In this episode of Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, host Tony Perkins dives into the pressing issues facing our nation and the global stage from a biblical perspective. Join him as he discusses the ongoing government shutdown and the critical decisions Congress faces, as well as the current state of the Israel-Hamas conflict and its wider ramifications in the Middle East. We also hear from House Speaker Mike Johnson on how Democrats are dealing with military funding—essential listening for anyone tracking the country’s political pulse.
SPEAKER 12 :
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.
SPEAKER 21 :
They’ve shown by their actions and now their votes multiple times, now nine times the Democrats have voted, counting the House and the Senate Democrats, they have voted to not pay the troops. They have voted to block their paychecks. And it’s very serious stuff. And they don’t seem to care at all.
SPEAKER 08 :
That was House Speaker Mike Johnson accusing Democrats of prolonging the government shutdown now in its 15th day. Welcome to this October 15th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins, and we’re broadcasting today and throughout the rest of the week from the Real Life Studios in Chino Hills, California, the site of this year’s PrayVoteStand Summit. Thanks so much for tuning in. And by the way, there’s still time to register and attend this year’s summit coming up Friday and Saturday at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. To register, go to PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org. Well, coming up on this edition of Washington Watch, while Hamas is facing increased pressure from Israel and the U.S. to turn over the bodies of deceased hostages, Hamas is unleashing terror on rival clans and executing those it accuses of collaborating with Israel. Montana Senator Steve Daines will join us to break it all down. We’ll also get the latest on the government shutdown from West Virginia Congressman Riley Moore, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. Well, after strong pressure from Israel in accordance with the U.S.-mediated ceasefire deal, Hamas returned more bodies of Israeli hostages. But Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel won’t back down until every, every hostage is brought home. Meanwhile, doctors say freed captives are stable but deeply scarred. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper, who’s been following today’s main stories even though he’s been celebrating his birthday. Casey. Thanks for joining us. What’s the latest out of Israel?
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, Tony, you remembered. It’s great. Thank you so much. Well, it’s quite the story developing in Israel. Israel, of course, they’re demanding that Hamas return all these remaining hostages, both alive and dead, as part of this U.S. brokered peace deal. And so far, Hamas has released those 20 living hostages, but the seven of the 28 expected bodies of the deceased hostages have been turned over. And in fact, one body that was turned over wasn’t a hostage at all.
SPEAKER 17 :
Hamas agreed to release all 48 of our hostages in phase one and made the specific confirmation to President Trump. And we are expecting to see the terror organization uphold their side of this agreement.
SPEAKER 04 :
Now, an Israeli spokesperson warned that aid to Gaza could be further restricted if Hamas fails to hand over the bodies of those remaining deceased hostages, which was part of the peace plan. At the same time, as you said, reports say Hamas is cracking down in Gaza, allegedly even executing people suspected of collaborating with Israel or the Palestinian Authority, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thanks, Casey. You know, we’re hearing rising concerns about religious freedom issues around the globe. That’s something we track very closely here at the Family Research Council. But new reports out of Turkey that Christian missionaries are being targeted once again. What can you tell us?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, Tony, Turkey has actually deported over 200 Christians since 2020 and labeling them a, quote, security threat, despite having no charges or evidence to support that. Now, many of these Christians had lived there for years and led local churches. Now they’re banned from reentry, leaving those congregations without pastors. Sadly, the same thing is happening in China. Globally, believers from the US, UK, South Korea, even Latin America are facing targeted persecution. But Tony, what’s putting this Turkey issue in the spotlight now is a major case before Europe’s top human rights court, which is ratcheting up the pressure on Turkey to end what many Christian groups are calling a quiet purge of peaceful believers.
SPEAKER 08 :
You know, Casey, what’s interesting about that, when you read in Revelation of the seven churches, they’re all in the geographical area of Turkey. And Christianity is almost being extinguished there in Turkey. And this is not a new problem. Pastor Andrew Brunson, an American pastor, was unjustly jailed in Turkey for two years on false charges before the previous Trump administration pressured Erdogan to release him. And of course, the Family Research Council played a role. in that case, as we advocate for the rights of Christians around the world. All right, Casey, switching gears, it’s day 15. Any progress in the efforts to reopen the government?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, so we are on the West Coast. I’m here in D.C. on the East Coast. And for the ninth time here in D.C., Senate Democrats blocked a bill to reopen the government today. So Republicans, they’ve consistently been pushing for that simple funding measure that would continue funding through November 21st, but it failed again, as I said. So Senate Majority Leader John Thune, he’s accusing Chuck Schumer of shutting down the government and appeasing radical left groups.
SPEAKER 06 :
Not even the prospect of military families going without a paycheck was enough for Democrats to reopen the government. Nor are Democrats concerned about needy families uncertain about the future of nutrition assistance. And all those Americans living in uncertainty, well, they’re just going to have to wait until Democrats’ far-left base is satisfied.
