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In this episode of Washington Watch, host Tony Perkins delves into the pressing issues shaking both the United States and Nigeria. Senator Josh Hawley and Casey Harper discuss the ongoing government shutdown, now over a month long, impacting millions on food assistance. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s addition back onto the religious freedom concern list stirs international discourse. Discover how these events intertwine on a global scale, impacting not only political landscapes but also millions of lives at risk of persecution and poverty.
SPEAKER 19 :
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 15 :
And after five weeks, Mr. President, the victims of the Democrat shutdown are starting to pile up. And things are set to get much worse with SNAP running on limited emergency funds and its future uncertain.
SPEAKER 12 :
That was Senate Majority Leader John Thune earlier today, placing the responsibility on the Democrats for what could soon be the longest government shutdown in history, which has put, among other things, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits at risk. Welcome to this November 3rd edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, coming up on today’s program, Nigeria is back on America’s countries of particular concern list over the murderous rampage against Christians. Bob Destro, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, joins me to discuss why this designation is important and what it means. Also, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley joins me with the latest on the ongoing government shutdown. President Donald Trump says he’s ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria, accusing its government of allowing Christians to be killed by Islamist extremists. He’s also cutting U.S. aid and adding Nigeria to America’s countries of particular concern list for religious freedom violations. They join countries like China, North Korea and Russia. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper, who has been following this story since it broke on Friday. Casey, is Nigeria responding to these calls to end the killing of Christians by Islamist extremists?
SPEAKER 21 :
Well thanks Tony. Nigerian leaders actually said they were surprised by the president’s comments, especially his post saying the military could be involved. Now some Nigerian leaders have actually been hesitant to admit that Christians are being persecuted or even outright denied it, but we do have evidence for it. And they did say that they would welcome help from the president as long as their sovereignty is respected.
SPEAKER 04 :
They’re killing record numbers of Christians. in Nigeria. And they have other countries, very bad also. You know that, that part of the world, very bad. They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.
SPEAKER 21 :
Now what’s going on here? Well, Christians are in the south of Nigeria while the Muslims have gathered in northern Nigeria, which has made northern Nigeria and the middle of the country in between a pretty dangerous place for Christians. In fact, Christian leaders in the country say the believers have faced brutal attacks for years from groups like Boko Haram and ISIS affiliates. Now they’re calling for stronger international support to protect Christian communities and push the government to uphold religious freedom, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, it’s interesting. It’s long overdue. The Family Research Council and I have both pushed to have Nigeria added back to this countries of particular concern list over this systematic persecution of Christians. We were able to add them to the list for the first time when I was chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom back in 2020. But the Biden administration removed them as soon as they took control, saying it was not religious hostility. Rather, it was the results of climate change. Yeah, that’s right. Climate change. Yeah, that’s right. That’s what they said. In fact, they got that from the secretary of state himself. That was Secretary Blinken. All right. Let’s shift gears to tomorrow’s elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City. Casey, how are these races shaping up?
SPEAKER 21 :
That’s right, Tony. Tomorrow is Election Day, and in New Jersey, we’ll start there, Republican Jack Cittarelli is fighting for the governor’s seat in a pretty tight race against Democrat Mikey Sherrill. Cittarelli is emphasizing local issues like property taxes and support for minority-owned businesses. Now, down south in Virginia, Republican Winsome Earl Sears is challenging Democrat Abigail Spanberger, aiming to, you know, continue the state’s shift towards Republican leadership. Now, in this race, the Democrat does have a lead, despite a pretty serious scandal involving the Democrat attorney general candidate, who’s made some pretty disturbing comments about political violence towards children. And one more race the whole country is watching. Zoran Mamdami seems poised to cruise into victory tomorrow. He’s a socialist, some say a communist, who’s criticized Israel, proposed higher taxes, expanding public housing, free buses. He’s even talked about abolishing private property. So these races, they’re seen as a look ahead for next year’s midterms. But Tony, if you’re thinking about buying a condo in midtown Manhattan, I might hold off a little longer.
SPEAKER 12 :
I mean, where is he going to pay for all these things that he wants to give away?
SPEAKER 21 :
Well, he’s talking about the billionaire’s tax, but the billionaires are talking about leaving. I mean, you know what they say about socialism, when you run out of other people’s money, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it’s crazy. Well, we’re going to talk with FRC Actions’ Matt Carpenter a little bit later for a closer look at tomorrow’s election. So, folks, if you live in New Jersey, Virginia, or New York City, be prepared to go and vote. Now, Casey, there are reports that Senate Democrats could be maybe a little more willing to end the government shutdown after these elections. You know, the government shutdown is one day away from becoming the longest in U.S. history. And, of course, one of the big topics now, Casey, is the SNAP benefits. What’s the latest?
