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Join host Jody Heiss as he sits in for Tony Perkins in this riveting episode of Washington Watch. With a focus on the high-impact decisions and policies shaping the nation from a biblical worldview, discussions cover President Trump’s upcoming joint session of Congress, a shift in approach towards Ukraine, and the latest controversies in education. Special guests, including Congressman Scott Perry and Vice Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Congressman Burgess Owens, offer insights on America’s path forward.
SPEAKER 13 :
from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites 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 03 :
Well, good afternoon. Welcome to this Tuesday edition of Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss, a senior vice president here at the Family Research Council and president of FRC Action. Deeply honored to be sitting in today for Tony. And as always, thank you so much for joining us. We’ve got a lot coming your way. Here are some of the headlines. At the invitation of House Speaker Mike Johnson, President Trump will deliver an address to a joint session of Congress later this evening on This is the first one in his second term.
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This president is working so quickly. I invited him to come early in the process to give this joint address because there’s so much to report to the people. And he’s just getting started. So we look forward to hearing more about his vision for the future tonight. And we will continue to work with him hand in hand to deliver and implement the America First agenda and renew the American dream, which is what will be the subject of his discussion tonight.
SPEAKER 03 :
Of course, I was Speaker Johnson earlier today speaking to the press, and I’ll be talking about what we can expect when I’m joined here in just a few moments by Congressman Scott Perry. We’ll also discuss the latest on the situation in Ukraine, which the Trump administration is trying to get back to the negotiating table.
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What the president has said very clearly about our Ukraine policy is that he wants the Ukrainians to come to the negotiating table. We want the Ukrainians to have a sovereign and independent country. We think the Ukrainian troops have fought very bravely, but we’re at a point here where neither Europe nor the United States nor the Ukrainians can continue this war indefinitely.
SPEAKER 03 :
That was Vice President J.D. Vance speaking to reporters earlier today. Now that President Trump has put a pause on all of the U.S. military aid to Ukraine, will we soon get back to negotiating peace? Well, we’ll be talking about that as the program unfolds. And President Trump is also putting his foot down when it comes to colleges that do, frankly, little to nothing in response to anti-Semitic protests on their campuses, like what we saw last week at Bernard College in New York.
SPEAKER 17 :
I really don’t think there’s been enough punishment or response because people can’t keep getting away with this. Right. Right. Like our learning, our safety, our well-being is at stake. We really need to be focusing on, you know, the safety of the Jewish people. And I don’t think that Barnard College has done enough.
SPEAKER 03 :
That was Bernard College student Rachel Kaufman on Fox News Live over the weekend. And I’ll discuss this as well as other developments in education when I’m joined later by Congressman Burgess Owens, who is the vice chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee. And in case you haven’t heard, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has established a new task force on the declassification of federal secrets. I’ll be joined later by chairwoman of that pro-transparency task force, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, a little bit later. And speaking of new ventures, I’ll also be joined at the end of the program by evangelist Nick Vujicic, who is the co-founder of a new financial institution called that provides an alternative, catch this, an alternative to financial services while supporting Judeo-Christian and pro-life values. Given all the cancel culture, all the debanking that we’ve witnessed, This is welcome, welcome news, and Nick will share the details about it a little bit later on the program. So as usual, we’ve got a lot coming your way. You don’t want to miss any part of it, but if you do, you can always catch up by going to our website, TonyPerkins.com. All right, let’s jump into our first news item for the day. Last night, news broke that the Trump administration was putting a pause on U.S. aid to Ukraine. Well, news reports indicated that President Trump intends to keep his finger on the pause button until he’s sure that the Ukrainians are showing an authentic commitment to good faith peace negotiations. And of course, all of this is coming ahead of tonight when literally the eyes of all the American people will be on President Trump as he delivers an address to a joint session of Congress. This is, of course, his first such address since moving back to the White House. And so what can we expect? Here now to discuss all the latest on both fronts is Congressman Scott Perry. He’s a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the Oversight Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He represents the 10th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Congressman Perry, always great to see you. Welcome, my friend.