’s taking place. So where do things stand right now? Well, here to give us the latest is Congressman Chuck Fleischman, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. He represents the third congressional district of the great state of Tennessee. Congressman Fleischman, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you, my friend.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you, Jody. Nice to see you. Merry Christmas. Thank you for your kind, kind prayer, thoughtful prayer for the school in Wisconsin. Our prayers go out to those people. My sons were all privileged to go to private Christian schools in Chattanooga. They were great schools. We want our children to be safe. Thank you.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, we do. And thank you for joining us in that prayer. And look, it’s happened in Tennessee. It’s happened in my home state of Georgia. It seems like more and more of these type of tragedies are occurring, and we must have the good hand of God in all of this. Thank you for your comments. Now, let’s talk about some of the other chatter that’s taking place in Washington, D.C. right now, specifically as it relates to the continuing resolution. What’s the latest that you’re hearing?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, right now, they’ve bogged down in some very important details. Jody, putting this in context, the fiscal year for the United States began October 1st of this year. At that time, we kept the government open and passed a continuing resolution, kept the government open until December the 20th. We are currently working on a continuing resolution that will give President Trump time in March to basically work out a full funding deal to September 30th, the end of the next fiscal year, fiscal 25. What has happened, candidly, Jody, is that the supplemental, that disaster supplemental, which needs to be passed and funded, has bogged down largely due to the agricultural portion of that. Folks in farming states, understandably so, want to make sure that in addition to the forest fires, in addition to the flooding that we saw in your great state of Georgia and my great state of Tennessee in North Carolina, that there be a portion of that bill dedicated to our nation’s farmers who are hurting right now in many ways. And those are where we’ve bogged down. I thought that we would have text of a bill candidly by Sunday night that could have gotten us out of Washington, D.C. and back into our districts for Christmas by Wednesday. Now, with no bill there, it’s looking more like late Thursday or Friday. Under our rules, we’ve got to have three days to obviously read the bill, interpret the bill. and then ultimately vote on it. So we’ve just hit loggerheads right now. We will get it done. We will keep the government open and hopefully give President Trump and the new administration an opportunity to look at the bill so that we can vote on a full package in March.
SPEAKER 08 :
So that’s your expectation, then, that later on in the week, originally you had hoped by Wednesday. And look, we were all expecting the text of the bill to come out. In fact, I kept telling our team, surely it’s coming today. We’ll just hang on. And I said, if anybody knows, Chuck will know what the latest is with all of this. But do you expect, then, that now it’s going to be Thursday or Friday before a vote comes to the floor? If that happens, obviously the text still has to come on out tonight or tomorrow.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s correct. A lot of the bill where there are agreements is already written, Jody, and that part is good. But this is a little bit different than the usual continuing resolution because it’s got a very large disaster supplemental attached to it. That’s going to make it easier for some members to vote for it. I understand that. But once they get final agreement, they will actually have to draft the actual final bill, post it, and give all members under House rules an opportunity to actually read it, go through it, comment on it, and then… ideal, probably Thursday, maybe potentially Friday now. Obviously, we want to get it done before the 20th. No one in this city wants to see a government shutdown. There won’t be a government shutdown. But the reality is we’re going to have to get it done. And it’s just going to take longer due to the magnitude of the supplemental for disaster relief.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I had alluded to this coming into the program in the opening monologue and some comments, but Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, from my understanding at least, they both have been urged to include a measure in this CR that addresses the recent drone sightings. And I think that obviously speaks to the bipartisan dissatisfaction that everyone seems to have towards the government. What do you make of the response? Is that going to happen?
SPEAKER 05 :
The question is time. Homeland Security is one of the bills of the 12 appropriation bills where something could be put in for that, potentially under defense, but probably Homeland Security. As you know, Jody, I chair the Energy and Water Subcommittee of Appropriations, funds the Department of Energy, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Reclamation. There’s not a lot of drama right there. Ours is largely done, but there could be something put in once again the enemy becomes the clock time. We’ve got to get something done sooner than later so that we can keep the government open, get everything funded, and then move on into the next year, next calendar year, at which time President Trump and his folks will be able to look at this with the new House, with the new Senate, and hopefully get it voted on for the rest of the fiscal bill until September 30th.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, it’s a very interesting process that’s taking place. It seems like, you know, and I’ve been there too, it seems like this always seems to happen right before Christmas. But the outcome should be vastly different this go-around, and we’re certainly praying for you and all your colleagues there, both in the House and the Senate. Thank you so much, Congressman Chuck Fleischman of Tennessee. Always an honor to see you, and glad to have you back on Washington Watch. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
SPEAKER 05 :
Jody, my friend, thank you. It’s a privilege to serve with you when you served. It’s great to have you at the Family Research Council. Tony and your organization are incredible. Thank you for your strong biblical commitment to everything. And I mean to everything. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 08 :
Merry Christmas. All right, friends, much more after the break, all about what’s happening in our world. How do we deal with it? So stay tuned. We’ll be back in a moment.