SPEAKER 04 :
So Senator Thune, he’s now pushing a vote on an $852 billion defense package to highlight how this shutdown is actually a threat to national security. Now, the OMB director, he warned today that more than 10,000 federal workers could face layoffs. But just an hour after he said that, in San Francisco, not too far from you, a Clinton-appointed judge temporarily blocked those firings during the shutdown following a complaint from federal employee unions, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
Interesting times in which we live. A lot to pray about. One other item I want to touch on. Very significant and close to home for me. The Supreme Court heard a case brought by the state of Louisiana that could have major implications for congressional redistricting. What unfolded at the court today?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, that’s right, Tony. The U.S. Supreme Court, they heard those arguments today in a major case that’s challenging specifically the use of race in drawing congressional districts under the Voting Rights Act. Now, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, they signaled some support for striking down a black majority House district in Louisiana, saying it’s relying too heavily on race. Now, the move has been backed by Louisiana and the Trump administration, and it could have major precedent even reshaping congressional maps across the South and potentially boosting Republicans and limiting the use of race in future redistricting, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
I mean, this is a quite significant development. It’s going to have ramifications across the board. Casey, thanks so much. Always great to get an update, and enjoy the rest of the day and your birthday. Thanks, Tony. All right, I want to go back to something Casey mentioned in passing as we were talking about the persecution of Christians, and that’s what’s happening in China by the Chinese Communist Party. Join me now to discuss this and a bit more. Congressman Greg Murphy, who serves on several House committees, including the Ways and Means Committee, he represents the 3rd Congressional District of North Carolina and tracks what’s happening with communist China very closely. Dr. Murphy, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 09 :
Good afternoon, Tony. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 08 :
So I know a lot of focus right now when it comes to China is on the trade standoff with the U.S. But what deserves, I think, more attention, and it is connected, that is their hostility toward Christian churches there and pastors. We’ve seen a pretty significant crackdown in the last five days.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, you know, Tony, this is happening worldwide. I mean, the Islamic terrorists are doing it, as we pointed out. In other countries, we know that the Syrians are doing it against the Druze. But Christians are really being attacked worldwide, killed worldwide. And it’s tragic. I mean, we are the most peace-loving people, you know, one of the most peace-loving people in the world. And it’s a threat to them. It’s a threat to them and especially to the Chinese who live in a godless or promote a godless society that you have Christians that are actively practicing their faith or even sometimes having to do it in hiding. But it’s a threat to them and the Chinese wish to eliminate any threat possible.
SPEAKER 08 :
How do we connect our trade policy with a respect for religious freedom and the right to be able to practice your faith? I mean, as we negotiate with China over trade, should this not be a part of it?
SPEAKER 09 :
Absolutely, Tony, but I fear, and I’m a surgeon, I live in the real world of difficult things. I fear China doesn’t give a damn. They don’t care about the human rights abuses that they’ve done with the Uyghur, the forced harvesting that they do on prisoners where they basically kill them to get their organs. It’s really hard to crack a mentality of a society that does not value life. They value their one world collective mission to basically take over the world. But the fact that they don’t value individual life is really hard to make any type of a parlay with when you don’t have the same morality structure.
SPEAKER 08 :
It is. You bring up this issue of they’re actually doing an industry of having people come to their country for body part replacement, for organ transfer. I mean, this is unbelievable that they’re actually taking their political opponents and they’re taking their body parts without obviously without their permission. And they’re making an industry out of it.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, and this is well-documented, Tony. This is nothing they can deny all they want to. This is very, very well-documented that this organ harvesting occurs. I see it in some of our literature. I used to do transplants myself. We see it in some of our literature that speaks out against this. They have no recourse. They can deny it all they want to, but the facts are the facts, just like COVID, but that’s a whole different issue. But again, going back to the fact that they have no moral structure. They do not believe in a sovereign entity. They have nothing to stand on. They, again, do whatever is most facile to push the ideals or lack thereof of the communist regime.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, last month you introduced a resolution urging the United Nations to end special treatment of China. They’ll do whatever they have to do to get on top.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, lie, cheat, steal, bribe. I’ve been traveling around. I’m on the Trade Subcommittee for Ways and Means. And part of our job is to travel down, promote trade. We go to certain parts of Africa where it’s known that the Chinese show up with literally suitcases of money, literally suitcases of money to buy off our folks that that is a hell of a lot of money for them. But literally, that’s how they work. And American business interests says, we’re not interested in doing that. We’re not going to do these type of things. But they have bribed and conjured and pushed so many other countries into their sphere of influence. It’s a very, very difficult battle that we will continue and have to continue to fight. They work on a different moral theme, and it’s very, very difficult to challenge them on that.