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it’s great to be with you, Jody. And I think we’re all expecting to hear about the vitality of the American dream, that the American dream is back. And quite honestly, it’s not just the eyes of America that will be on President Trump tonight. It is the eyes of the world. As the world comes to grip with an America that has come back, is standing up for itself, is strong, is not going to be bullied around any longer, and is not just going to pay for everybody’s problems all around the globe, with carte blanche, with nothing in return. And so the other thing is, is I think President Trump is gonna make it plain that elections do matter. In the past, I think what we’ve determined with his election that even though we elected somebody, the apparatus of this town, the swamp as it were, always seems to be in charge. And no matter who you elect, whether it’s on the left, on the right, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, you always get the same thing. I think with what’s happening with Elon Musk, exposing a lot of things with President Trump’s executive orders, that there really are consequences to elections and there’s somebody to be held accountable. I think that’s what the American people want, whether you’re on the left or the right. That is the American dream, to participate in your election and your country and where your vote actually matters instead of just having the bureaucracy run your life, no matter who you elect.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. Well, I think there’s going to be a lot, a lot of material covered tonight. I can hardly wait. I can only imagine. But let me go to some of your thoughts as it relates to the pause to military aid to Ukraine. How can Zelensky show a commitment to good faith peace negotiations? And what do you think about this whole pause that the president has put forth?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, let’s face it, Jody. I mean, President Trump is cleaning up the mess that Joe Biden got us into and then just let fester for the balance of four years. President Trump has left to clean it up. He stated during the campaign he wants peace. Europe wants peace. Most of the Ukrainian people want peace. Now, they’d like their territory back, too. We all want Russia out of Ukraine. But this is what’s never going to happen. There’s never going to be peace. There’s never going to be a chance to redress all those issues, including the infractions by Russia and by Vladimir Putin, unless Ukraine comes to the table. And the only way we’re going to trust Zelenskyy at this point is when he’s literally signing the document. I hate to say it that way, but we thought he came in good faith the last time to have a conversation and a signature. which would allow this process to begin. And he’s the one that blew up the meeting. I guess he thought he could continue to negotiate with America through the leftist media, like he did with Joe Biden for four years. And he ran into the Trump wall. I don’t know why he didn’t expect that it was gonna go differently, but obviously it has. And now we’re seeing the signal that he’s ready and willing anytime, any place to sign the deal. I think that’s great, but I think we’re not going to believe it until we see it.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and Trump told him while he was here that he had no cards to play. He had no leverage. And sure enough, when the pause on military aid took place, all of a sudden here he comes running back. So it’s going to be very interesting to see how this unfolds.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. We wish he did have leverage. We wish Ukraine could be a sovereign nation on its own and beat Russia. But it’s pretty apparent that without the United States in our checkbook, that there’s just no chance for that. And we don’t have the money for it. We’re not putting our troops in peril there to have a proxy war in Ukraine with Russia. So if that’s the case, how do we end this quickly? And how do we put Ukraine in the best position to reclaim their territory and repay their debts? And this is the beginning of that discussion.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. All right. Now, I’ve been to many of these joint sessions, spectacular events in every way, historic events. You’ve mentioned a couple of things. What are some of the other major issues that you anticipate President Trump to cover?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I think President Trump is going to cover just generally what government is supposed to be doing, especially at the federal level and the things he ran on. So as you know, border crossings are down, I think, about 97 percent right now. But we want 100 percent security of the border. I think President Trump is going to address that. He’s also going to address the rising cost of everything in the United States caused by too much borrowing at the federal level. post pandemic and the need to balance our budgets and get our spending right. He’s also, I think, going to address American energy dominance. Energy touches every single component of daily life in America and the cost of daily life in America. Cheaper, more reliable, more clean, more abundant energy produced in America is good for Americans and the world in every single way. And these wrongheaded policies that focused on DEI and the Paris Climate Accord are not good for America. They’re not good for the world. And they’re not affordable for Americans either. And I think those are key issues that President Trump is going to address today. as well as the things he’s already accomplished in his just over a month in office.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, it’s been a remarkable month and we’re not even at day 100 yet. So what do you think about the word out on the street, so to speak, that many Democrats are going to be boycotting tonight or some perhaps even trying to anticipate to disrupt the meeting tonight?
