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Join us on this episode of Washington Watch as we delve into the relentless media portrayal of Elon Musk and its impact on Tesla owners. Congressman Keith Self offers insights into the political environment fuelled by chaotic headlines, drawing parallels to past partisan tactics. We also examine President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, bringing to light its potential impacts on local governance as discussed by Sonia Shaw and other education leaders.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, good afternoon. I hope you have had a fantastic week. Hard to believe it’s already Friday, but welcome to this Friday edition of Washington Watch. I am your Friday host, Jody Heiss, Senior Vice President here at the Family Research Council and President of FRC Action. An honor to have you on board with us today. We’ve got a lot coming your way. Here are some of the highlights. The legacy media. remains absolutely relentless in trying to pit the American people against the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. An example of that was a meeting that took place today at the Pentagon. The New York Times reported that Elon Musk was going there to discuss the U.S. military’s plan for any war that might break out with China. Of course, the Trump administration is calling that for what it is, fake news.
SPEAKER 07 :
We welcomed him today to the Pentagon to talk about Doge, to talk about efficiencies, to talk about innovations. It was a great informal conversation. The rest of that reporting was fake. There was no war plans. There was no Chinese war plans. There was no secret plans.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, that was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. So why in the world does the legacy media continue to villainize Elon Musk? And is that simply fueling the target of Tesla owners and dealerships? Well, I’ll be discussing this here in just a few moments when I’m joined by Congressman Keith Self. And of course, the government efficiency efforts of Elon Musk are just among the many Trump administration’s actions that the left is opposed to. The other is what’s happening with the Department of Education, which we covered pretty extensively yesterday. But I’m going to be discussing this further about President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, but I’m going to do it today from a local perspective. School Board President Sanjay Shah of California will join me a little later in the program for that discussion. And then we’re going to turn to Illinois, where in that state, there’s an effort to empower the state board of education to impose more homeschool restrictions and even punish homeschooling parents who fail to comply with them, potentially resulting in jail time or having their children forcibly removed from the home.
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Not one single state in the nation, even highly regulated states like New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, make it automatic criminal class C misdemeanor, 30 days in prison if convicted, $500 fine, criminal conviction, potential removal of children and placed in temporary foster care if you fail to file paperwork.
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That was Will Estrada with the Homeschool Legal Defense Association testifying Wednesday against this horrendous bill. By the way, the bill is HB 2827, if you want to follow it. David E. Smith, who is the executive director for the Illinois Family Institute, will be joining me later in the program to discuss this absolutely. dangerous bill and then to close out the program and to close out the week i’ll be joined by david clausen for our weekly biblical worldview segment to discuss some of the headlines of this week from a biblical perspective so as usual we’ve got a lot to cover today a packed program if you miss any of it of course our website is tonyperkins.com where you can find not only this edition of washington watch but previous editions as well but there’s also a lot of resources A lot of resources, including a link to our newest petition Folks, take note of this. FRC Action has a petition up right now. It’s a petition to call on Congress to repeal the FACE Act. Now, as many of you are aware, the enforcement of this law has been overwhelmingly one-sided. In fact, about 97% of FACE Act prosecutions have been against pro-life Americans. So we’re putting forth a petition to encourage Congress to repeal this, and I encourage you to sign this petition as well. It will be going to congressional leadership. To sign the petition, simply text the word FACE, F-A-C-E, to 67742. All right, let’s go now to our first topic for the day. As I mentioned coming into the program earlier today, entrepreneur Elon Musk met with Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon for discussion on efficiency and innovation. That’s what they discussed. What did they not discuss? Well, they did not discuss the U.S. military’s plan for a war that might break out with China, although that is a topic that the New York Times claimed would be discussed. And so with all the attacks against Musk and anything that he has his hands on is the legacy media intentionally fueling opposition against Tesla and against SpaceX and against Elon Musk. Well, here to discuss this and more is Congressman Keith Self, who serves on three House committees, including Foreign Affairs, as well as the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. He represents the third congressional district of the great state of Texas. Congressman Self, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always an honor to have you, sir.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you, Jody. Great to be with you. I’m on a phone, so I’m glad to be with you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, I knew that we were having a few challenges, but glad you were able to join us by phone. So let’s start with this, Congressman Self. Your take on the reports, like the one that I just described coming from the New York Times, are they literally fueling anti-Musk sentiments?