SPEAKER 21 :
Yeah, that’s right, Tony. And there is some news on this front, actually. The Trump administration said that it actually will partially fund food aid for millions of Americans on food stamps. That’s good news. This announcement does come after two judges basically ordered the federal government to drain the rest of the savings account and USDA SNAP program for that. So SNAP, they’re gonna spend about $5 billion in contingency funds to cover part of November’s benefits, but it’s not gonna be enough. It will help, but this program costs about eight to $9 billion per month. Meanwhile, earlier today, House Speaker Mike Johnson, he once again made his point that this ongoing seemingly never ending shutdown is because of Senate Democrats.
SPEAKER 14 :
The Schumer and Jeffries and their colleagues fear political retribution from the far left activists in their party more than they fear the consequences of keeping the government closed for weeks on end. And they care more about that than they care about SNAP benefits.
SPEAKER 21 :
Johnson also made the point that sending out these funds is not so simple as just hitting a button. It can be a pretty complicated process, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. Thanks, Casey. Obviously, we’ll continue to track this as it unfolds. All right. I want to continue discussing the latest on the shutdown from the perspective of the U.S. Senate, where all the action is, quite frankly, because the House remains back in their districts. Joining me now is Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. He serves on several Senate committees, including the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He joins us by phone. Senator Hawley, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER 12 :
So there are there have been some rumblings of progress toward ending the shutdown. Possibly tomorrow’s elections could provide an off ramp from Democrat for Democrats. What are you hearing?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I don’t know what the answer that is, Tony. I hope that the Democrats are ready to stop depriving 42 million Americans of food assistance that they desperately need to stop depriving air traffic controllers of their pay. Border Patrol, FBI agents, the military. I mean, this is past the point. of political gamesmanship, which is bad enough. Now real people are really suffering, including in my state, three quarters of a million folks, a lot of kids who depend on food assistance to eat. And I just don’t understand why my Democrat colleagues want to take food literally out of the mouths of kids in order to what? Score some political points? So I hope they’re through with this. It’s time that it ends.
SPEAKER 12 :
So the sticking point remains the issue of these premium subsidies for Obamacare. And there’s been discussion in the media that somehow that maybe the Republicans and the Democrats could come together over this extension of these premium subsidies. We’re talking $1.5 trillion. But there seems to be a problem with that, Senator. Republicans have never voted for these subsidies. In fact, they’ve never voted for the affordable, the not so affordable CARE Act, Obamacare. So why would they vote for it now?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, and I’m not sure if that’s what the Democrats really want, Tony. I’m not sure what they want. They’re not sure what they want. I think all they truly want is to try to punish Donald Trump and throw a temper tantrum. You mentioned tomorrow’s elections. I think they’re waiting to see if they can win these races in New Jersey and New York and elsewhere. in order to claim victory. To be honest with you, I haven’t heard the Democrats talk about these premiums in several weeks. I think that this is all about political point scoring, political gamesmanship, and the fact that they’re willing to allow 42 million Americans to be hurt in the process and not be able to eat, to them, it’s just, well, that’s just collateral damage on the way to their supposed political advantage. It’s sick. It is wrong. It’s And it needs to end. It needs to end ASAP. And I hope it ends this week.
SPEAKER 12 :
Any indication that it may? I mean, have you had any conversations that would suggest that they are coming to their senses on this? I mean, last week we had some large federal labor unions saying, hey, end it. They didn’t move last week. I mean, is this the week?
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m hopeful that this may be the week. I do think that these elections tomorrow are a hinge point. I think the Democrats will use that as a way to try and claim victory should they prevail in those elections. So I’m hopeful that that may provide an off-ramp. I mean, listen, this has been, what is it now, 33 days, 34 days? Every second of this has been too long. But, Tony, I hope that now they will begin to feel the pressure, they being the Democrats, from real people out there who are saying, why is it that you’re telling me and my kids that we as a needy family who are doing our dead-level best, we can’t get the food assistance we rely on because you, Democrats, want some political advantage, want to score some political points. I just think it’s so wrong, and I hope that they are ready to bring this to a close. Republicans need to continue to insist that this shutdown end and the full government reopen ASAP.
SPEAKER 12 :
Let me ask you this question, Senator Hawley. Is this a reflection of not just a divided Congress, but the nation that’s divided? I mean, we’re about to set a record. The previous one was during the first Trump administration. Are we that divided that we can no longer govern our nation?