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, Jody, you’ve been at these things and you’ve seen our friends on the left. Even when you’re talking about, you know, military heroes, they sit on their hands and they boo. There’s nothing President Trump is going to do that they’ll approve of. And unfortunately, they’re going to try and make a spectacle of it. They can’t just sit there and be respectful and be the loyal opposition, loyal to the country, but disagreeing. with this president. We understand that, but they can never do that. They always have to make it a spectacle. They always have to make fools of themselves. And so I’ve heard all kinds of things that they’re going to walk out. They’re going to stand with their backs to the president. They’re going to hold up signs. They’re going to jeer. It’s an embarrassment to the rest of the world for America to be seeing this. And it’s an embarrassment upon this once great party that literally just doesn’t even exist anymore and certainly doesn’t stand for anything. And it’s an embarrassment to the American people in general and certainly the people in that party that wish that they wouldn’t do those kinds of things.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, we will certainly all be watching. I know it’s a great time. I know along the way I’ve invited people, everyone from my brother on the one hand to Herman Cain type on the other hand. Who are you inviting tonight and who are some of the other guests that you’re hearing will be in attendance?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I tell you the truth, I haven’t heard a lot of guests. We asked the Democrats if they didn’t want to come, if we could have their tickets, because there’s a lot of just regular Americans that never make it to Washington, D.C., that would love very much to come to this great event. And for my part, I’ve been invited my number one. My wife is going to be in attendance and she rarely comes to Washington. But of course, you know, she’s a supporter of the president and she wants to see what he has to say firsthand and be part of this history as well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, if you weren’t inviting her, I thought you were going to invite me. So maybe next time.
SPEAKER 04 :
Maybe next time.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you so much. Maybe so. Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, always an honor to have you. We’ll be all watching tonight. Thank you for your incredible leadership there in Washington, D.C., and always an honor to have you on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thank you, Jody. God bless you, your family, and your audience.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, you as well. Thank you. All right, friends, we’ve got a lot more coming your way. Coming up after the break, Congressman Burgess Owens is going to be joining me. He also is going to give a preview of President Trump’s address before the joint session of Congress tonight and what he anticipates is going to be taking place. He also, as vice chair of the House Education Workforce Committee, he’s going to be talking about what he thinks President Trump is going to talk about in relation to education. It’s going to be a great discussion. We’ll bring it your way right after the break. Stay tuned.
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During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we’re making an eternal impact. 2024 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, D.C. Last fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 2024, garnering over 5 million views. FRC’s outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God’s intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel’s peace, prosperity, and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government, Launching early this year in January 2025, this series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us, and we look forward to 2025 and standing for faith, family, and freedom.
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Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC’s Stand on the Word spiral-bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into Scripture with thought-provoking questions, note-taking space, and context for each book and author. This second edition, covering Isaiah 2 Revelation, will guide you in tracking your journey through God’s Word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at frc.org slash store or text journal to 67742. Perfect for you and your loved ones.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you so much for joining us today on Washington Watch. Welcome back. I’m your host today, Jody Heiss. An honor to be filling in for Tony. All right. President Trump’s address tonight before a joint session of Congress is expected to cover. Among other things, education-related issues, things like Title IX and a host of other things. And, of course, all of this is coming just in time of yesterday’s Senate confirmation of Linda McMahon as the new Secretary of Education. So how will the new secretary clean house at the department? How does she plan to end wokeness from our education system? And in fact, for that matter, eventually shuttered the department altogether. Well, she’s got a lot of work on her hands. And here now to discuss this and more is Congressman Burgess Owens. He is the vice chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee. He represents the 4th Congressional District of the great state of Utah. Congressman Owens, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to have you.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thank you, Jody. Looking forward to our conversation, buddy. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 03 :
I am too. All right. I just had Congressman Scott Perry on with me and he gave me some of his thoughts. But when it comes to education, what are you anticipating the president to address tonight?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, first of all, I think we have to, first of all, start counting our blessings that we have innovators now running our government that understand change of need, understand something about return on investment. And Linda McMahon is at the very center of that. So between President Trump, who has a vision to understand that this has to happen, we need to make sure that we’re producing the smartest kids, the most business-ready, work-ready, and we’re going to get that done because we’re going to make changes here so i i expect um that he will talk about again the fact that uh choice uh options make sure that we get the the corruption out of the department of education and then allow linda to start looking through um sex of a man to look through and see just what that looks like and and where we need to make those changes
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, it’s going to be very interesting because there’s no doubt education has become a major, major issue and not the least among the aspects of issues within education is all the anti-Semitism that’s been so rampant on college campuses across the nation ever since last October 7th, the terror attacks on Israel. In fact, earlier today, President Trump posted on Truth Social, I imagine you probably saw this, but he said, all federal funding will stop for any college, school, or university that allows illegal protest. Agitators will be imprisoned or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested and Whoa, those are some powerful comments, Congressman Owens. Give me your thoughts on that.