SPEAKER 08 :
And they’re aggressive at it. I mean, they’re built in roads initiative with they’re going into these third world countries to get the rare minerals, earth mineral. And they’re they’re taking advantage of folks. How do we compete with that?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, it’s hard, Tony. It’s very, very hard. I met with a mineral company when I was in a southern African country. They’re doing it the right way. They come in and say, look, we are not going to bribe anybody. We’re going to conduct business. And truth be told, I met with one I won’t say it, one country leader down in the south there. And we’re talking about the Chinese influence, how to combat the Chinese influence. And he said, well, let me tell you this. First and foremost, my citizens say I belong to this country. This is what’s most important. But then he says one thing they never say is they never say I want to be Chinese. So the counterpart of that is many of them say, I would love to be an American. They still emulate, they still put us in high, high regards. That’s hard though, when folks are showing up with suitcases full of money to bribe them in very, very poor countries. We have to continue to say democracy, and this is the ideal for which you should strive.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, Dr. Murphy, good point, because as you’re talking about earlier, China has no moral foundation from which to operate. They might win and appear to be winning in the short term, but the staying power is with a solid foundation. And that’s why America cannot deviate from what has made us an exceptional nation. And that is that foundation of biblical truth and morality. Dr. Murphy, I want to thank you for joining us. Always great to hear your insights. Thank you so much. God bless. All right, folks, day 15 of the shutdown. That’s coming up next. We’re going to be taking a deeper look at when it might open. So don’t go away. We’re back after this.
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In two days, like-minded Christ followers from across the country will gather at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California for Family Research Council’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit. If ever there were a time we needed God to move in our nation, it is now. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. A sample of topics include chemical abortion and the future of the pro-life movement, the search for peace as Israel struggles against the world, and how to engage artificial intelligence from a biblical perspective. We encourage you to join us October 17th and 18th in California for a powerful gathering as we seek cultural renewal and spiritual revival. To learn more and to register, visit Prevotestand.org. That’s Prevotestand.org.
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Three years ago, the Supreme Court issued its historic Dobbs decision, a ruling that overturned Roe versus Wade, which for nearly 50 years imposed abortion on demand, silencing voters and bypassing the democratic process across the country. The Dobbs decision was a huge step forward against abortion, but it didn’t outright ban it. It returned the power to the people. Now, 29 states have laws on the books protecting life. However, there’s a catch. Abortion numbers since Dobbs have actually gone up with an increase of 12% since 2020, climbing from 930,000 to over 1 million in each of the most recent years. So how can this be? The answer is simple, the abortion drug. Today, over 60 percent of U.S. abortions involve abortion drugs, many of these without medical oversight. In 2021, the Biden administration quietly removed bare minimum longstanding safety protocols for the abortion drug that have existed for 20 years to protect women from life threatening risks and ensuring informed consent. The Biden DOJ then declared that they would not enforce the Comstock Act, which prevents the mailing of anything that causes an abortion. This is not only illegal, but also dangerous. A study shows nearly 11% of women who take the abortion drug end up in the emergency room with serious complications. Unless the Trump administration reverses these reckless Biden-era policies, pro-life laws will remain largely symbolic. Without a full review and repeal of Mifepristone, unborn lives will remain in grave danger, and pregnant mothers will remain at risk. Let’s stand for life and end this mail order abortion drug pipeline. Sign the petition urging the Trump administration to take action at frc.org slash stop chemical abortion.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in on this Wednesday. And again, we’re broadcasting from the studios of Real Life Network in California. We’re at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills this weekend for the PrayVoteStand Summit. And there’s still time to register. We still have room. So go to PrayVoteStand.org and find out how you can be a part of this very, very timely event. OK, speaking of things happening, it’s day 15 of the Schumer shutdown. And for the ninth time, Senate Democrats today blocked a clean stopgap spending package that would fund the government through November the 25th. or 21st. And it’s, again, no Republican policies here, just a continuation of what we had while the appropriations process is worked out. Now, many are expecting the situation to remain unchanged at least until this weekend’s No Kings rally, which the speaker has labeled the I Hate America rally. But behind the scenes, are there movements that suggest how the federal funding fight might play out? Is there an off-ramp for Democrats? Joining me now to discuss this and more, Congressman Riley Moore, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. He represents the 2nd Congressional District of West Virginia. Congressman Moore, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER 10 :
Hey, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thanks so much for having me on. So active duty military members were set to be paid today despite the shutdown after the Trump administration tapped into unused research and development funds to cover their checks. But that’s just a temporary fix. How long can that hold?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, you’re right. This is just a temporary fix. And they were paid on the first. So that was the last appropriated paycheck that they got. And then we had this wall that we’re running into on the 15th, and as you rightly stated, that reprograms some R&D dollars. But eventually, those dollars are also going to run out. Now, they’re building contingency plans over there at the White House right now to make sure and ensure that our troops continue to be paid. But what I would say is a good piece of news here in terms of—and you just laid it out. How are we going to get out of this? How are we going to try to figure some of this out? Leader Thune in the Senate is currently trying to bring the defense appropriations bill that the House passed off the floor and sent to the Senate, he’s trying to get that up for a vote in the middle of this shutdown, up for a vote on the U.S. Senate floor. Now, that obviously would pay the troops and actually might pave a way for to get out of this shutdown. And I would remind the audience, not that they’re tracking everything that we’re up to, but we did pass a motion to go to conference with the Senate in the House in September. So I think you’re going to also see a motion to go to conference in the United States Senate on a three-pack of bills that we were going to do, which is Ledge Branch, Ag, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. If we could get defense and then move to those next three bills, well, presto chango, we actually might have something we’ve not seen in a very long time in Washington, which is a semblance of regular order, which is what we all want. We want regular order. And so perhaps that might get us in a strong step in that direction, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
So what you’re laying out there, if I understand correctly, is that these appropriations bills, as they’re approved, at least those portions of government would reopen.