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, I think it’s really an indication of just how completely controlled the Democrat Party has become as elected officials by a fringe, loony, radical left. I don’t think that the great majority of this country wants air traffic controllers not to get paid, wants to risk the safety of every flight that’s in the air, wants to deprive federal law enforcement of their pay or the military. I mean, who really wants that? I bet if we pulled it, we’d find 70 plus percent of Americans say this is a terrible idea. By the way, Americans are still paying their taxes. for a government that is now shut down. I don’t hear any talk about anybody getting a refund. So I think this is all about a fringe element of the Democrat left that is so desperate to grandstand against Donald Trump that still hasn’t accepted the fact that Trump is president, still hasn’t accepted the people’s verdict from a year ago that they’re willing to go to these extremes. And if that means hurting millions of American kids and depriving them of the ability to eat, they’re willing to do it. I just hope, Tony, the country is getting a good look at what the radical left is really all about here.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. Well, maybe I should start a movement for a tax refund. We have just a little over a minute left, Senator. The president on Friday announced that he made Nigeria, a country of particular concern, reversing the Biden administration’s removal of that West African nation. This is significant. Large country, systematic persecution of Christians there in that country. You and others have been calling for this. Your response?
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, this is very, very important. I have been calling for it for years. You know, since 2009, more than 50,000 Nigerian Christians have been murdered.
SPEAKER 1 :
50,000.
SPEAKER 05 :
This year alone, 7,000 Christians murdered in Nigeria. I mean, it’s almost, there’s numbers It’s almost hard for us to wrap our heads around it. But listen, this is something that desperately needs to be stopped. And it begins with the United States saying we’re not going to look the other way. The next thing that needs to happen is we need to cut off aid to the country. Why are we sending them U.S. taxpayer money when their government, I believe, is complicit in this attempted decimation of the Christian population?
SPEAKER 12 :
Senator Josh Hawley, thanks so much for joining us. Always great to talk with you.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 12 :
Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. In fact, Nigeria is the most dangerous place in the entire world to be a Christian. It is a dangerous place, and as has been pointed out going all the way back to 2009, and the government is complicit. because they have turned a blind eye to the slaughter of Christians. We’re going to talk more about this next with Bob Destro. It was in the previous Trump administration at the State Department, so don’t go away.
SPEAKER 22 :
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SPEAKER 12 :
For over 4,000 years, the Jewish people have had legal, historical, and biblical ties to the land of Israel, especially the heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria, which much of the world still calls the West Bank. To Israelis, Judea and Samaria is far more than a name. It’s the center of their ancestral homeland where nearly 80% of the Bible’s events took place. Abraham purchased property in Hebron, Jacob in Shechem, Joshua made an altar on Mount Ebal and led the Israelites into a covenant before God. On Mount Gerizim, overlooking Shechem, Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well about worshiping neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. Judea and Samaria is nearly a quarter of Israel’s current land mass, not a small strip of land on the Jordan River, but a vital and strategic part of the nation’s identity. The October 7th massacre, launched from Gaza, shattered the illusion that giving away territory brings peace. Gaza, which was once seen as the cornerstone of a two-state solution, became a launch pad for terror. Today, only 21 percent of Israelis support a Palestinian state. Trust in a two-state solution has all but collapsed. The Middle East is changing. Iran’s grip is weakening. New alliances are forming. But Western countries and some U.S. officials still chase the mirage of a two-state solution. History speaks clearly. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal, backed by the U.S., led not to peace, but to a terrorist regime. Judea and Samaria are 24 times larger than Gaza, deeply woven into Israel’s geographic and spiritual fabric. To surrender them would not bring peace. It would invite conflict and existential danger. Family Research Council stands with Israel’s rightful claim to sovereignty. It’s time for America to do the same for history, for justice, and for lasting security in the Middle East. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. All right. We’ve been calling for this for, well, for a long time. And it finally happened on Friday when President Donald Trump announced that he had made Nigeria a country of particular concern. Now, that is a specific designation. It goes back to the International Religious Freedom Act. Now. Nigeria was designated a country of particular concern in December of 2020 by then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. I was the chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and we had recommended it. Of course, we had recommended it for every year since 2009. But finally, it happened. It happened. However, the Biden administration that came in the next month, shortly removed the designation. But now, four years later, it’s back on. Joining me now to discuss this, Dr. Bob Destro, who formerly served at the U.S. Department of State as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Dr. Destro, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I’m sure you were encouraged by this move by the Trump administration designating Nigeria as a country of particular concern. Speak to what that means and why it’s important.