SPEAKER 16 :
It’s powerful, and doesn’t it feel good to have strong leadership that talks about accountability? And one thing we know about President Trump, he’s going to keep his word. So we’re going to start to see what it looks like to begin to respect authority, to respect others’ properties, and also respect each other in terms of this divisiveness relationship. That’s been running rampant. And by the way, this has been going on for quite a while. We’re just seeing, it just kind of popped out on us. We started to understand it’s October 7th, but we’ve been lacking the type of leadership that will hold people accountable. And now we have that going on. So I’m excited about the fact, number one, that education is the forefront of this president. We need to look at this as very simply a national security issue. The most important thing we can do, we can shut the border, we can bring down inflation. If we do not teach our kids how to think, how to take this culture that we’ve been gifted, take it further, then we’ll rock them within. So education is at the very core of that. And we’re looking at every kind of way to be very innovative and to bring merit back to the process. And I’m excited again about being part of that process for sure.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, so let’s talk about that process because it’s kind of a two-step process, two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, you have the president tonight is going to be laying out his agenda and where he wants to go. But on the other side is where you come into play and the House Education Workforce Committee working with the president to get some of these things codified and across the finish line. So how does the committee plan to partner with President Trump on these issues?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, first of all, we have a remarkable chairman, Tim Wohlberg, who has institutional knowledge. He’s talking with the secretary and people like Betsy DeVos. So we will have a theme, a way of working with the president to make sure this happens. I would say the most important thing is that from the very beginning, he’s made this a point of reference, a point of priorities. We’ve never had a president who’s done this, who’s talked about eliminating a department who’s not done his job, a department that’s focused more on adults and those at risk adverse as opposed to our kids. So the fact that this is at the top of the mind of our president, we will have the legislative body that’s going to codify those things he’s putting in place. And by the way, Dakota, this is my third term. And I’ve watched every single term, every single one getting more America First. We have an America First Congress, a Senate, a President Trump, and more important, the American people. So the things we’re going to be able to accomplish, first of all, we appreciate it. I think we’re going to be able to bring a lot of the minority communities to this place and realize that we are the ones who make sure that kids have a good legacy. And it’s going to help us to grow our party in a big way. And greater things will happen as we get that process in place.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s exciting to hear. Real quickly, we’ve only got a couple of minutes left, but what do you think about the new Secretary of Education? And what do you think actually the prospects, as you just referenced, of shutting down the Department of Education?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, shutting it down completely, I think, will take legislation. That’s the way I’ve understood this. But we can start doing things like block granting, taking things and putting it off into the Department of Justice and those kind of things. So there are many things we can do to break it down. The most important thing is to be able to effectively take the power and send it back to the states. And that’s what Linda McMahon is an entrepreneur. She understands this whole process, and she understands, again, how important this is for our national security. So look for some innovation, look for some action, and we’re going to be talking over the next few weeks and months about how well this department is really adhering to the promise that we gave to our kids to make sure every child has a choice to grow and build their dreams.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I’m sure the secretary will be coming to your committee. I’m sure you all will be working very closely with her in the weeks to come and the years ahead. Congressman Burgess Owens of Utah, thank you so much for coming on with us this evening on Washington Watch. We’ll be looking for you tonight at the joint session. Keep the torch ablaze, my friend. God bless you.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thank you, Jody. I appreciate it, my friend. All the best.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you. All right. Well, we’ve got a lot coming up, and I know probably many of you, like us here at FRC, we will be staying up late tonight watching with what’s going on in the joint session. It’s going to be a powerful, powerful evening. But we’ve got much more coming your way, so don’t go anywhere. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna is going to be joining me next to share how Congress is untangling. The late and disgraced Jeffrey Epstein’s web of influence. All of that is coming your way on the other side of the break.