SPEAKER 06 :
Absolutely. That was a malicious headline. It was picked up. It’s put across. Yeah, there’s a lot fueling chaos in America today. The judges, the New York Times. This is a very dangerous time, I think, and it is being fueled by the progressive left.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, it’s frightening. Here’s the actual headlines. Let me just give it for those who are not able to watch but listening right now. The headline said, Tesla attacks mark troubling twist in political violence as Musk divides America. Unbelievable. It sounds like Musk is the one to blame for all the attacks. How in the world is he dividing America?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, he’s not dividing America. It’s all of the misinformation, the chaos-sowing headlines, the judges that are attacking Trump’s actions. All of this is intended to generate this chaos that they want. We see it in the town halls. We see it in the progressive left, liberals burning Teslas now. Look, when conservatives disagree, they stop buying your product. When liberals disagree… They burned something. Remember the Summer of Love several summers ago? They burned their own cities down. Now they’re burning Tesla dealerships. They’re keying Teslas. This is the rule of law breaking down because of this chaos. I just applaud the Attorney General Bondi for reinstituting the rule of law. That’s what we’ve got to do.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, you know, you mentioned so many of the previous attacks, the burnings, the violence, all that sort of stuff. And I recall my time there in Congress, particularly the last term that I served, the Democrats, although now they are largely silent on these Tesla attacks, there was a time that they came out condemning all violence, regardless of ideology. But now there is even… Let’s call it a hate map of sorts, but it’s displaying the names and the addresses, the contact information of some Tesla owners and dealerships, as well as members of the Trump administration. How in the world, Congressman Self, can anyone not speak out against this?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, because when they have the upper hand, they’re the party of peace. They’re the party of no violence. They’re the party of tolerance. When they’re out of power, and they are certainly out of power today when we have the trifecta, the House, the Senate, and the presidency, they’re all about let’s go burn something. It’s very clear that is their playbook. It has been for years, and that’s what they’re instituting today. They’re not in power. They don’t like it. They want to be back in power and they’re going to use chaos to get there.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it’s amazing to think that they could use chaos to reassert power. What would it be like if they gained that power? If I can, Congressman Self, I’d like to shift gears on you. And there are at least two wars that broke out during the Biden administration, starting with the Russia-Ukraine war. But in that regard, there have been some positive developments this week. At least I think most people look at them as positive developments. What’s your assessment of what we’ve seen this week as it relates to Russia and Ukraine?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I certainly applaud the president’s actions and attempts. I am. Look, I served 25 years in the military, eight years in Europe in uniform. I have to tell you, I don’t trust Putin at all. He is a stone cold killer. This is a man that didn’t just run the intelligence branch of Russia, Soviet Union at the time. He was an active KGB agent for 16 years. Don’t forget that. Deception is a major part of the Russian ideology when it comes to foreigners for their foreign relations. Don’t trust that man. Reagan’s trust but verify, don’t trust him an inch.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, well said. One of the other wars, of course, is the Israel and Hamas war that continues to be a challenge, and more news about that this week. But, I mean, obviously the real problem here is Hamas. What else can Israel do but to resume fighting at this point?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I don’t think there’s anything they can do because they’ve been very patient to try to get the hostages back. And Hamas knows that the hostages are the last leverage they have. I don’t think they’ll give them up willingly. So Israel has now gone back to saying, we are going to take back land. We might even annex part of the Gaza Strip if you do not return our hostages. And returning the hostages—I was in Israel, what, three or four weeks ago— And that is the number one issue. It is the only issue to Israeli citizens, get the hostages back. So if nothing will work, if negotiations won’t work, if stage one didn’t work, then Israel felt that they must go back to force, to force Hamas to give their hostages back. So I don’t think they’ve got another option, Jody. They have got to do what they can to get those hostages back because that is the national issue in Israel today.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I still scratch my head over why in the world is there not more international pressure on Hamas than on Israel? How in the world are we at this point where the ones attacked take the pressure while the violent barbaric aggressors seem to get a pass?
SPEAKER 06 :
because you have to go no further than the UN. There have been like 129 resolutions against Israel, and it’s like double all the rest of the resolutions against the rest of the world. The UN is anti-Semitic. Most of the international organizations are anti-Semitic. It’s just a fact of life, Jody. It’s something that they have to contend with.