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, you know, I was more than encouraged. Actually, I was energized. And the reason is that, you know, when Secretary Pompeo designated Nigeria back in December of 2020, I was in the room. And I was one of the people who urged it. But I knew, as we all know now, that the State Department bureaucracy does not like the idea. And so I really have to hand it to President Trump. He’s a hero, in my view, for making the designation, because it’s now clear that the president himself sees the problem. And now I think it’s possible to organize the troops, so to speak, on this side of the water. to actually get some things done to help the people of Nigeria.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, the president on Friday as well said he was asking Congressman Riley Moore as well as Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee to immediately look into this matter and report back to him. Now, I’m assuming it was what appropriations actions that could be taken. But you’ve got the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. That is a creation of Congress that has that reports each year to the president, to the secretary of state and to Congress. They’ve been raising this issue consistently. You’ve got the ambassador for international religious freedom and the State Department itself that’s been raising concerns about this. So what might the president be looking for?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I mean, we know, you know, wholly apart from the appropriations inquiry that has been launched, there is plenty of money in the State Department budget for Africa. They’re looking for places in which it could be, you know, valuably spent, so to speak. and and so it’s now time for the executive branch to to look at the question what do we do about this i mean it’s one thing to highlight the problem which is what the designation does but it’s quite another thing from a diplomatic perspective to actually say okay here are the outcomes that we’re looking for and and so and and i have lots of suggestions about the ways in which we can spend that money.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think that’s important because a lot of times these designations are there, but nothing is done about them. There’s waivers that are issued, and so business as usual goes about. Well, I guess I’m not surprised that the Nigerian government would say, oh, we didn’t know anything about this. They’ve known about this. They’ve responded to congressional hearings that I’ve testified and others have testified at. They know this is going on. It is they’re turning a blind eye. They’re complicit. And this is a significant move by the Trump administration. Now, they said this is part of what the president wrote. He said, if the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S. will immediately stop all aid and assistance in Nigeria and may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns blazing. to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. Now, what does that mean?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, you know, I mean, I love it. He really, one thing the president’s good at is getting people’s attention. And he certainly has, I’ve been getting calls all day from Nigerian colleagues who say, well, he certainly got everybody’s attention, but would somebody please explain what the CPC designation means? And I thought, I’ll be happy to try and do that. But the most important thing I think that we could do right away is to have Secretary Rubio or Secretary Hegseth call some of our friends in the Gulf who were paying for the weaponry that’s being used to slaughter Christians and telling them to cut it out. You know, those motorcycles in AK-47s cost money. Somebody’s paying for it. That’s one. Second, I’m sorry, go ahead.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, no, you go right ahead.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, second, you know, what most people in the United States don’t realize is that Nigeria doesn’t have any armed local police. It’s based on the British model. So it would be like if you got mugged in downtown Davenport, Iowa, you’d have to call the FBI in Washington and you’ll get the answering machine. So, Nigeria does, in fact, employ the army, but it’s exactly the inverse of the conversation we’re having here about immigration and Chicago and other places where we don’t want the army enforcing the law. We want the police to enforce the law. Well, that’s a good rule. And we should be doing that, encouraging the Nigerians to do that. And if that includes saying, well, we’ll give you either more aid or less aid, but we want people to have local police protection.
SPEAKER 12 :
And this is something the United States could help with. I mean, I was actually years ago when I came out of the Marine Corps, I was working with the State Department as a contractor training foreign police officers in the ATAP program, which is exactly what they would be doing in this case, training local police officers how to protect these at-risk populations. There’s a new president in Nigeria from President Trump’s first term. When he met with Buhari in the first term, he brought this up when he was at the White House. And for about six months, Nigeria was kind of on their guard, on their best behavior, protecting Christians. But then they kind of moved away, and then the persecution began again.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, you know, we have to understand that there’s a lot of money involved here, that it’s not just persecution of Christians. It’s a spectacular land grab where they’ve moved probably 180,000 families off of their ancestral neighborhoods. And so this is, it’s a land grab, it’s ethno-cultural warfare, you know, it’s Islamic terrorism, it’s all of the above.
SPEAKER 12 :
Bob, we’re out of time. We’re going to have to get back together and talk more about this because I think it’s quite significant because it’s a model that can be used elsewhere. Bob Destro, thanks for joining us. All right, folks, stick with us. We’re back with more after this.