SPEAKER 1 :
That’s it.
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Oh, beautiful for spacious skies.
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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.
SPEAKER 02 :
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.
SPEAKER 15 :
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.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to have you joining us. I’m Jody Heiss, and honored to be filling in this evening for Tony. Well, it’s been almost six years now since disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein died at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. And there is so much shrouded in mystery. surrounding his death and especially his sordid dealings in life. And to that end, just earlier today, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that her office has received a, quote, truckload of evidence, end quote, related to the Jeffrey Epstein case at the FBI headquarters. Congress now is going to be dealing with this. They have put forth a new congressional task force looking into Epstein’s life and other matters that have been hidden from public sight. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, we’re trying to get hold of her, and hopefully she’ll be joining us here in just a few moments. While we wait for her, I want to jump over to Matt Carpenter. Matt, of course, is director of FRC Action. And we’ve got a lot to talk about. Matt, thank you for joining us this evening. Appreciate you being on board.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thanks, Jody. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, as we come into the joint session tonight, there’s so much. I mean, we have border issues to discuss, economic growth, foreign policy. It just goes on and on and on, multiple cultural issues, educational issues, and the like. And I’d just like to get your thoughts on some of the issues that you anticipate being covered tonight. Let’s begin with your thoughts on the whole conversation with President Zelensky in the Oval Office the other day. You anticipate that being a pretty major issue tonight?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it was what a shocking, I mean, display that was from the Ukrainian president. I don’t think any American has seen anything like that, certainly in my lifetime. But, you know, I think without the mineral deal getting done and without security guarantees for Ukraine, you know it’s still an open question how is the president going to to bring that war to an end this is like he campaigned on and he repeatedly told the american people that it was a priority for him to end the fighting and the killing you know he’s fond of saying uh if he was president it would never have happened and um and so i i do anticipate tonight we’ll kind of get maybe some more information on that um You know, I saw today there was a report that President Zelensky also expressed regret for how that went down in the White House and also expressed a willingness to come back to the table to maybe discuss that mineral rights deal. So we’ll keep an eye out and see what comes of that. But I do anticipate the president will address foreign policy. And I can’t imagine he would leave the war in Ukraine out of his remarks tonight.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I agree with you on both those fronts. And also, there’s a host of other things to deal with on the domestic policy side of things. So many issues. I mean, now we have everything being talked about from Medicaid to a host of other things on the domestic side. What do you kind of anticipate specifically as far as domestic type policies for the president to address?