SPEAKER 06 :
The throne of Jesus Christ is unchallenged. His name was never on the ballot to begin with, and it’s never gonna be on the ballot. He’s the King of Kings, and he’s the Lord of Lords, and nothing’s gonna change that. And so our mission stays the same, preach the gospel, make disciples, get ready for heaven. In the meantime, that we’re to advance the concerns of the kingdom of God here on earth.
SPEAKER 07 :
America has entered a critical and vulnerable period from now until January the 20th. Join Family Research Council for Operation Prayer Shield, a 10-week prayer initiative for our nation. From now until January 20th, our country faces global challenges, a transition of leadership, and a lame duck session of Congress. This season calls for heightened spiritual vigilance, discernment, and prayer. Text the word SHIELD to 67742 to join us. You’ll have access to prayer points, Scripture, prayer calls, text SHIELD to 67742. Unite with us and pray for our nation.
SPEAKER 15 :
Let’s not be discouraged. Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose the faith. Stand now strong because the Lord has given us the great privilege of living in a time when our choices matter, when our lives matter, when our courage matters. So let’s stand together and save this great country. God bless the United States of America.
SPEAKER 11 :
The American Republic has a freedom like no other. It has roots in the scriptures far more than any other heritage. And if we as followers of Jesus and conservatives don’t defend it, who will?
SPEAKER 16 :
Neutrality is not an option. There are many Christians who believe that if we just keep our heads down, if we just don’t say the wrong thing, that somehow we will come out of this unscathed. You’re naive if you think that, because what they want from us is not our silence. What they want from us is our submission.
SPEAKER 13 :
Part of the dilemma of Christianity in our generation is that we’ve relied a little too much on human wisdom and human reasoning, human strength, human resource, and we’ve relied too little on the power of God and God’s ability to open doors that we can’t open and do things that we couldn’t even hope to begin to do.
SPEAKER 01 :
This may not be an easy task, But we are living in a moment of challenge, but also a great opportunity. And we know always that we are not alone, that His Spirit empowers us and protects us, and that He can do the unimaginable. Dobbs, after all, was never supposed to happen.
SPEAKER 07 :
Father, we thank you. You have entrusted us with this moment in history, and I pray that we would be found faithful, and that as a result of our faithfulness to you, that thousands, millions would come into the kingdom as they would experience the forgiveness of sin and the new life that is found only in Jesus Christ. Amen.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to have you joining us today. All right, during the Biden administration, we have most certainly seen a significant increase in conflicts, the escalation of conflicts all around the world, prompting many fears, literally, about a potential World War III. And while we also saw a decisive victory for President-elect Trump last month, and that has given many Americans at least a breath of relief, we’re certainly not out of the water. I mean, the axis of autocracies led by places like Russia and China, Iran, North Korea, they continue to challenge the democratic world order. And the sudden collapse now of the brutal Assad regime in Syria has highlighted really how interconnected a growing number of global conflicts really are. And even, we’ve talked about it already, but the appearance of all these mystery drones across the Northeast and other places have people whispering about some involvement from Iran. So what are we to make of all this? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Gordon Chang. He is a distinguished senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and author of many books, including his latest, Plan Red, China’s Project to Destroy America. You, of course, can follow him on X under the handle at Gordon G. Chang. We encourage you to do so. Gordon, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to have you. Well, thank you so much, Jody. All right, so how dangerous is the world? How dangerous are the times in which we’re living right now?