SPEAKER 03 :
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% 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.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m going to get Bob back on later in the week. We’re going to talk more about that because I do think with the aggressive approach the Trump administration is taking on this, this could send a very strong message to those who are either participating in, facilitating, or acquiescing to the targeting of Christians in many of these countries. So this could provide a model as a way forward. All right. Tomorrow is Election Day. We talked about that. Millions of Americans will head to the polls to vote in state and local elections, although the political spotlight has been on races off year elections in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City. There are some other races to watch as well. Joining me now to provide the latest on tomorrow’s elections is Matt Carpenter, director of FRC Action. Matt, thanks for for joining me.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thanks for the invite, Tony. Great to be with you.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. So let’s let’s go ahead and get the big three out of the way. New Jersey, Virginia and New York. How are those races looking right now?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Among those three, I’d say the closest contest is going to be in New Jersey. You’ve got Republican Jack Cittarelli, who’s running a strong race. He ran in twenty twenty one. almost defeated New Jersey Democrat Governor Phil Murphy. And he’s been within one or two points of Democrat Nikki Sherrill in New Jersey. This is a state that typically doesn’t elect back-to-back governors from the same party. So Nikki Sherrill, Democrat governor there in New Jersey, hoping to buck that trend. And Jack Cittarelli hopefully closing strong if you’re in the Cittarelli camp. And then you go to Virginia. This is another sort of bellwether state. It’s been a purplish state for years, and it’s kind of trended more in the blue column. Democrat Abigail Spanberger, former member of Congress, has run a strong campaign. She’s been leading in most of the public polling I’ve seen, in fact, all the public polling I’ve seen. Republican Winsome Earl Sears, current lieutenant governor, is hoping that on Election Day that they’ll get some strong results there and that Think back a couple weeks when Democrat Attorney General nominee Jay Jones’ text messages came to light, those vile messages where he was fantasizing about the violent end of a political opponent and his family. You did see the race tighten a bit. There has been some polling that suggested Republican Attorney General Jason Mejiares could be on top. That’s certainly one to watch tomorrow night as well as that Attorney General race in Virginia. And then all lies around the controversial Democrat nominee in New York City, Zoran Mamdani, the about socialist and sort of Islamic extremist adjacent apologist. You know, it’s it’s been sort of troubling watching that unfold for sure here in New York City and frankly, just across the country. He’s been leading in that race for a while in the 40 to 45 percent support rating from New York City there. Former Democrat governor turned independent Andrew Cuomo coming in second with about 30, 35% support. And then third is Republican Curtis Sliwa.
SPEAKER 12 :
What do we know from the early voting? What is the intensity been going into tomorrow’s election?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, it’s been typical. Democrats have had the edge. They’re showing enthusiasm. They’re showing up big time in the mail-in voting. But you do see some, there has been some bright spots for Republicans in rural areas, particularly in Virginia. We’ve seen some of the deeper red counties show very strong early, early out of the gate, early in person. voting total. So it’s just a matter of who’s going to show up on election day and how much of this early vote has been cannibalizing voters, essentially, who are going to show up on election day anyway, who just shifted their vote early. So it remains to be seen. I would say in New Jersey, it’s looking probably a little bit tighter than normal, a little bit maybe more favorable for Cittarelli. It just remains to be seen who shows up tomorrow.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, so before we go on to some of the other races that we’re watching, how can folks get information that are in these areas that are going to be voting tomorrow? What resources does FRC Action have?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, Tony, I would point them to the iVoterGuide websites, iVoterGuide.com. That’s the letter I and then the words VoterGuide.com. We are proud to partner with them. They do excellent work creating custom voter guides where you can just go to the website, put in your zip code and your address, and it will generate a custom voter guide. Who’s going to be undervalued? Where do they stand on the issues? And then how do they compare to the other candidates? So, like I said, we’re proud to partner with them and participate in some of that research that goes into those voter guides. And we’re proud to offer that resource as well.
SPEAKER 12 :
iVoterGuide.com. All right. What other races are we watching, Matt?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, we’ve got two others that probably have gotten a little less attention than these important gubernatorial races. And the first one I want to mention, Tony, would be the California Proposition 50. This is a ballot measure in California which would essentially rewrite the state’s congressional maps in response to Texas redistricting in August. So this would be an end run around the state of California’s independent redistricting constitution. Commission, allowing the legislature to eliminate five congressional districts favorable towards Republicans, and then also Supreme Court elections in Pennsylvania.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. That’s going to be a big one as we’re looking at the congressional map, California trying to put a few more blue congressional districts on the table. All right. Anything else we need to be looking for for tomorrow, Matt?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, the big takeaway is going to be what are the margins here? Both parties are going to be trying to shape I’m trying to look at the results and then try to cast that into 2026. If you’re on the Democratic side, you’re not in control of Congress. You’re not in control of the White House. You’re looking for a big margin, something to bounce off for the midterm elections. If you’re on the Republican side, you want to show a good result. You want to show close races to show that you can get out your voters as well. So there will be some headlines coming out of this election, despite who wins, to just get a sense of where the electorate is.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. All right, Matt Carpenter, thanks so much for joining us, FRC Action. iVoterGuide.com or iVoterGuide.com or org?
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, it’s .com.