SPEAKER 10 :
Exactly. So you would move into potentially partial shutdown. Now, look, I don’t put it beyond the Democrats to just say, no, we’re not voting for the defense appropriations bill. We’re not voting for any bills. We’re just going to keep the government shut down. Maybe that’s what happens here. But we’re going to find out on Thursday, tomorrow, if that is the case. But as you rightly stated here, this could be a way to partially start to open up departments of the government where we can conference these bills. We passed all 12 out of committee in the House, and we’ve passed three on the floor already. So we’re in good shape over here to be able to go ahead and conference on a lot of this stuff.
SPEAKER 08 :
So what the Democrats are building all this upon is the Affordable Care Act, that there were these premium subsidies that were put out during the COVID crisis. They want to continue those. They’re set to expire the end of the year. But here’s a problem for them. Republicans have never voted for these subsidies. In fact, they’ve not voted for the ACA and its funding of abortion and now transgender surgeries. So if they’re going to build their whole defense or their whole opposition against funding the government on those two issues, I don’t see how they’re going to get Republicans to go along with them.
SPEAKER 10 :
No, no concessions on this. I’m not for any concessions on a clean CR, ACA, otherwise. That’s not a funding the government issue. You’re talking about taxes. That belongs in Ways and Means. That belongs over in Finance and the Senate. That has nothing to do with funding the government. And these folks have put themselves in a box on this, and they’ve switched over to the ACA to talk about that because the other two proposals in that bill are just… toxic as could be. One is to give $1.5 trillion to illegal immigrants so they can have health care in this country, and also cut the rural hospital stabilization fund. So taking health care away from states like mine, hardworking Americans, and then giving health care to illegal immigrants for free. These are no-goes. We’re not doing any of this. They can either vote for the clean CR, or they can keep the government shut down, and we’ll let Russ vote and the OMB continue to fire federal workers and shrink the actual federal workforce, which I think is a pretty good exercise in itself.
SPEAKER 08 :
You know, Congressman Moore, I know you’re relatively new to Washington. I’ve been around a while, and I’ve seen many shutdowns, at least partial shutdowns, short-term shutdowns. One thing that’s different about this one, and I’d be interested in your take. We just have a little over a minute and a half left. But the speaker is – he is not – He’s positioning the Republicans to hold the line. And so the members, House members, they’ve done their work. They passed the clean CR and they’re back in their districts working. And I think the Republicans have a much stronger position this time.
SPEAKER 10 :
A much stronger position. And I can tell you, we are completely unified on this. We do weekly conference calls with the whole conference and everybody down the line to the man himself. We are united on this, and we have proven we are united when we passed the one big, beautiful bill. We have not failed in our duty to be able to implement President Trump’s agenda and the Republican agenda at every turn the House has succeeded. And we are going to succeed in this as well, and we are not going to break on this.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Congressman Moore, we’re out of time, but I appreciate another topic. You’ve been speaking out on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, calling for the Trump administration to designate, to redesignate Nigeria as a country of particular concern. I want to get you back on to talk about that because I share your concerns over that, and I appreciate you speaking out on that.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, thank you for that, Tony. And please, if people aren’t aware of this, there’s more Christians killed in Nigeria than all other countries combined. So please. Right.
SPEAKER 08 :
Most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. All right. Stick with us, folks. We’re back after this.
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The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 01 :
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 13 :
The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
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It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
SPEAKER 06 :
FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand.
SPEAKER 08 :
And again, we don’t retreat. 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. Welcome back to Washington Watch. We’re broadcasting from the real-life studios at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, the site of this year’s PrayVoteStand Summit. You can find out more about joining us starts Friday. Go to PrayVoteStand.org. All right, well, President Trump marked the start of this week by declaring that the war between Israel and Hamas is over. A senior official in the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stressed today that the war is not over until all phases of the president’s 20-point peace plan are completed. And right now they’re still in phase one as Israel awaits the return of the remaining deceased hostages. The official also told the Times of Israel that, quote, Hamas will be disarmed, end quote. a remark that President Trump also made yesterday. So what can we make of the current situation? What’s the timeline that we might see this all play out? Joining me now to discuss this and more, U.S. Senator Steve Daines, who serves on several Senate committees, including the Finance Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate. Senator Daines, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. We were just talking about this in the last segment, the government shutdown, before we jump into the Middle East. Another vote today in the Senate, and it went nowhere with Democrats?