SPEAKER 03 :
This could very well be the most dangerous moment in history. A lot of people will say that was 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis, or 1961, the Checkpoint Charlie Crisis in Berlin. But we know from the archives that neither Kennedy nor Khrushchev were willing to use their most dangerous weapons. Now, we don’t know that about Xi Jinping or Vladimir Putin. And we are seeing a very bold Chinese regime, for instance, and a very bold Russian one. So yes, the world is falling apart and they fell apart under Biden’s watch because he did not understand the use of American power. And by the way, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, yes, they’re evil.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, and when you say the world, in essence, it’s on fire. I mean, it really is. You watch it, all these countries that are flexing their muscles, and none of them really would lead in a place that is for the well-being of humanity as a whole. And then we have Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made waves, frankly, last week when seem to at least indicate President-elect Trump’s First America slogan was somehow tied to the 1930s before World War II. So what do you make of those kind of comments, especially at such a time as this?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, obviously, those policies that sounded good to the ear and, you know, Biden talks about cooperation, friendliness, trying to find ways where we can work with China. Those policies, even though they are soothing, they have created one disaster after another. And when you look at what Mitch McConnell said, you know, it is, again, a failure of the American elites to protect the American people. And now, Jody, I think that it’s possible that the axis of evil has brought the fight to the United States, because we’re talking about drones. And we don’t know yet whether those drones are foreign or not. Yes, I know the Pentagon says that they’re not, but there are a number of people in the Air Force, for instance, who believe that a majority of those drones are being operated by foreign powers.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, and I’m glad you brought this up because I wanted to bounce this off you, these drones. I mean, we saw one of our own crucial air forces close for several hours the other day because of the drone activity that was taking place. So what do you make of these drones? And how should our government be handling this situation?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, first of all, there’s two alternative explanations. One of them is that these are operated by foreigners. If that’s not true, then it’s even more ominous because they’re operated by the U.S. government. Because these are too big, they are too sophisticated to be operated by hobbyists. Then the question is, what is the federal government doing with these drones? And we have seen, for instance, those two radiation spikes that have been reported in the New York metropolitan area, one in New York City, the other just across the Hudson River in New Jersey. And that leads us to believe that maybe the federal government is looking for a nuclear weapon that has been planted there by a terrorist state or somebody. We don’t know that, but one thing we do know, and that is that for more than a decade, the federal government has been worried about this very scenario, about North Korea in particular, taking a nuclear device, tearing it apart, smuggling in the portions of it into the U.S., and then reassembling it in the city of their choice. So that’s very well what the federal government may be doing. Whether you believe these are foreign or whether these are DHS or CIA or FBI, there are no good explanations for what’s occurring.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, absolutely. And we saw, of course, a similar, if you will, response previously with the Chinese spy balloon that floated across the US. But looking at that versus this, should we be concerned that at least our adversaries are watching the response of the American people to these drones right now, and maybe they’re seeing an opportunity?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, clearly China saw the failure of not only the U.S. military, but also President Biden and his national security team to the balloon in January and February of last year. Just a non-response. And so I think China then said, well, look what it could do if it tried something else. And so we’ve seen a lot of drone penetrations of U.S. military bases by Chinese nationals. So I think Beijing learned a lesson there. And right now, God knows what’s occurring. But the point here is that the federal government needs to talk to the American people. I believe President Biden needs to address the American people and tell us what he knows and what he doesn’t know. And he has to understand this. Yeah, it might cause panic, but I also think the American people are mature enough to understand what’s going on. In the absence of information, we have to assume the worst. We need to have the President of the United States talk to us.
SPEAKER 08 :
And there’s panic being created by the silence as well. And if it’s a classified operation, just say so. It’s classified, but you don’t need to be fearful. We’re just doing some, it’s a classified mission we’re involved in. You know, whatever, but the silence is unacceptable. Thank you, Gordon Chang, Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. Always an honor to have you on Washington Watch. It’s an honor for me to be here, and thank you so much, Jody. Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you. All right, don’t go anywhere. We’ll take a look at the situation facing Syrian Christians after the stunning fall of Assad. Well, that’s coming on the other side of the break, so stay tuned.
SPEAKER 07 :
It begins here and here and here every day. Before you stand, you need solid ground. Standing in a culture that wants you to surrender the truth won’t work unless you have a firm foundation. At Family Research Council, we have that firm foundation, and you can find us standing. We stand for the value of all human life. We stand for the right of families to flourish. And every day, we stand for your freedom to believe and to live out those beliefs, both at home and abroad. We work with government officials, educating them on the issues from a biblical worldview, and when necessary, we hold them accountable. We equip Christians across America to be informed and to take action in their communities. With our daily radio program, television appearances, and vast online presence, we reach people where they are. We envision an America where all human life is valued, families flourish, and religious liberty thrives. And that won’t be realized if we’re not standing. Stand for faith. Stand for family. Stand for freedom. Stand with us at FRC.