SPEAKER 12 :
Dot com. All right. I voter guide dot com. And you can get your personalized voter guide. By the way, here’s my prediction that if the Republicans prevail in any of these races, it’ll just kind of be pushed aside. If the Democrats win in these races, it will be a you know, the media will not let go of it for weeks. That this is what this is a harbinger of what’s to come in the midterm elections. Not much of a prediction. They do it every time. All right, don’t go away. We’re going to wrap up with our panel here next on Washington Watch. Don’t go away. Our founding scripture for this is Ephesians 6, verse 13. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day. And having done all to stand, stand therefore.
SPEAKER 11 :
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I’m believing, God, let this be a testimony of the American church, that we become so full of the fire of the Word of God that we cannot contain it. We have to tell people about it. We have to make disciples.
SPEAKER 18 :
The idea of America was the idea that our rights don’t come from governments. They come from our divine Creator, right? Government’s main job is to protect those rights. And because that was the foundation of America, We’ve enjoyed over the last 250 years more freedom, more prosperity, more stability than any other nation anywhere in the world. And that should be celebrated.
SPEAKER 17 :
We are living in a moment. What’s that moment? It’s a prophetic moment on God’s timeline. And so he needs the church more than ever to act biblically for the blessing of our political leaders and of our nation.
SPEAKER 20 :
The number one issue. facing America domestically, which is the epidemic of fatherlessness. 40% of all American children today enter the world without a father in the home married to the mother.
SPEAKER 13 :
We cannot win the pro-life fight without acknowledging that this is the pro-family fight, that this is the pro-marriage fight. We’re never going to end abortion if we do not secure and shore up marriage.
SPEAKER 08 :
We pray that this would be an opportunity, Lord God, for you to use us mere little mortals, but we possess the name of Jesus. God, use us mightily. We pray in Jesus’ name and all God’s people said, amen.
SPEAKER 07 :
Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to The Washington Stand, your ultimate destination for informed faith-centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines, delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at The Washington Stand, where faith and facts meet every day.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Do you have the Stand Firm app? The Stand Firm app. You can get it in the App Store. That way you can watch Washington Watch no matter where you go. You can also have access to our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, the Washington Stand. And you’ll get breaking news there. from a biblical perspective. Also, my daily devotional, Stand on the Word, plus many resources to be an engaged and informed citizen. All of that is on the Stand Firm app. Go to the app store today and download the Stand Firm app. Our word for today comes from Ephesians 2, and you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Paul reminds us that our natural condition, apart from Christ, is rebellion, which leads to spiritual death, living under the influence of the devil. Now, some may object, well, just because I don’t serve God doesn’t mean I serve the devil. Well, look at what Jesus said in Luke chapter 11, verse 23. He who is not with me is against me. There is no neutral ground in the spiritual realm, but there is hope. Ephesians 2, verses 4 and 5 goes on to say this, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. That’s God’s grace. Life from death, light from darkness. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. Well, we’ve already mentioned we’re in day 34, approaching day 34, 33 days and 18 hours of the government shutdown, just one day away from the longest shutdown in U.S. history. And after seeing Senate Democrats reject the House GOP’s clean CR 13 times so far, with no change in the amount of support from the other side of the aisle since the second vote, Reports are both sides are trying to find an exit ramp for this shutdown highway. But what could it possibly be? Here now to discuss all this and a little bit more is our panel for today, Casey Harper, Managing Editor for Broadcast at the Washington Stand, and Kena Gonzalez, Senior Director of Government Affairs at the Family Research Council. Casey, Kena, thanks for joining me today. Thanks, Tony. All right, Casey, tomorrow we’ll see another vote in the U.S. Senate. Are we expecting the outcome to be the same or is it possible it might be different?
SPEAKER 21 :
You know, I think we could see a change in things, but I don’t think that tomorrow is going to be the day. There’s things brewing underneath the surface. There’s increasing pressure on Democrats and Republicans, really. But you pointed out Election Day, and I think, you know, before we have the results of Election Day, I don’t think it’s too likely. People want to see how they’re going to frame this, how they’re going to message it based on the results we get tomorrow.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, Kena, NBC released a new poll yesterday that says voters believe that Republicans shoulder more shutdown blame. In fact, it found 52 percent of voters blame Trump and Republicans in Congress for the ongoing shutdown, while 42 percent blame Democrats in Congress. What are the voters getting wrong about this shutdown, Kena?