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, it went nowhere. We need five Democrats to join us. We could open things up again. This is day 15. I used to work for Procter & Gamble, Tony, once upon a time, and I was in the shampoo business. It reminds me a lot of lather, rinse, repeat. That’s what we’re doing right now with the Democrats. But I’ll tell you,
SPEAKER 08 :
Keep in mind- We need a little head and shoulders.
SPEAKER 11 :
Need a little head and shoulders. That was one of my great brands there, Tony. We’re head and shoulders above the Democrats, but it does feel like Groundhog Day at the moment. But I’ll tell you, on Saturday, October 18th, there’s this giant No Kings rally. You can see it. It’s nokings.org. There’s 250 far-left groups that are sponsoring this, all their- Their symbols are on the website, NoKings.org. You can see it. So they want this massive protest to be out there across the country. They’re doing nothing until after the protest. In fact, they may keep things shut down until November 1st when the insurance premium increase letters go out to American consumers. And insurance prices are going up for health care because of Obamacare. That’s why they’re going up. We need to continue to fund these subsidies.
SPEAKER 08 :
But here’s the reality. They want these increased subsidies to cover up the fact that Obamacare was a failure from the start. That’s the only way they can keep this lie going.
SPEAKER 11 :
You nailed it, Tony. That’s exactly what’s happening. And by the way, 20% of these subsidies are pure fraud, best we can tell. There’s no reason to extend these subsidies. As you said, it’s just covering up the real problem. And that’s when government takes over health care. You put disincentives in the system to not lower costs, provide better value to the patient. you get these increase in premiums. This is Obamacare’s fault. The Democrats have had this now since it passed back in 2009. And so we need to hold them accountable. These subsidies cover up the crime.
SPEAKER 08 :
And I would say one of the other underlying issues as the founding chairman of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus is that the ACA, the Obamacare, provides for abortion coverage, and now it’s funding transgender surgeries on minors.
SPEAKER 11 :
You know, you can’t make it up, Tony. That’s exactly right. And so it violates the high protections, which are not part of the Obamacare plans. So there’s a lot of problems with this. But the last thing we want to do is in some way continue to prop up Obamacare by funding the outrageous, fraudulent subsidies that go to insurance companies.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I commend to the Republicans for this is the first time I’ve seen this in a long time where they’ve actually taken a stand and it’s a principled stand and they’re they’re not waving a white flag. Generally, in times past, they’ve they’ve gone into negotiations waving the white flag. And I want to hats off to Senator Thune and Speaker Johnson for holding the line. A principled line. And so anyway, I want to move on to the Middle East. Israel is awaiting the return of all the deceased hostages that Hamas had in their captivity. But we’re getting reports that Hamas now is taking vengeance on people they think collaborated with Israelis. Part of this plan is that they are disarmed and they’re gone.
SPEAKER 11 :
Is that going to happen? Well, it has to happen, Tony, or we will never have any kind of peace in Gaza. Just last month, I was on the border of Gaza and Israel. I was down at the Karim Shalom. It was one of the logistics points where they’re bringing in aid to the Palestinians who are suffering because of Hamas. And then I met with Bibi Netanyahu shortly afterwards. It’s very, very clear there will not ever be peace in Gaza until Hamas is not only disarmed but also removed, eradicated. The only reason we got to this point where there was a peace deal is because of President Trump and Bibi Netanyahu’s relentless press on Hamas. It was because of strength in pressuring Hamas, bombing Hamas, putting him in a corner. That’s why Hamas finally came to the negotiating table. I’m thankful we got those live hostages out. What a joyous moment. I think many thought that would never happen. I’ve met with many of the hostages. parents. It was a great moment. And President Trump deserves the Nobel Prize for Peace, in my opinion.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, it was an amazing day to see those hostages released. But looking back on this, Senator Daines, you look over the last two years and how the Middle East has radically changed. And a lot of that has to do with, A, as you mentioned, Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership out of Israel, but bolstered by that of President Trump.
SPEAKER 11 :
Look, it was a wonderful tag team there between Bibi Netanyahu and President Trump. Think about where we were just two years ago when they had the 1,200 innocent Israelis slaughtered by Hamas in that horrible terror attack, the equivalent of 44,000 Americans being slaughtered that day in a terror attack, if you look at relative population sizes. And to think that here we are with Hezbollah virtually on their heels, the Houthis on their heels, Hamas now virtually surrendering. This is an amazing moment. And then add on top of that the Iranians, nuclear capabilities set back many, many years. By the grace of God and the strong resolve of Bibi Netanyahu and President Trump brought us to this point is something that Joe Biden could have never have done. Thank God we have a strong president.
SPEAKER 08 :
Amen. Senator Steve Daines, thanks for joining us. Great to see you. Folks, stick around. We’re coming back with more Washington Watch on the other side of this break.