SPEAKER 12 :
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SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch. Welcome back. I’m Jody Heiss. Honored to be filling in today for Tony. All right. Earlier this morning, a telegram message purportedly from deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad claimed that his departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles. Assad, by the way, as you may recall, fled into the arms of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month. It all came about when his regime collapsed. In fact, it collapsed with stunning speed, quite frankly, much to the shock of the international community. But with Syria now in a state of chaos, where does that leave Syrian Christians who are still in that country? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Jeff King. He’s the president of International Christian Concern. Jeff, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always an honor to have you.
SPEAKER 09 :
Good to be with you.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay, so let’s start with just reminding our audience just how big the Christian community was, at least, let me put it that way, how big the Christian community was in Syria before Assad’s fall.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, I can’t remember the exact number, but it was massive. It’s been probably about an 80% reduction. So it used to be the safe haven for Christians in the Middle East. He’s a tough dictator, nasty, but the Christians were protected there, and there’s been a massive fleeing of Christians.
SPEAKER 08 :
So whatever that number was, as you said, and that’s why I wanted to bring it up because this was kind of a safe haven area for Christians. Did I hear you correctly that some 80% of those Christians, or at least it’s expected that up to that number have fled?
SPEAKER 09 :
I think so. Yeah. And that kind of reflects, Jody, the whole picture of the Middle East and with Iraq. Again, this is, you know, this is the birthplace of Christianity. But look, with radicals, you know, free to do what they want and war and with Christians without protection, you know, they have a lot of connections around the world. So the ones that can flee do.
SPEAKER 08 :
So that would say to me, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m just trying to connect dots right along with so many others, and you probably have more information than anyone else I know on this issue. But if you have 80%, give or take, of the Christians who are in Syria who have already or are in process of leaving, that would say to me, are fearful for their lives with the new power that is coming into place there. So are you at all hopeful about what lies ahead with the Assad regime now history, or is it still a very dangerous place?
SPEAKER 09 :
Let’s see, I’m just as hopeful about the situation in Syria as I am about Afghanistan. So Jody, the guys that took over, this is Al-Qaeda and ISIS combined. That’s who these guys are. They’re radical Islamists. They rebranded and they’re very politically savvy. They came out and they said, boy, we’re gonna be good boys and girls. And this, we’re all about being modern and tolerant. I don’t believe it for a second. The leopard doesn’t change its spots. These guys are radical Islamists. They are interested in only one thing.
SPEAKER 08 :
And that would explain why so many Christians are fleeing. So they, as you say, they’re saying perhaps the right things, but do we have, maybe from historical background, is there any indication whatsoever as to how the rebel leader, Abu Muhammad al-Jilani, is there any indication as to how he might deal with Christians there?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, and just to clarify, that 80% figure, I’m looking back over the course of the last 14 years, you know, since the Civil War started. So just make sure everybody understands. And the only thing I say is with the leader, the leader is he’s put forward as the spokesman and the political operative, but his views aren’t going to differ from the group as a whole. So again, these guys are very savvy, so they know what to say. They don’t want to be attacked. They’ve just taken power, very fragile hold on power. Israel is attacking, you know, we’re attacking, so they’re going to keep their head low and say the right things. But there’s no indication that these guys are going to be pleasant or at all safe in terms of the Christians.
SPEAKER 08 :
So you don’t think that the Christians are likely to have a haven there any longer in the future?
SPEAKER 09 :
No, definitely not.
SPEAKER 08 :
How does the upcoming Trump administration fit into all of this, as far as you would guess?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, it’s a very complicated question even before Trump, because with wars, they take a massive amount of money and training and material. So these things, these movements, they don’t just spring up out of the blue. Even the first war, these were foreign fighters, and they were unleashed, at least originally, to topple the Assad regime. It was in our interest to topple the Assad regime and to break Iran’s hold on the region. So it was already interesting. We wanted Assad to fall. We wanted to break Russia’s hold on power, which now that’s happened. So it was already interesting before Trump, and now he’s got such an anti-war stance, but this is an untenable situation. My guess is we’re gonna slowly clean up and push these guys out, but it’s gonna be long and interesting.