SPEAKER 09 :
Voters are being lied to by the liberal media, Tony. The media is playing on the Democrats’ side and repeating their talking points. Just listen, for example, to the wording, the actual wording of that question that they were asked. Voters were asked, as you may know, President Trump and the Democrats in Congress have not reached a budget agreement, and this has led to a partial shutdown of the federal government. Who do you think is more to blame for this partial shutdown? So right there, you have several errors right there in even the wording of the question. The disagreement is not between President Trump and congressional Democrats. It is between congressional Republicans and Republican Democrats. And the question nowhere educates the voter who’s answering this question that the real problem here is that Democrats refuse to vote, as you said, more than a dozen times now, for Biden-era funding levels to continue while Congress continues to work on a budget.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, let’s talk about it for a moment. I was talking with Josh Hawley about this earlier, gentlemen, and that is we’re continuing to hear stories that the Republicans are open to conversations, at least the White House, open to conversations about changes in health care. Now, anybody who pays insurance, health insurance or any insurance for that matter, knows that it is costly. But the issue with these premium subsidies, many have pointed out that this shows that the ACA, the Obamacare, the Affordable Health Care Act, didn’t work. And Republicans have never voted for this. So why would they vote for it now? Kane, I’ll start with you.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I can’t speak for Republicans who want to vote to extend COVID era extra subsidies for Obamacare that they never voted for before. But I will say that, again, the liberal media is piling on and and and creating this false narrative that grandma is going to be thrown off of her of her insurance plan. And that’s just not the case. The cost of these subsidies is is astronomical. And again, these were put in place during COVID without a single Republican vote. So why they would vote to extend them now is beyond me. On top of that, Tony, we now know that these subsidies are being misused by states, some states, blue states, let’s say, that are using them to fund abortions and gender transition procedures. And that subsidy is not just being paid by blue states. It’s being paid by taxpayers in pro-life states, pro-family states. that have laws on the books that would prevent that from happening in their state. So why this would be extended is beyond anyone’s really education or expectation.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, Casey, if my… Memory serves me right. I don’t think Republicans have ever voted for the ACA, the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare. Going back to when it was first passed, it passed with no Republican votes. The only votes we’ve had since then were to reform it, replace it, or repeal it. So again, I’m not sure where the room is for the Republicans to change their mind on a program that has to be propped up with additional spending.
SPEAKER 21 :
I mean, Republicans have run for years on repealing Obamacare, especially immediately after the pass. So the idea that when Republicans have a majority in the Senate and the House, it would suddenly be prevailed upon them to enact these Obamacare subsidies, I think it shows bad faith by the Democrats. They knew the Republicans could never vote for this, that they would never vote for this, that they haven’t voted for it. And so they put something forward that would shut down the government. The equivalent would be something like a minority of Republicans saying, you know, we’re not going to… you know, we’re not going to vote to keep a clean CR in place unless you pass some crazy, you know, some ban the Democrats have never voted for before. Of course, the media would blast Republicans, blame them. But to Kana’s point, the media has really been covering for the Democrats on this. But they were having to work overtime because it’s a hard story to sell. They do have a monopoly. But it’s a fiction to say that House Republicans are somehow being obstinate here. I mean, in fact, some on the right were kind of frustrated with Republicans for being so nice to the Democrats and giving them another CR to work this out instead of forcing something more aggressive on them. So the whole narrative has been twisted here. I think people, the longer this goes on and the more people are educated about the issue, the more they do kind of see the light on it, though.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, so gentlemen, let me do what I do best. Let me throw something in here controversial. You know, we look at these issues from a biblical perspective, okay? And we look at this in the context of what’s not just happening in the political realm because it’s often a reflection of what’s happening spiritually in our nation. I posed this question earlier to Senator Hawley. I think this is a reflection of the division in our nation. I think it’s a reflection of many of the problems in our nation where we’re now a day away from the longest government shutdown in history, the previous shutdown being just a few years ago, the previous record. It reminds me of Proverbs 28, 2, where it talks about because of the transgressions of the land, many are its princes. But by a man of understanding and knowledge, right will be prolonged. It talks about the instability of government. And I think that’s the point that we’ve reached. We’re a very divided nation. I think, you know, we often the consequences are often different. separated from the actual activities that brought those consequences. But I would say we’re a nation in trouble.
SPEAKER 21 :
Yeah, we are. I guess I’ll jump in. Sorry, Kayna, you can jump in after me, but I do agree with that point. I was just meditating on that verse the other day, actually, Tony. But I think sort of what you’re saying here is that the division in the government is downstream of the division in society. I mean, a nation where half the marriage is in the divorce division there, where churches get divided, where we’re seeing… all kinds of division in school boards over the most basic things, and we can’t even agree on, you know, boys should go in boys’ bathrooms and girls should go in girls’ bathrooms. So the idea that we’re going to agree on keeping the government open all the time, it’s a spiritual reflection, and it has real consequences that are could be a form, you know, you call it judgment or not, but when the U.S. credit rating was downgraded recently, which is a very big deal, the Moody, you know, credit rating was downgraded for the U.S., one of the things they cited as a reason was government instability and the constant shutdowns and inability to pay our bills. So there are bigger consequences long term for this as well.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it’s a great point because I think, you know, it is not necessarily the transgressions in government, although they’re there, I think. It is a reflection of the broader society. This is a consequence of a nation that in many ways has rejected the truth of God.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, Tony, I think you’re absolutely right, both of you, that often the judgment that comes on a nation involves the natural consequences of the sin of that nation. And that’s definitely reflected in the dysfunction and the increasing dysfunction that we’re seeing in Washington, D.C. is reflective of our turning away from God.