SPEAKER 02 :
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory. Family Research Council invites you to join our Stand on the Word Bible reading plan as we reflect upon the life of Jesus, the Word who dwelt among us. Come with us and discover the glory of the Word. Read the Gospels and witness the life-changing story of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection. Come read how Jesus transformed the lives of common people and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Come with us for 10 to 15 minutes a day and read the entire New Testament before the new year. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us and stand on the word.
SPEAKER 04 :
Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today. You can join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We’ve created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective. Read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events, and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family, and church members. And of course, Stand Firm wherever you go.
SPEAKER 14 :
At Family Research Council, defending the family isn’t just a mission, it’s our daily calling. Every team member at FRC uses their God-given talents to stand for biblical truth, protect life, and uphold religious freedom.
SPEAKER 20 :
Here at Family Research Council, we face many threats to the family, threats that have been with us for some time. Abortion, the gender ideology threat, the attacks on marriage, the attacks on parental authority, and the attacks on religious freedom. We have to promote, support, strengthen, and incentivize family growth so families take their place in society in a place of honor.
SPEAKER 15 :
I’m defending the family by working in the Center for Biblical Worldview to provide cutting edge research and resources for pastors, ministry leaders, and Christian parents.
SPEAKER 05 :
Through my work at the Washington Stand, I passionately defend what God has defined for marriage and family. I don’t see the Washington Stand as just a place to talk about cultural events. It’s a place to share biblical truth. It’s a perfect outlet to advance and defend what God has defined as good, true, and beautiful. Because of you, we’re able to frame things in such a way that help Christians stand for truth on the things that matter most, like life, faith, family, and freedom. Thank you for standing with us.
SPEAKER 20 :
Thank you for your support. It is so critical to the work that we at Family Research Council are doing day to day as we support and strengthen the family. So thank you.
SPEAKER 08 :
You’re tuned in to Washington Watch, and I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for joining us as we broadcast from the Real Life Network studios in Chino Hills, California, the site of this year’s PrayVote Stand Summit that begins Friday. It’s Friday and Saturday, and it’ll be at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills here in Southern California. It’s a powerful gathering. It’s so timely. It seems like every time we gather there’s something going on in the world, well, there’s something going on everywhere. Here in California, we have the governor signing this AB-495 into law, which threatens parental rights. We’ve got the government shutdown, which I think is… There’s really no end in sight to that. I think this could be quite significant in what the impact that it has on the United States, on our government, possibly even the economy. We’ve got what’s happening in the world. With Israel, the Middle East, a lot of unsettledness there, even though we’re seeing positive developments, a lot to pray about. And so we’re going to be praying. We’re going to be preparing so you can vote and cast votes in a very educated manner and We’re going to encourage one another to stand, stand for biblical truth. So find out how you can be a part of this event. Go to PrayVoteStand.org, PrayVoteStand.org. I know we’ve got a lot of viewers and listeners in Southern California, and there’s time for you to be here. And for the rest of you, you can jump on a plane, still make it here. All right, our word for today. Comes from Romans chapter 3. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good. No, not one. Their throat is an open tomb, and their tongues, they have practiced deceit. The poison of asp is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. The bottom line, the source of it all, look at verse 18, there is no fear of God before their eyes. When reverence for God disappears, the results are devastating. Humanity becomes spiritually worthless, doing nothing of true value, marked by the stench of death in their speech, deception with their tongue, poison with their lips, quick to harm and destroy. Paul’s description of fallen man could easily be be mistaken for today’s headlines. When the fear of God fades, chaos always follows. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742. Well, this week, Family Research Council released the results of a new national survey that gauged what regular churchgoers believe when it comes to various social issues and fundamental tenets of biblically grounded faith. Dr. George Barna, who directed the research, joined me on Monday to highlight some of the findings. And the top line takeaway from the survey is that the church, let me back up, pastors need to preach and teach the whole counsel of God, grounding their people in biblical doctrine so that they can then apply that doctrine, those biblical truths and principles, to the pressing issues of our day. Now, thankfully, we have organizations out there that are providing church leaders with resources that help them and their congregations to be that salt and to be that light. And there are many pastors out there that are preaching the Word of God. But we need all of them. We need pastors that will preach the Word of God and be in fellowship with one another to encourage each other because not everybody wants to hear the truth. Well, joining me now to discuss this is the founder and CEO of one of the organizations that are out there bringing pastors together and encouraging them in their stand on biblical truth. That’s Chad Conley. His organization, Faith Wins, is dedicated to educating, activating, and mobilizing faith leaders. And Chad was the Republican National Committee’s first ever National Director of Faith Engagement. Chad, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining me.