SPEAKER 01 :
I think the work of Doge, Jody, has been kind of this paradigm shift, frankly. I don’t think we fully appreciate the gravity of what’s going on. I mean, Ronald Reagan is famous for having said, the closest to eternal life on planet Earth is a government program. Well, it certainly seems like the Trump administration is proving that that might not have been so accurate. I mean, they’re going through, they’re mapping out how these payments have been made out of the Treasury Department. They’re looking at USAID. Famously, we had a few weeks coverage there of some of the programs, some of the things that the American people were funding through USAID, which was really eye opening. And so I think for the first time, the American people are looking at the operations of our government with this lens of waste, fraud and abuse. And there’s been some rumblings to your point about Medicaid that there’s probably some some waste, fraud and abuse in our entitlements program as well. No one wants to take away any benefit from an American taxpayer who paid into these trust funds. But I think Elon Musk and his team are doing their due diligence and under the orders of President Trump to make sure that there’s not, you know, we’re not making Social Security payments to people who aren’t alive and there’s not overbilling in Medicaid and Medicare. So, and it’d be great, you know, we had Congressman Perry and Owens on as well. It’d be great for Congress to take up that cause as well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I totally agree with you. So let me throw this one out to you because this did come up earlier with one of the guests, the tariffs tonight. I don’t see how the president is going to not be able to address the tariffs on Canada and Mexico in particular, but also China for that matter. What do you anticipate going down? And this is all part of his economic plan. policy and strategy, and it’s impacting not only the U.S., but the entire world. Energy independence, I mean, a host of things as it relates to economy and American prosperity. Where do you think the president goes on this topic?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, I think this is an opportunity for the president to make his case. One of the things I’m kind of hearing through the grapevine is that this is maybe an area where the administration feels like they need to do some educating the American people on. This is a new thing for the American people. We’ve been sort of inculcated into this into this system of free trade is good for everybody america has has been welcoming to doing business with the world and so for the for president trump to come in and then announce reciprocal tariffs and i think that’s important here is this is reciprocal tariffs it’s if you’re putting a a tariff on goods from america into your country we’re going to respond in kind uh and kind of you know underneath all that is the idea that It’s best for everybody if the tariffs are low or even non-existent. But what the president really seems to be talking about is a level playing field, a fair playing field where you’re not allowed to do business with America if you’re running a huge trade surplus with us while we’re subsidizing you in some other way. So I do anticipate we’ll get some comments on new trade policy with some of our largest trade partners, Canada, Mexico and China tonight.
SPEAKER 03 :
Matt Carpenter, director of FRC Action. Thank you for that analysis. Look forward to tonight. Thanks for joining us. All right, friends, stay tuned. On the other side of the break, the whole issue of debanking and a host of other things. Nick Vujicic is going to be joining me to discuss a new alternative for you. Stay tuned.
SPEAKER 08 :
Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But do you know the Bible talks about four institutions of government? Do you know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this thing, separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn’t be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government.
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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.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss. I’m honored to be filling in today for Tony. And before I bring in our next guest, I want to encourage you to check out FRC’s new 13-week series. It’s called God and Government. For those of you who have not yet seen it, this is a video-driven, Bible-based training course, and it’s designed specifically for anyone who’s wanting to make an impact for biblical truth. And right now, every Monday, we’re introducing a new session of this. And in fact, just yesterday, we had one come out. It’s Biblical Principles for Civil Government. This is session three. It came out yesterday. If you don’t yet have the Stand Firm app, then we encourage you to go get the app and tune into this incredible series. You can do so simply by texting the word COURSE to 67742. All right, let’s jump into our next guest here. Look, it’s no secret that there’s been a pattern that we’ve all been watching of debanking. specifically debunking of conservatives and Christians as they become the targets as of late. And this has impacted a number of individuals and institutions, including the National Committee for Religious Freedom. also well-known individuals like Melania Trump. Well, out of all of that chaos, a new faith-based financial institution has come into form. It’s known as Pro-Life Fintech. This institution provides an alternative to financial services while at the same time supporting Judeo-Christian principles and pro-life values. But how exactly does this financial institution Something like this, how does it operate? And how is it ultimately combating the debanking trend? Well, here to discuss this is Nick Vujicic. He’s the co-founder and chief brand ambassador for Pro-Life FinTech. Of course, many of you know Nick. He has been out evangelizing and speaking publicly in front of crowds all around the world. through Nick V Ministries, which he founded back in 2005. Nick, welcome to Washington Watch. It’s an honor to have you, my friend.
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Thanks, Jody. I appreciate the opportunity and hello to everyone.
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Well, we are thrilled to have you. And I think this is the first time you’ve been on Washington Watch. So I think most of our audience is probably aware of you, but perhaps some are not. So before we dive into the debanking and all the things that you’ve got going right now, why don’t you just share a little bit, familiarize yourself and your story and your journey with Christ.