SPEAKER 12 :
And so then we look for Band-Aids. We look for ways to fix these, the symptoms. We address the symptoms and not the underlying issues. For instance, one is we’ve seen it before, but we’re seeing it again. The president calling for elimination of the legislative filibuster. Now, this is not, I mean, I’ve been hearing this for years. I mean, going all the way back when I was here, and I’ve been here 20 years. It was 20 years ago we heard this. Now, there has been the elimination of the filibuster for judicial nominees, first Supreme Court, then district level, and now we have it for presidential appointees. But now the president is calling for the total elimination of the legislative filibuster, meaning that in the Senate, any measure could pass with 51 votes. He wants to do this because he says this would open the government back up. Kena, this is not a new issue, and we’ve got to look at what the consequences of this would be, and there would be some direct and very dangerous consequences.
SPEAKER 09 :
That’s right, Tony. We don’t have to look very far or very far back to see what this is. If Democrats, when Democrats control the Senate again, they would be able, with 50 votes and a tie-breaking vote from a vice president, as Kamala Harris cast recently in the last administration, they would be able to pass things like abortion on demand. This is something that they have won, nationwide abortion on demand, overriding pro-life laws in the states. They would be able to target nationwide believers people of faith people of good conscience who believe that marriage is and should be between a man and a woman for that belief they would be able to pack the supreme court these are not these are not conjecture tony these are actual bills and actual threats that democrats have made repeatedly in the last few years we know what their agenda is and so without that sixty vote threshold on most bills in the u.s. senate We would be facing down the barrel of a gun every single election.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, and we have to realize that the Democrats have controlled the Senate over the last century more than the Republicans have. And so they would be in the position, as you pointed out, to pack the Supreme Court because they don’t like the conservative justices also. They’ve said they want to do this, give statehood to D.C. and Puerto Rico. What does that do? That adds two additional senators to the U.S. Senate, which further puts control of the Senate out of reach to conservatives. Federalizing elections, as you mentioned, abortion on demand, the Equality Act, the Equal Rights Amendment, you name it. Any crazy idea that has ever been introduced that has been held off by just a few votes will become the law of the land. This is one of those things you have to look downrange as to what your decisions today will lead to. And Casey, we’re almost out of time, but I’ll give you the last word on this. Maybe not the last word. I might take the last word. But the reality is that I trust those things which happened closer to our founding when there was more of a moral foundation and consensus than what I do today.
SPEAKER 21 :
Yeah, I mean, the founders warned against this. If men were angels, no government would be necessary. And so there’s a temptation to think that our side is the angels and the other side, or whoever that may be, are the bad guys. But it turns out, you know, any side that gets power is possibly going to use it in a way that we don’t agree with. And we’ve seen that even with the current leadership we have at times. And it reminds me of when the Israelites, before the anointing of Saul, were calling for a king, and the Lord warned them. He really doesn’t want to give them a king, and why is that? He said, you can give all this power to other people politically if you want, and you think it’ll help you, but long term they’re going to tax you, they’re going to take your daughter, this king’s going to take your daughters, and he lists out all the effects of tyranny. He really warns them that in the moment, handing over your power for political reasons is very tempting, but long term you’ll pay the price.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, well said. And I appreciate a lot of what the president has done. This is one of those things I would disagree with. And fortunately, most in the Senate disagree with him as well on this because they understand the long-term consequences. Kane, I’m going to give you the last word. We’ve just got about 30 seconds left. I want to leave on a high note because the president on Friday designating Nigeria as a country of particular concern said, You and the rest of the FRC team have been working hard to see this happen.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, Tony, under your leadership for a very long time, we’ve been looking for the United States to put sanctions on Nigeria for persecuting Christians. The majority of Christian martyrs in the world each year are in Nigeria. The majority of Christian martyrs in the world.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, well done to you and your team, Kena, for working Capitol Hill, testifying, getting testimony before the Congress on this, and finally getting the attention of the Trump administration. Kena, Casey, thanks so much for joining me. Thanks, Tony. And folks, again, I want to encourage you to download the Stand Firm app. That way you can have access to the Washington Stand, and you’ll have this information as it comes forth, breaking from a biblical perspective. All right, out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you with the encouraging words that the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you’ve done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, when you’ve prepared, and when you’ve taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 19 :
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