SPEAKER 19 :
Hey, Tony, thanks for having me. And I’m honored to be anywhere you are. And to me, Family Research Council is that organization that’s been our guiding light for my entire adult career. I’ve been following you guys and just honored to do anything that Tony Perkins and FRC is involved with, brother.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, thank you, Chad. That’s very kind of you. I want to talk about your background. You’re a pastor like me. You’ve served in a church. You’ve been a pastor. You are dedicating your life, your ministry, to gathering with pastors, working with them, encouraging them, and challenging them. I mean, this is kind of a rhetorical question. You and I both know the answer, but I want people to hear what you’re going to say, and that is, why is it so important that we have pastors that are engaged and are preaching the Word of God?
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, I appreciate it. I’m a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. I’ve actually never been a pastor, but as a Christian first, I have just watched the disconnect. You know, Tony, it’s amazing to me that when I came out of the Army in the early 90s and I’d been in college and I’d been challenged in the Army with people who you know, didn’t agree with me. I’d never had my faith and my patriotism challenged till I got in the army. And I just realized that, man, we need pastors teaching the truth. People don’t understand sometimes what they’re reading in the Bible. They don’t see it. And like you mentioned, George Barna, he talks about the disconnect is that a lot of people don’t understand because they don’t see how the Bible applies to their life. And as I tell my Sunday school class in our little Baptist church in Newberry, South Carolina, every Sunday, all you got to do is read it. And it applies today. It’s timeless. And it hits you right between the eyes with what we’re dealing with in our lives. And I just think a lot of people need to connect those dots to overcome the clutter and the noise that’s out there in the culture today.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, absolutely. I don’t know why I thought you had been a pastor. But you were a deacon. We get along so well. You were a deacon. I was a pastor. I don’t know how that works. But let’s talk a little bit about this survey, because the survey found that less than half of all regular churchgoers, 47%, said that it is very important for Christians to have a biblical worldview. Now, that declined from 59% in 2003. How do you process what’s going on in the world around you unless you have a biblical worldview as a Christian? I mean, you got to know what the scripture says.
SPEAKER 19 :
It’s amazing. You know, one of the books that really got me into this realm, and it was following organizations like yours and David Barton Wall Builders, but it was the book U-Turn that George Barna authored with David Barton, I guess around the year 2000, just after that. And I know the survey that you’re referring to, he just keeps updating that. And what that book talks about is that very thing. The thoughts, the beliefs, the actions that people take have to come from somewhere. And when they don’t come from somewhere that’s basis, that’s foundational, that’s concrete, they get messed up and we look around. And I tell my Sunday school class too, you know, what you realize, Tony, is people rely on self. And then when they realize that self doesn’t understand all the answers, they look to the state. When they look to the state to solve their problems, they realize that rights and privileges are created out of thin air. God gave us what the founders call those unalienable rights. They don’t change. Natural rights that ought to be apparent to everybody. Let’s face it, they’re not very apparent sometimes. I’m surprised that the number’s that low. And it’s really what I do. We’ve been in seven states in the last 11 days talking about this very thing. The biblical worldview matters. Preaching the whole counsel of God matters. And teaching congregants how to go engage their culture and their communities is a big deal today, maybe more than ever before.
SPEAKER 08 :
Now, our survey, speaking of voting, our survey found that among regular churchgoers, 93% said they were registered to vote. That’s good. That’s up. But less than half, 43%, said they vote in every election, including primaries and general elections. How do we fix that?
SPEAKER 19 :
You know, I told them last night, we were in Las Vegas at Calvary Chapel just south of town last night before I flew out on the red eye. I told them this very thing. You know, too many of us think it’s about a congressional or gubernatorial or senatorial or presidential election. It’s not, Tony. It’s about the school boards, the city councils, the county councils. Let’s face it. Those people are enacting an awful lot of policies that are quite contrary to biblical beliefs. And we can’t tolerate them. We can’t enjoy them. We can’t support those kind of things. And so when our folks don’t show up, we get policies passed we don’t like. And like I told these pastors in the last seven states these last 11 days, when pastors engage, when churches vote, faith wins.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I vote in every election. I mean, even the local tax elections. I mean, I think it’s important that we take these values, these biblical values, and we apply them to every aspect. School board, city council, property taxes. Are the money being used for the right thing? Are they funding the right thing? I think we need to be informed and engaged. And that’s the role, I think, in part that the church plays, not telling people how to vote necessarily, but giving them the information and a framework by which to analyze these issues. That’s where the biblical worldview comes in. So I want to ask you about this, Chad, because you’re out there working with the pastors. I mean, you’re traveling. We pull them into a couple of places. You’re going out there to them, meeting in small groups. And I am so appreciative of the pastors who are out there preaching the Word of God, seeing hearts and lives transformed. But it has to work its way out, meaning that we have to be that salt and light and influence the world around us. What are you hearing from pastors in terms of what we’re seeing in the polling is that not all are preaching on these issues, these important issues. What’s holding them back?