SPEAKER 08 :
very messy real quickly we’ve only got about uh 30 seconds or so how can we be praying for and assisting for that matter our syrian brothers and sisters in the lord
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, well, Christians have fled already. Some Christians have fled. So the broad Arab population, the Syrian population, is relieved to have Assad gone, but they are terrified. And so we’re, you know, us and other groups, we’re, you know, forming a war chest to get people out. We’ve already had to get people out and to provide emergency relief. So go to persecution.org.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Thank you, Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, persecution.org. Merry Christmas to you. Thank you for joining us on Washington Watch. You too, sir. All right, friends, don’t go anywhere. Washington Post, the Washington Post editorial board, boy, they’ve had an about face on this whole trans issue, and we want to discuss more of that right after the break, so don’t go anywhere.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But you know, the Bible talks about four institutions of government. You know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this thing, separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn’t be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government.
SPEAKER 02 :
The world is hurting, streets are filled with crime, families are broken, sin is celebrated, and God is mocked. Everywhere we look, the wages of our sin are on full display. As Christians, we know that surrender to God’s will is the solution to our biggest problems, but not everyone agrees. Even in church, we hear people say the most important thing is to be tolerant, that we shouldn’t impose a morality on other people, and that loving our neighbor means celebrating what they do. But you can’t do that. It’s not that you don’t love your neighbor. You do. But you care about God’s opinion more than your neighbor’s opinion, and this makes you different. In fact, sometimes it makes you feel alone, like you’re the only one. But there is good news. You are not alone, not even close. Research has found that there are 59 million American adults who are a lot like you. There are millions of people around the country who are born again, deeply committed to practicing their faith, and believe the Bible is the reliable Word of God. But that’s not all. They’re also engaged in our government. They’re voters. They’re more likely to be involved in their community, and they’re making a difference in elections. The problem is that a lot of them feel alone, too. We want to change that. FRC wants to connect these 59 million Americans to speak the truth together, no matter the cost. If you want to learn more about this group and what it means to be a spiritually active, governance-engaged conservative, or if you want to find out if you are one of these sage cons yourself, go to frc.org slash sagecon and take the quiz to find out. The world is hurting, and we have the solution. We can’t do it alone, but we can do it if we work together. That’s what we’re working toward every day. Join us. Go to FRC.org slash S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more. That’s S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more.
SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. An honor to have you joining us today. Thank you so much. All right. Yesterday, the Washington Post editorial board, frankly, did the unthinkable. As I mentioned a while ago, it’s like they just had an about face. But they admitted in writing that the so-called science behind puberty blockers and hormones for minors suffering from gender dysphoria is not clear at all. Now that’s shocking to say the least, but also it’s very welcome. But might we now see others in the media begin to move away from the trans cult and actually speak truth on the issue of gender confusion? We’re here now to share some of his thoughts is Dr. Quentin Van Meter. He’s the immediate past president of the American College of Pediatricians and now a member of that executive committee. Dr. Van Meter, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Always glad to be here. Good to see you, Jody.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, listen, your reaction, I was kind of stunned by all of this, but what was your reaction to the Washington Post editorial column?
SPEAKER 10 :
I didn’t believe it was the Washington Post. I thought I was reading a reasonable publication that sort of spoke the truth and didn’t have an agenda behind it. So it was very welcome. I mean, from beginning of their editorial to the end, they essentially spoke spoke the truth. They indicated that they had agreed that the science wasn’t there, that this direction perhaps was not the direction that we should be doing medical care in the United States with these kids who have confusion between their gender identity and their biologic sex. And so it comes out of, I think, a realization that the rest of the world is going in a correct direction and protecting these kids who are suffering emotionally with this concept in their head, trying to live the life of happiness but not finding it in their current situation and grasping at straws for someplace to go to be happy without realizing that the issue is deep inside of them and it’s depression and it’s anxiety and it’s founded in a number of things which had been previously glossed over by those advocates who wish to intervene and essentially create a new persona, somebody who appears to be the opposite sex from their biologic sex. And so it’s it’s like a big breath of fresh air. It follows the rest of the world in finding this out. Those progressive countries in Europe in particular who are 10 years ahead of us in this experimentation on children and found out with their evaluations that there was no reason to continue blocking puberty and giving cross-sex hormones and then eventually doing surgical interventions, which forever scar the body.