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Sure. I was born without limbs in 1982, Australia, in Melbourne. And no medical reason as to why I was born without limbs. And, you know, you always learn that God has a plan for everyone. And my biggest question was, well, what’s the plan? And I asked for arms and legs and arms and legs miraculously did not come. And with the silence that I’ve heard from God at that point, I started becoming depressed and fearful. The bullying at school and the bleak future that I could see brought me to actually an attempted suicide at age 10. I was depressed for about five years. And then at age 15, I gave my life to Jesus, reading John chapter 9, a man was born blind and no one knew why. But Jesus said the blindness of the man, that was all done so that it would be a display of what God could do with this blind man. And he heals the blind man. And what I really love about that story is not only does a blind man see, but what I realized was if God told me the plans, then I don’t need faith. And the blind man didn’t ask for the plans. He just stood by faith. And I realized, God, if you’ve got a plan for a blind man, you’ve got a plan for me. Take me around the world. I want to let everyone know that you’ve set me free from the greatest disability of all, which is sin and death. And I committed my life to him at age 15. And since 2002, I’ve traveled now 84 countries, met 35 presidents and prime ministers, and addressed crowds as large as 800,000 people in person with 53 million people watching. NickVMinistries.org is the ministry homepage, and we are set to actually go throughout Latin America again this year to preach the gospel to another 120 million people.
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Well, Nick, it’s absolutely incredible, your life, your life story, the power of your story, and how God has used you and continues to use you around the world. My wife and I have been followers and friends of yours from a distance for a long, long time, and sincerely thank God for all that He has done and continues to do in your life. If we can switch gears, Nick, a little bit, I do want to talk about ProLife FinTech, this new financial institution. It’s right here on the front line. Tell us why this came about and why this is such an important issue to you right now.
SPEAKER 06 :
Look, a word like institution is big, but it’s basically an ecosystem for those of us who are conservative Christians who, I mean, we’ve seen the movement, Jody, in the last couple, if you will, a handful of months or even handful of years, realizing now we shouldn’t just be investing for a great return with our investments. but also how great would it be if we get a great return on our investment choices, but also collaborate with Kingdom Impact with the actual investments that make a return and not just make money that then we can donate, but actually a scalable way to see an exponential compounding effect of Kingdom Impact as we continue to steward God’s wealth. Look, none of this wealth is anyone’s. It’s all God’s. And back in 2018, my friend Betsy Gray, the founder of ProLife Fintech, found out that there were no banks or credit unions in Santa Barbara that did not give philanthropically to abortion organizations. And actually, she was horrified. She repented on behalf of our country. And she was in awe of how many other people don’t realize that every single church, pro-life organization, Christian school and so on that would not ever donate to an abortion clinic. would actually, how horrified would they be if they just knew that these big banks, Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, all these other ones, they all do give philanthropically to nonprofit organizations that are not biblically aligned. And so why not do banking align with your values as well? And so we were talking in 2018 and 2019, we were trying to pitch this vision of trying to have an ecosystem of banking that would actually honor God, to be able to have a daily lifestyle of banking on purpose. And so we have a FinTech called ProLife FinTech. And the reason why this really got into gear, Jody, was in 2019 in March, I got canceled out of Chase Bank. And it was horrific. There was no warning. There was no sorry. They refused to talk to me. I went to the branch. What I found out was I was locked out of all my accounts. My debit cards were frozen, my personal and for-profit. My credit cards, my credit line was affected, completely frozen. And my credit score was immediately two dashes and one triple-digit number, of which was 200 less than the day before. And they said, a letter is coming. And they treated me like a terrorist. They said, when I went into the branch, they said, so you have five minutes to leave the premise. And I’m like, what is going on? I mean, this is before cancel culture was coined. I left. I waited for the letter. The letter came and said, dear customer, we reviewed who you are in our annual customer reviews. We don’t want you. Please find another bank. You’ve got 30 days, or we will take your cash if you cannot find another bank. It was unbelievable. I mean, you can’t function on any level, whether it’s Whatever that is, I mean, I’ve got people on payroll. You can’t even function. I can’t make a single transaction. It was unbelievable. And that was during the time where Betsy was asking me to co-found with her. And I said, I’d pray about it. And as soon as I got canceled, I said, well, the answer is absolutely. And so it’s been fantastic. We opened on the 30th of November, 2024 with personal checking savings and money market accounts where I think today roughly 3%. So, you know, it’s competitive in the market. And we’re going to be giving 10% of net profits to biblically aligned nonprofit organizations that are pleasing to the Lord. And, of course, we want everyone to know that it’s not going to be a, you know, we’re just someone that stands in rejection of cancel culture as well.