SPEAKER 19 :
You know, that’s one of our big messages, Tony. We were in New Hampshire last week and had an awful lot of pastors in a Sunday night service and drove over to Maine and had pastors there. And that was my exact message, is you’ve got to preach about these issues. Your people don’t understand it. I think that this is really the crux of the problem. We’ve heard over and over again, ooh, you Christians, you shouldn’t be involved. And it has absolutely… suppressed and pushed down the people in the pews desire to know about it, and they’re scared of offending people. And so maybe their tither, their Sunday school teacher, they tell their pastor, ooh, don’t deal with this stuff. And I just tell them, I don’t believe this is political at all. I believe it’s biblical. So all these pushes to don’t go get in politics are just, they’re just off base. These aren’t political issues. They’re biblical ones.
SPEAKER 08 :
You’re absolutely right. And my suggestion to pastors is I did it. And I’m a first, obviously. There’s a lot of pastors that have done this. In fact, I credit Chuck Smith, founding pastor of Calvary Chapel, that network, of just preaching through the Bible and taking the congregation, whether every year or every two years, from Genesis to Revelation, And as these issues come up, you preach on them. That way no one can accuse you of cherry-picking an issue or trying to grab the headlines out of the paper. The Word of God is relevant no matter where we’re at. It’s relevant to what’s happening in this particular day. So if you’re talking about homosexuality, the transgender issue, abortion, it’s in the Word of God and just preach through it. And that way people in your congregation, they might not like it, but they can’t say that you’re being political
SPEAKER 19 :
God you look you’re nailing it and you get it I know you’ve done this your entire career you spent your life vested in this people don’t know the Bible they’re not reading the Bible and those of us who really dedicate ourselves to reading every day realize how much we need it and we also see the problems out there in society and moms and dads you know people at work they don’t they don’t know how to solve these problems they don’t have anything to cling to and when you give them biblical connections they start realizing this is applicable this is timely and it’s right up there in front of my eyes if i would just apply it david barton points out that even tax issues and things like minimum wage are covered in scripture if we just And so it’s so important that pastors connect those dots for people and don’t leave them hanging because I think they’re having those conversations. Look at what’s going on out there. Who thought we’d have these conversations that boys should compete against girls or go to girls’ restrooms? Or who thought we would allow crime in the cities to run rampant? And there’d be entire groups of people, Tony, who would apologize for it and say, well, this is normal. And they’re just enjoying watching cars burn. It’s really insane. And it’s seen as common sense, but it’s also biblical law and order and ordered society. That doesn’t come from nowhere. Those are biblical ideas.
SPEAKER 08 :
And if it doesn’t come from the pulpit, where is it gonna come from? It has to come from the pulpit. So Chad Connolly, I wanna talk, we just got about less than three minutes left. One of the things you’re doing by not just challenging the pastors, but building kind of a fellowship of pastors to encourage one another so that they know that they’re not alone. You’re doing these conferences across the country, little small gatherings. It’s intimate. It’s personal. And people can begin to develop that friendship and relationship among pastors. How can pastors find out more and others find out more about what you’re doing?
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, they can go to our website, Tony, faithwins.org, F-A-I-T-H, faithwins.org, and find out about our upcoming meetings. We’re going to be in Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia here before mid-November, I think, coming up. So if they go to faithwins.org, they’ll find out. And, you know, all we’re trying to do is I tell them every day, every meeting, I’m here to deputize you to bring more pastors who need to hear this message. We need to expand the reach and get more people doing exactly what you’re talking about doing. I believe this is a moment that can become a movement if we expand properly and go out and be aggressive to educate people about what they need to be doing.
SPEAKER 08 :
And here’s the good news, Chad, for these pastors. And this was, again, I’ve seen this not just in our survey that we released this week, but I’ve seen it in other surveys. People in the pews actually want to hear. Not all. I know there are some distractors, but they’re usually the loud ones. The rest of the people, they want to know what the Bible has to say. They want their pastor to teach on these issues so that they can process it so they know how to respond when their child comes home saying, you know, this guy in my class is now a girl. How do you deal with it? They want to know. And so the door is open. Pastors just need to walk through.
SPEAKER 19 :
I totally agree. You know, that place we were at yesterday outside of Las Vegas, you can tell the difference in a pastor who has prepared his congregation versus one who hasn’t. We were in a really new church the other day in a different state, and you find you’ve got to work harder. But the more you talk and the more you win them over, when pastors communicate to pastors and they put them in front of us and hear our conversation, they do become educated and empowered, and they feel like that fellowship works. It gives them a little bit of cover, I guess is the way to put it. And they can go back to their congregations and say, I’ve got other pastor buddies doing this. I had that meeting in Michigan the other day with this exact conversation where there were reluctant pastors, which is what I, that’s what I encourage our pastors to do. Find me the ones that are skeptical or reluctant or don’t believe they ought to dive into this. We’ll buy them a breakfast, a lunch. We’ll fellowship together, and I believe we’ll win them over and make them understand they need to be engaged in this culture right now. Now’s the time, Tony. If not now, when?
SPEAKER 08 :
Chad Conley, great to see you. Folks, thanks for joining us, and tune in again tomorrow.
SPEAKER 12 :
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