SPEAKER 04 :
So where do you see this going in about 30 seconds? What’s going to happen? Your prediction, I guess, I’d ask for relating to Israel.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I think they’re going to have to go back into Gaza and they’re going to have to finish the job because they didn’t finish the job because of the hostages. But I will tell you, when I was in Israel, they knew that it was not a matter of if, but it was a matter of when they would go back to Gaza. I think we need to stand by for more conflict in Gaza, and I think Israel will finish the job.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, as always, thank you so much, Congressman Keith Self of Texas. Love your leadership. And thank you, as always, for coming on Washington Watch. Hope you have a great weekend.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you, Jody. You too.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, friends, coming up, we’re going to turn our attention back to President Trump’s executive order on the Department of Education, assessing it this time from a more local perspective. School Board President Sonia Shaw will join me right after the break. So stay tuned. We’ll be back.
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At Family Research Council, we believe religious freedom is a fundamental human right that all governments must protect. That’s why FRC President Tony Perkins went to Capitol Hill to testify on behalf of persecuted Christians in Nigeria. Islamist terror groups target Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria with brutal violence. Representative Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, said 55,000 people have been killed and 21,000 abducted in the last five years alone. The congressman also stressed that 89% of Christians in the world who are martyred are from Nigeria.
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Yet the government of Nigeria has failed to make progress against religiously motivated persecution of Christians despite religious freedom being enshrined as an essential human right in their constitution.
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Tony Perkins called for the United States to send an unmistakable message.
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This is systematic religious violence. Nigeria must be redesignated a country of particular concern. The Biden administration’s removal of this designation was a reckless mistake that emboldened the very terrorists who are slaughtering Christians.
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Redesignating Nigeria will enable the U.S. government to pressure Nigerian leaders to protect vulnerable Christians.
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These are not just numbers. These are fathers, their mothers, their children, their families.
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Bishop Wilfred Anagabe risked his life to speak out, sharing firsthand accounts of the danger faced in his church district in central Nigeria.
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We live in fear because at any point it can be our turn to be killed. But to remain silent is to die twice. So I have chosen to speak.
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FRC is calling on President Trump to act now to promote religious freedom around the globe and speak up on behalf of Christians in Nigeria.
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Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today and 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 stand firm everywhere you go.
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Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to The Washington Stand, your ultimate destination for informed, faith-centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines, delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at The Washington Stand, where faith and facts meet every day.
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Good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m your Friday host, Jody Heiss. Thank you for joining us today. Okay, as we reported yesterday, President Trump’s executive order dismantling the Department of Education is now in effect. Specifically, the order tells Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the department to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law. That’s a huge statement. In addition, the secretary must work to return authority over education back to the states and to local communities. Well, as you can imagine, the left is up in arms over this executive order. Obviously, they want bigger government, not smaller. But we’ve seen how education has fared by investing in Washington, D.C. So the question is, how might it fare if we were to invest more closely to home? We’re here to go over the potential impacts of this order is Sonia Shaw. She’s the president of the Board of Education at the Chino Valley United School District in California. Sonia, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to have you.
SPEAKER 14 :
Great to be here, Jody. Thanks for having me. I love you guys, and it’s such an honor.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, likewise. Listen, first and foremost, let me just ask you this. What are your thoughts on this presidential action to dismantle the Department of Education?
SPEAKER 14 :
Jodi, I think it’s a step in the right direction, because let’s be real, when this was put in place, this department was put in place, it was pretty much a giveaway from Carter to the unions. And since then, the Department of Ed has not closed one achievement gap. I mean, look, kids are still failing at reading, writing, and math. And ever since this department was put in place, it just funnels money through to the special interest groups, which does not benefit our children. Now, if you give back to local control, Let’s be real in states like California, that could be kind of nerve wrecking for a lot of us here fighting the good fight. But I will say with President Trump, I don’t think he’s going to do something recklessly. I have hope that he is working with the experts that know how to do this. And I know Kevin Kiley’s up there being a big advocate. It needs to be merit based. Because Jody, let’s be real. A lot of states are like California, right? We have some great ones, but we also have some horrific ones who have weaponized the Department of Education towards districts like ours that are trying to actually educate kids. I think if they do it merit-based, It’ll be a win for everybody. And I know Kevin’s up there advocating for that. I know others are advocating for that. I am excited about these changes because let’s be real with Doge being put in place. We also know some of that money was being put to watch a mail room. I mean, there were so many things discovered that this money could have been going directly to our kids and it’s not.