SPEAKER 08 :
That’s exceptionally well said. Everything you just laid out before us there. And of course, at the end of the day, this is a spiritual problem. When you talk about the depression and all the other things, and you can’t fix that by making matters worse, by doing these kind of horrible, radical surgeries and so forth. So I’d like to, I don’t want to go there just yet, but I’d really like to know your thoughts as to why the seeming shift is taking place. And maybe you alluded to it when you were talking about Europe and some other countries, because the column that we referenced did bring up some of these other European health authorities and the assessments that they have come up with. So why don’t we just start there? What did they all seem to conclude that so many here in America were just unwilling to admit?
SPEAKER 10 :
I think Europe has always been focused on some semblance of science. They have a bureaucracy which reviews and allows medications to be used within the European Union healthcare countries. And so it’s essentially the equivalent of the FDA, which we have here. And I think they heard some echoes from some pretty impressive people. The UK health system was embroiled in a lawsuit about three or four years ago from a patient at the Tavistock Clinic who sued Cara Bell as that individual. And I think that woke them up to say, well, wait a minute, if there is a lawsuit, we’d better be on the right side of that case. And they started looking at the data from the Tavistock Clinic in the UK and said, oh, my gosh, look what we found. And then we started having some defections from the UK, the system, the people who quit, who said this was not going in the right direction. It was really taking these kids into task and possibly hurting them instead of benefiting them. And that kind of dialogue in the background got the sort of the governmental agencies that run these health care systems and these socialized medicine countries to say, wait a minute, are we on the right side of the issue here? Perhaps we should go look deeply, and they did. So I think theirs was more of an administrative review. Here in the United States, I think it’s the legal battles which are now beginning to come forth with the Folks, these kids who were transitioned both medically and surgically as minors here in the country, who are now speaking up and bringing lawsuits against not only the physicians that did this to them, but the health care systems that support those physicians. And in some cases, it may expand to the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies who have facilitated this kind of thing happening, wittingly or unwittingly. And so I think that is where in the U.S. we’re seeing is the litigation that’s ahead and the fear of these educational institutions and the suit lawsuits in Texas with the attorney general suing the individuals who have been doing this under the radar in the in the in the state of Texas. This becomes an issue where it says, oh, my gosh, We’re going to see more and more of these lawsuits, and we better maybe rethink what we’re doing. So I think it’s the money here.
SPEAKER 08 :
Very interesting. When you first said a little while ago that Europe always seems to at least had some semblance of desire to embrace science, my first thoughts were, well, we used to have that here in the United States. Where did that ever come from? go, where do we drop the ball on that? But I agree with you. Europe has tended to remain more scientifically focused. But a great observation that here the change in the United States seems to be taking place not because of the science, but because of the legal battles and the litigation, which is you referenced ultimately comes down to the money. Are we that corrupt? Are we that morally just so backward that all of this still in America, most of it at least, is a result of following the money trail rather than the science and that which is really in the best interest of children?
SPEAKER 10 :
I think what happened here also is it became a political football, sort of a civil rights issue, if you will, based on something that really is not genetically predetermined. Unlike race, unlike sex, which is it’s in the genes, you cannot hold somebody accountable for something where they are born in an identity that is based on biology. This was all about a manufactured, non-biologic entity called gender identity. And that became a cause celebre as a civil rights issue, saying these kids must be protected. They must be treated with respect for their gender identity because that’s the real issue, not their biologic sex. And the cases all the way up to the Supreme Court, the Bostock decision in particular, there was confusion about whether or not gender identity actually had biologic basis. And the one jurist on the Supreme Court who didn’t understand that was Gorsuch, who voted for the Bostock decision based on really something that I don’t believe he understood. I don’t know Justice Gorsuch personally, have no bone to pick other than from the outside it appears as if he really believed there was a biologic basis to this. And it’s sort of in front of the Supreme Court with a decision against Tennessee and their law with the Scrimetian case in action right now. There just has to be understanding this was not biology, this is not civil rights, this is not discrimination to not want to have these kids get these things done to them. It’s a lifesaving circumstance to keep them from harm that runs the motivation for us on this issue. We cherish these children. We care for them. We’re compassionate about their outcomes, but we know the right answer. And that is counseling, counseling, counseling, right down to the root of the problem, as opposed to putting a Band-Aid over a volcano and hoping that it stays quiet.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, absolutely, and it is exceedingly frightening to take your assessment there, which I think is 100% accurate, by the way, and look at where this type of mindset can take us. When considering why the American medical community has embraced all these gender-denying treatments so blindly, and you come to the conclusion that it’s all politically driven, or financially driven, where does that type of nonsense end? I mean, if we, for political reasons, for financial reasons, if we can no longer tell the difference between a man and a woman, if we can no longer believe that you are born either male or female and you can’t change that and for political or financial reasons, we’re gonna tell people that you can change your gender, you can think otherwise than what you are and that’s okay and it’s some sort of discriminatory action to do otherwise. Where does that type of thing take us if we kick science out of the room?