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I think it just seems to me common sense. You can never go wrong with merit-based leadership in virtually any area that we would be discussing, but certainly when it comes to education as well. And I’m so glad you brought up the direction that education has gone as a whole under the Federal Department of Education. It has not been a good outcome. and so we were doing fine educationally prior to the department of education being created on the federal level and we’ll be okay afterwards you also mentioned california your governor i’m sure you’re aware of this he came out saying that this whole thing that president trump is doing is an overreach and that needs to be rejected immediately by a co equal branch of government what is your response to your governor uh really coming out against president trump on this
SPEAKER 14 :
First of all, let’s just lay out the facts. Newsome put his kids in private school when he shut down schools here in California for the majority of the children. He also sued our district and other districts for just wanting parental involvement. So of course he’s going to be opposed to something that’s going to benefit our children because he’s never been successful at helping our educational system here in California. California is 40th in the nation. From the federal government, we get about $33 billion, but yet we’re 40th. What does that show you? They have mismanaged and funneled monies through to the lobbyists, the special interests, through these departments, all while failing kids at reading, writing, and math. To me, every time he speaks, he just exposes himself to normal day-to-day parents like myself who are getting involved and fighting for the good change here in California. Look, they have been reckless. They’ve spent money. He’s afraid of this because they’ve weaponized that the federal government and also the state government. But if you make it merit based, let’s be real. Even in California, our district is spending. I want to say it was 10 to 12,000 less per student to a neighboring district and our test scores are increasing and our enrollment is increasing. So even in California, if you manage the money right, you can actually give our kids a great education. Newsom’s opposed to great education. He just is in bed with the special interest groups, and it’s wrong.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, so let’s go down that path. As I understand it, and as you mentioned, basically this dismantling of the Federal Department of Education would redirect funds to the state and local districts much more closely. Expound on that, if you would, a little bit, in terms of what would that look like in practice? How would it impact education?
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, so there’s a couple different things. If it does come down to the states, I would be a big advocate. I really just giving it directly to the districts based on merit. But if we have to work on something to get to that point, I would say give it to the counties. Look, local control is the best, right? And if you give it to the counties, they know exactly what is needed and where it’s needed. and they can disperse the money the title one the title nine you know those monies are going to still go towards the kids that need it for those specific things now if you look at the bigger picture at putting it back to the states they can make it very very difficult for districts like ours that are actually trying to educate and not indoctrinate so i would say there’s going to have to be a lot of talks And I hope that a lot of people are able to come to the table here in Congress to give some insight. I would definitely love a seat at that table with our superintendent by my side because we have a lot of knowledge on how it’s how it is to run here directly a district that is successful even in California. Jody, I think we can make common sense common again. And right now they have watered it down and too many hands are in the pot. And that’s why our kids are failing.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I want to thank you so much, Sonia. You have been really on the tip of the spear on this issue and so many other issues that the education in California is specifically dealing with, from LGBT indoctrination and all this stuff. You have been on the front line of so many issues, and you continue to, and I’ll tell you, the scales are tipping in your favor and we’re seeing it from the national level all the way down. And so I just want to say thank you. God bless you. Godspeed to you and others who are stepping up. I know it’s not been an easy battle for you and there’s been hundreds of thousands of people praying for you and it’s all paying off. Thank you so much, Sonia Shaw. God bless you.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you. I love you guys and thanks for the prayers. They’re definitely needed.
SPEAKER 04 :
You bet. All right, Sonia Shaw, president of the Chino Valley School Board. Coming up next, we’re going to continue talking about education, this time from Illinois. David Smith, the executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, will join me on homeschooling. We’ll be back.
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Oh, beautiful for spacious skies.
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For amber waves of grace At the 2025 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, hundreds gathered with Christian and government leaders at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., to pray for the nation and ask God to forgive us of our sins.
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We gather here not to appeal to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are appealing to heaven. Today we make our appeal not in the authority of a political party or in the name of a denomination. We come in the name and the authority of Jesus Christ. who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, and we have been commissioned to operate in that authority.
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Father, we pray in Jesus’ name for our complacency, our greed, our pride, our gluttony, our sloth, and tolerance of sin.
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Lord, your word is the food that can make America healthy again. May your word be exalted and believed in our nation again.
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Lord, we ask that you allow us to become that shining city on the hill once more for your love, your grace, and your mercy.
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Thank you for your love and your grace and your mercy, for the opportunity that you have provided us to heal our land. We ask you to do it, Lord. We ask you for the wisdom, discernment, and stamina to do the thing that you have called each one of us, all of us here, to do. May we be found faithful. We trust it, pray it, believe it all. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss. Glad to have you with us. All right. We enter into yet a discussion on another battle, a critical battle. Parents, as we know, have many responsibilities when it comes to their children. Among the top of those is the responsibility they have to educate to make sure children their children are educated, the responsibility to be invested and involved in their children’s education, and that would apply whether their children are homeschooled or in public school or in private school, to be involved. We saw a shining example of that earlier this week when Illinois parents showed up in force at the state capitol to voice their displeasure with a horrible bill in Illinois, HB 2827, also known as the Homeschool Act. So, why are these concerned parents so fired up about the Homeschool Act? Well, here now to discuss it with all the facts is David Smith. He’s executive director of the Illinois Family Institute. David, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for coming on with us.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, good afternoon, and thank you, Congressman, for having me on.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s our pleasure. All right, this Homeschool Act, boy, it’s raising a lot of red flags, not only for parents and people there in the great state of Illinois, but across this country as people are finding out about us. So tell us why the Homeschool Act is so dangerous.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, first of all, Illinois, even though we were a deep blue state in the middle of the country, Illinois has been one of the bastions of freedom for homeschooling. No regulations other than the basic, you’ve got to do so many hours a year and you have to do a certain core curriculum. Now, this year, a group of state lawmakers have decided to introduce House Bill 2827, which would require homeschool students or families to file a declaration of homeschooling with their local school or the regional office of education. And if they don’t do that, this is the key, they will be considered truant under the state law. And once you’re considered truant, there are certain penalties that kick in, including up to a $500 fine and 30 days in jail, 30 days. Now, of course, I think that these guys really don’t want to separate families from their parents, do they? I mean, that’s what they say, but that’s what the law says right now, that it would happen if we were to violate this law. But Jody, can I just say real quick that the state is utterly disqualified from overseeing homeschool families. First of all, 32% of students in Illinois are proficient in ELA, that’s English Language Arts, only 32%. 27% are proficient in math, Yet we spend $19,000 per student to get that result. $19,000 per student. Now, I’m a homeschooling father of eight. We don’t spend that kind of money on any one of our kids. But you know what? With that $19,000 per student, they get an 88% graduation rate. I can’t figure out that math, right? If most kids can’t read and do math, how are they getting 88% graduation rate? But the fact is, with that 88% graduation rate, that means in Illinois, 228,000 students are falling through the cracks of our government schools. And then let me just take it up one more notch. One in 10 students are sexually assaulted in our government schools. One in 10 by an adult in the school system. And then there’s more who are assaulted by peers. So look, they’re failing our kids academically. They’re failing to protect them physically. And if you’ve heard this story from Deerfield, Illinois recently, they don’t seem to care about protecting our daughters from confused males who want to invade their private spaces and their sports. We have lots of good reasons to distrust the government bureaucrats here.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and with all the stats that you just mentioned, is there any reason to question why parents would opt to get out of the public school and go to private school or homeschooling? And yet now it appears the state legislature there is trying to stop and prevent parents from exiting a failed public school system. Is that kind of what’s happening?
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right. So they’re using as their excuse, and I really don’t have a reason to doubt them, some horrible stories of abuse and neglect by parents who claim to be homeschooling families. And so therefore, they think they need to expand their government oversight. It’s like using an eight-pound sledgehammer to get a trimming nail in. It’s way too overbroad. You’ve also heard the old phrase, hard cases make for bad law or bad policy? Well, that’s what we have right here is they’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. In fact, one state lawmaker said, homeschooling isn’t the problem, it’s the solution. And we don’t need more government oversight.
SPEAKER 04 :
David, is there, I know Illinois, listen, we’ve only got a minute. In fact, will you be able to hang on for a couple of minutes and come back after the break?
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. All right. Well, let me start with this question. I may have to cut you off and then we’ll come back and finish this a couple more questions after the break. But all right. Democrats have a super majority in Illinois. Are there still any ways that Republicans in the legislature can stop this bill?
SPEAKER 03 :
No, we need the help of some Democrats that are maybe common sense or moderate Democrats. For example, in the Senate, we would need 11 Democrats to stop the bill.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow. All right, David, I’m going to ask you if you will just hang on. We want to come back after the break and continue with more of this conversation. This is an extremely important discussion, and what they’re doing to homeschool parents is extremely frightening. We’re being joined right now with David Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute, discussing what’s happening, the attack on homeschool parents in Illinois. We’ll continue this discussion after the break.
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What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful 13-part series that equips you with biblical truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates, from the Ten Commandments in classrooms to the immigration crisis of America. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. New episodes available each Monday. To view the series on the Stand Firm app, text COURSE to 67742.