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s somewhat laughable to think that you can just decide who you are because of what you want to be. Life doesn’t work that way. I am not a 35-year-old bodybuilder, okay? I am a much older gentleman who realizes where I am physically and who I am physically to say, I can’t just declare. I might say that I’m, in terms of any law that is based on age, I might be able to just deny that and say I’m something else. I mean, it’s a little ludicrous to think you could do that with your biologic sex and say, I don’t want to be the sex I am. Therefore, I declare I am the opposite sex and you’ll have to give me all the attributes and privileges thereof. It doesn’t work that way. So it’s a ruse and it’s a sad thing to do to these poor kids who really are crying for help. There’s no question they’re suffering. You know, we get blamed all the time and labeled as anti-trans because of our stance on this issue. And we are so pro these kids. We just are anti-harm. And so that’s where we come from as the American College of Pediatricians. We stand so firmly for what is best for children to do no harm to these kids. And we are part of an overarching organization called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, whose entire fiber of being in existence is to promote medicine that does no harm.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, there is absolutely a such thing as truth. And male is male, female is female. That’s one of those things that’s just true. Along with that, there is a such thing as moral truth. There is a such thing as right, and wrong and the way we treat people is right and wrong the way we are treating these children right or wrong do you believe that somehow in the midst of all of this that somehow science is having an impact or are people just becoming so disgusted with the radical direction that all this is taking us does it seem at the end of the day that more people here in america are catching on to the fallacies of the radical pro-trans ideology
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, clearly, if you look at the statistics during this past election where they said 70% of the American population is not in favor of interventions that try to change somebody’s appearance and believe they are the opposite sex. So that came from communication that broke through on the political trail. I mean, I think the political ads of the two candidates for president were night and day different. And I think that resonated with the American people saying, I’m sure there’s some science about that, but this at the core level, at just the gut level doesn’t feel right. There’s something really not right about this. And I’m not, you know, I don’t look at the studies. I don’t understand the studies, but you know, everyone’s saying there are studies that say it’s helpful. And then there are people who say that it’s harmful, but just the core issue of this ain’t right. Okay. And I think that’s what woke up the American people.
SPEAKER 08 :
not so much the science but just sort of the moral ethics of it all yeah absolutely i i get it people are waking up to right and wrong certainly at least on this issue it appears to me and you know hopefully that is the beginning of something much much greater and more national as it relates to a spiritual and moral uh awakening and changing the moral climate
SPEAKER 10 :
If you see that the door is opening for people to listen and then people demand that people be able to talk, people be able to publish, people be able to take a stage and not be condemned as racist or bigoted or phobic, then we can listen to the science. We have had the science on our side since square one. We have just been shut out by the major press. We’ve been shut out by the academic publications. We’ve been shut out at conferences where we are not allowed to speak or be invited or we’re thrown off the campus just because of what we believe is presenting the true science. Now, hopefully, this will begin to thaw and we will be able to talk to each other. I really greatly desire a dialogue in front of an audience of my peers to say, look, this is what we believe, and this is why we believe science, and let the advocates for these interventions come back with their answers, but to have a civil dialogue instead of just having the door shut in your face all the time. So I’m optimistic we’re in a good place. We’re getting to a good place.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely fascinating discussion. Dr. Quentin Van Meter from the American College of Pediatricians, thank you so much for your incredible work over the years, and thank you for coming on Washington Watch yet again and breaking all this down for us. We appreciate it. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 10 :
We are looking forward to it. Same to you and yours. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 08 :
right friends that wraps up yet another edition of washington watch today always an honor to bring you some incredible frontline information and to try to do so from a biblical worldview perspective and with all of that let me just conclude the program today by encouraging you to join us for what we call operation prayer shield We are seeing such a critical time right now, especially from transitioning from one administration to another. And we’re encouraging people to pray from now to January 20th. We’ve got some guides and so forth for you. Simply text the word SHIELD to 67742 and join us. Have a great rest of your day. We’ll see you tomorrow on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 14 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