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The world is hurting, streets are filled with crime, families are broken, sin is celebrated, and God is mocked. Everywhere we look, the wages of our sin are on full display. As Christians, we know that surrender to God’s will is the solution to our biggest problems, but not everyone agrees. Even in church, we hear people say the most important thing is to be tolerant, that we shouldn’t impose a morality on other people, and that loving our neighbor means celebrating what they do. But you can’t do that. It’s not that you don’t love your neighbor. You do. But you care about God’s opinion more than your neighbor’s opinion. And this makes you different. In fact, sometimes it makes you feel alone, like you’re the only one. But there is good news. You are not alone, not even close. Research has found that there are 59 million American adults who are a lot like you. There are millions of people around the country who are born again, deeply committed to practicing their faith, and believe the Bible is the reliable Word of God. But that’s not all. They’re also engaged in our government. They’re voters. They’re more likely to be involved in their community, and they’re making a difference in elections. The problem is that a lot of them feel alone, too. We want to change that. FRC wants to connect these 59 million Americans to speak the truth together, no matter the cost. If you want to learn more about this group and what it means to be a spiritually active, governance-engaged conservative, or if you want to find out if you are one of these sage cons yourself, go to frc.org slash sagecon and take the quiz to find out. The world is hurting, and we have the solution. We can’t do it alone, but we can do it if we work together. That’s what we’re working toward every day. Join us. Go to FRC.org slash S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more. That’s S-A-G-E-C-O-N, SageCon, to learn more.
SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Happy Friday to you. Glad to have you joining us. And David Smith, Executive Director for the Illinois Family Institute, thank you so much for lasting over the break here. I’ve got a few more questions I’d like to ask you real quickly with this extremely important issue happening in your state. I understand that the Illinois State Capitol shut down their switchboards because of the enormous response they got against HB 2827. And I know Washington Watch, we have a pretty significant footprint there in Illinois. So what can people do? I know, first of all, you’re wanting people to call their representatives, the House Speaker. What can people do to assist you and to help this bill not become law?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, number one, pray. Number two, pray. Number three, pray. Great order. So, but after that, we want you to act. And like you said, call your state representative, call Speaker Welsh’s office. You know, he’s a politician, he’s savvy. If he gets a lot of calls coming into his office, he may tell his caucus, hey guys, this bill is really unpopular and we probably should tread lightly going forward. Maybe not even consider it this spring session. We can always pray for that. But also, Jodi, I think we need to tell other people about this, our like-minded friends in church, in our neighborhoods. Do you know they want to throw us in jail for 30 days if we don’t fill out a form with the local government giving up private information to them? We don’t want that. I have to point out something. On the committee hearing that we had on Wednesday, Democrat Fred Crespo from the Streamwood area made a mention to the whole committee room when he said, hey, guys, I love you as a sponsor, but I can’t support this bill because I’ve known homeschoolers for 20 to 30 years. Some of these kids are now even parents themselves, and I think they’ve done a great job, a phenomenal job, he said. This only underscores what we have been saying for a long time, what Tony Perkins has been saying for a long time, is you need to have relationships and a good rapport with your local officials. Fred Crespo knew homeschool families, respected homeschool families, and doesn’t want to throw them under the bus. And so if we have more relationships like that with our state lawmakers, with our local officials, our village officials, our local law enforcement, you know, they’re going to be more willing to work with us than against us. And so I just really encourage Christians to think about that. Plus, it’s an opportunity to be salt and light. We could be asking these officials, how can I pray for you? And you know what? How many times Do lawmakers get that kind of feedback from their constituents? How can I pray for you? That kind of a question. How can I pray for you? And then it might even open up a door through that to share the gospel message. And what could be greater than that?
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. David Smith, I want to thank you so much, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute. In fact, I have it right here from your website. I’m going to give out House Speaker Chris Welch’s number. Again, we have a lot of people, so y’all grab a pen, grab a piece of paper and something to write down quickly, or you’ll have to go back and watch this later. The Speaker of the House, Chris Welch, his office phone number, 217- seven eight two five three five zero now is a great time to call him david thank you so much for joining us on washington watching thank you for all the incredible work you’re doing all right david smith executive director of the illinois family institute thank you so much for joining us All right, as we wrap up the program, as we always love to do on Fridays, there are a number of stories that are making the news, of course, and we always love to look at all of these as much as we can through the lens of Scripture. And we do so with David Claussen. And before I bring him on, I do want to remind you that we’re just over a week away from the release of his brand-new book, It’s called Life After Roe, Equipping Christians in the Fight for Life Today. The book looks at this whole abortion and pro-life issue from the perspective of theological, biblical, historical, and political perspective. And you… can get a 40% discount. 40% discount. Simply use special code WashingtonWatch. You can get the book at LifeWay.com, then use the code WashingtonWatch, and you’ll get your 40% discount. All right, now with all that, I want to bring David Claussen on. He, of course, is the director of the Center for Biblical Worldview here at Family Research Council. David, thanks for joining us. All right. Not able to hear you, David. All right. Are we able to get David? All right. We’re trying to get David on while we’re waiting to get his audio. I want to switch over if we can to Travis Weber. Travis, can you hear me? All right, are we able to get David Claussen? Where do we stand with that? All right. Well, some of the issues we’re going to get David back on here in just a moment. Some of the issues that we want to talk to him about is, of course, the latest on the executive order by President Trump on abolishing the Department of Education. This is one of those things, as we were speaking with Sonia Shaw just a little while ago, the importance of getting the funding closer to the… places where education is taking place is critical. I understand we have David now. Can you hear me, David?
SPEAKER 08 :
I’m here, Jody. Can you hear me?
SPEAKER 04 :
We got you loud and clear. I was just going down this path a little bit about the executive order to abolish the Department of Education and the importance of getting those funds closer to home, to the states, to the local school districts and so forth. What are your thoughts about this executive order and what would you say about this as a whole?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, I think as Christians and, you know, I try to look at kind of the news and events through the lens of a biblical worldview. And I think Christians have much to be excited about when it comes to this executive order. You know, education really matters for Christians. It matters for Christian parents. You know, one stat that I often mention, Jody, is that from kindergarten through 12th grade, as a child, you will spend 16,000 hours in a classroom. And we know one’s worldview is heavily influenced and impacted by those hours that you’re in a classroom. You know, you and I have talked about this, Jody. One’s worldview begins to form between 15 and 18 months of age, pretty much in place by the age of 13. And so those early years, those elementary school going into middle school, those years are absolutely pivotal for how you’re going to think about what is right and wrong and how that’s determined. And as Christians, we most importantly want people to understand, our children to understand God’s word, to understand theology. Deuteronomy 6 teaches us that parents are the chief disciple makers in the home. And so there’s no thus saith the Lord, you know, on abolishing the Department of Education. But I do think there’s a lot to be hopeful for that education as it’s going to be returned to local communities. You know, Jody, Department of Education opened its door in 1980, and since then we’ve spent $3 trillion. What do we have to show for it? Not much. And so I think there’s a lot to be excited moving forward, and I’m sure we’ll be continuing to watch what happens.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, this whole issue of education is enormously important, and the role of parents in the education, as you mentioned, is, I mean, we see this all throughout Scripture, and it just looks to me like transitioning the funding down to the local level and empowering parents more to be engaged. is ultimately going to be a good thing. If I can, David, let me switch gears. And by the way, thank you for being patient as I held our previous guest over for a little while. But I want to talk to you about a Fox News poll that came out that I’m sure you saw that focuses on some of President Trump’s policies. And some of those policies are incredibly popular. with a large number of voters across the country. Other policies, less so. And I know you’ve had a chance to look at some of the data from this poll, but from a worldview perspective, what do these poll results reveal about the current cultural movement, do you think?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, the survey data is so fascinating to me, Jody, and kind of from a worldview perspective, what immediately kind of arrest my attention is the fact that these issues of the created order issue kind of Genesis one and two issues seem to be the issues that have caught Americans attention and ones that they’re in favor of. So the number one issue, if you look at the survey, is whether transgender individuals, those who identify as transgender, can compete in women’s sports. This is an issue that over 68% of Americans are in favor of how the president is dealing with this issue. It’s only 30% that oppose it. You go down the list, and the fourth most popular item, it relates to President Trump declaring that there’s only two genders. Again, a majority of Americans support that. To me, you asked the specific question, what does this say about our cultural moment? It tells me, Jody, that in a sense, we’ve kind of returned to kind of a level of sanity, a level of common sense. But as Christians, I want to go beyond just common sense. I want to go to the creation order, how God himself set up the world and issues that we debate. There’s none more basic than gender, how we’re made male and female. He created them And it appears that the American people are really behind this president. And as a Christian, I’m excited about that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and of course, even common sense, as we know, is grounded in truth in and of itself. But, you know, we’re only a couple of years away, it seems. I can’t remember the exact timeframe when we had a bunch of transgender activists celebrating on the White House front lawn over some of Biden’s policies in favor of the transgender movement. And now it all seems to be shifting. What is the reason behind the shift from your perspective?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, that’s right, Jody. You know, the way I look at it, you know, political scientists use this term called the Overton Window, and it refers to kind of the policies that are most popular in a given era. And the Overton Window on issues of sexuality and marriage moved so quickly. Just, you know, what was 15 years ago seen as unthinkable quickly entered the mainstream and in the same time kind of the the moral norms of the age that we all agreed on on marriage and sexuality seem to be overturned overnight and I think the Overton window moved so quickly on issues of sexuality that I think groups like you know Human Rights Campaign, ACLU, kind of the political left they kinda thought they were just gonna run through the institutions impose their radical ideology on everybody and that there would really be no turning back from this. And I think that they move so fast that there’s kind of been a reaction to that. Even folks who are relatively liberal don’t want their young child to have to, if they have a daughter, to compete against boys on sports teams. They think it’s insane that seven, eight, nine-year-old children can have healthy body parts removed because they’re going through gender dysphoria. And so I think the left, frankly, overplayed their hand And so I think there’s been a response to that. And I think it’s one, as Christians, you know, we believe in the natural law. And you push against the natural law, it will snack back. And I think we’re in a moment now where we can help people see truth. Let’s connect kind of the response they’re having to these issues even deeper into biblical truth.
SPEAKER 04 :
So how do we prevent? I know I saw this a number of times over the years, over the decades. I certainly saw it during my four terms in Congress. But it seems, David, like the pendulum constantly sways. It goes from one administration to the other administration, and back and forth we go. And with the administration, the cultural shift goes with it as well. So what should Christians be doing now to make sure that the pendulum doesn’t just swing back in the other direction in a few years?
SPEAKER 08 :
Such a good question. You know, I think the 2024 election, Jody, has bought us a reprieve. Again, there’s just kind of a return to common sense right now. But just because you reject the left, you know, ideological agenda on transgender stuff, that doesn’t mean you’re a Christian. And so I think what we need to do in this moment as Christians is Let’s ramp up our evangelism. Let’s ramp up our missions. There are people amongst us, our friends and neighbors, who are hungry for the truth. They’ve been burned by the excesses of radical gender ideology, especially young men kind of who have been fed up with feminism and woke ideology. And so they’ve kind of swung into the conservative camp. They’ve swung into the Republican camp. But again, that doesn’t mean they’re Christian. And so I think for those of us who are disciples of Jesus, we can help these people go even deeper. You know, why is woke ideology wrong? Why is feminism wrong? Why is transgenderism disordered? So I think there’s a great opportunity for those of us who are Christians right now to help people go even deeper. People are hungry for truth, and as Christians, we have it. And so we can use, I think, this cultural moment, what’s happening in the political arena, to take people to even deeper truth.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I agree. In fact, it’s now or never. I think it’s more than a reprieve. This is a window of history that God has given us for the body of Christ to speak prophetically, to speak biblical truth into this culture. Or we may not have another opportunity, and that’s how we keep the pendulum. from uh from going back david we just got about a minute or so left but we’re less than two weeks away from the release of your book again congratulations life after row uh remind our audience one more time why you wrote this book why it is so important that this message gets out right now
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, Jody, very briefly, I wrote the book to educate, equip, and encourage. There is a lack of knowledge on this issue, even amongst the church. In my first chapter, I kind of lay out where Christians actually, what they believe on the issue, and there’s some troubling things. So I want to educate. I also want to equip. You and I have talked about this. You know, most abortions that happen in this country don’t take place at abortion clinics. they’re chemical abortions we need to equip people to deal with the battle that’s actually taking place today in 2025 and i also want to encourage i interviewed over a dozen state lawmakers who championed pro-life bills after roe was overturned amazing stories jody of what they had to go through to even get those bills passed into law and so again i want to equip i want to encourage I just want to come alongside folks who are in the battle, and my prayer is this will serve pastors, lawmakers, and really just every Christian who values unborn life.
SPEAKER 04 :
Life after Roe. Go to lifeway.com, type in Washington Watch, and you get a 40% discount. David Claussen, Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview here at FRC. Thank you as always. Friends, that wraps up our time here for this week and today. Hope you have a fantastic weekend. And Tony will be back with you next week here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 13 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