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That’s amazing. And your story with that, I’ve heard of other, in fact, we’ve gone through some of it here at FRC, some of this cancel culture. And all of these organizations deny that they do it, and yet it happens over and over and over again. So let’s dive a little bit further into, and I love the fact that you call this an economic ecosystem. I love that word picture. But break down for us a little bit more what pro-life fintech offers its clients. How does this support Christian and pro-life ideals?
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Yeah, look, thank you so much. So as we know that there is a movement to debank big wealth management companies, BlackRock, how evil they are with all that money and all our 401ks. Well, same thing in understanding that if you’re, for example, pro-life, If you donate to a pro-life cause, you also need to move the money in a way that will not just donate but disable some of those funds there. So there’s that movement. And when we call it an ecosystem, this is just the beginnings. You know, one day we hope to have our own wealth management entity branch. But right now, Jody, we are a pro-life fintech platform. It’s an online banking platform. We have a charter sponsor, a brick and mortar bank called Regent Bank. which is FDIC insured. And so they actually have experience in this in digital online banking already. And they’ve been very proud to partner with us as also an extension in a digital sense with them. So all of our clients actually obviously experience the FDIC insurance experience. And it’s an online banking platform on your smartphone wherever you are in the U.S. of A. And free ATM withdrawals. If you need a big withdrawal with cash, you can connect with us. But it’s the tip of the spear of seeing, if you will, the beginnings of God’s people coming together, Jody. and making an alliance. In fact, we’re hoping to make a Christian Bankers Alliance this year. And we will move forward into the wealth management discussions in future years, we think next year. And it is still on our plan that we would like to have one brick and mortar one day. But for now, we’re so thankful that we’re open. And There are hundreds of accounts open right now, and we’re opening as well. Corporate accounts is going to be an update on our website. Our website is prolifefintech.com, prolifefintech.com. We’re about to have a huge update on that website because there’s an enabling of opening up corporate accounts with Regent and actually give them the PLF code and actually open up corporate accounts, whether that’s trusts, 501c3s. So for churches, for schools, for companies, we’re just about to launch that announcement any day on that website.
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That is awesome. ProLifeFintech.com. All right, I want to encourage people to go check it out. This is a great step forward and something that, frankly, Nick, has been needed for years and years and years. So just hats off to you and all those around you who have been a part of putting this together. If I can, as our time comes to a close here, I wanted to give a moment just to say March, of course, is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. And your ministries, NICV Ministries, is highlighting support for disabled people as part of a program called Champions for the Brokenhearted. So I wanted you to share a little bit about that, elaborate on the program and what it’s doing.
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Yeah, at nickvministries.org, if you click on the page, Champions for the Brokenhearted, I’ve written out 106 different ways in how the human being can suffer, and so has June Hunt. But June Hunt has been in this fight to make devotionals and help people understand that Jesus is the only healer of all our pain since the 1970s. Well, our ministries came together and created Champions for the Brokenhearted series and caregiver training for the heart. What we want everyone to know is if you’re one of the 10 in America that have a disability or you know someone with a disability, please go check it out because there’s some beautiful videos and resources for free that will absolutely encourage you today. And if you’ve ever had a heart for families affected with disabilities or those with different disabilities, we’re actually equipping the church, Jodi, to become counselors, a lay counselor in your own local church. So you can get certified to become a one-on-one counselor in your own community, one-on-one for people who are dealing with their broken heart due to their circumstances of also dealing with the disability. And so it’s an incredible resource. Please go check it out. So yes, go to nickthemeindustries.org and click on that page, Champions for the Brokenhearted.
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Fantastic. Nick, I want to thank you so much. Incredible work that you’re doing on so many fronts. It’s just absolutely remarkable. I want to encourage people again to check out nickvministries.org. Nick, thank you so much, as always, for standing for Christ, especially in these incredibly dark days where the light that shines is brighter and brighter and brighter. And I thank you for joining us today on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you. I’m a massive fan of all that you’ve done and Tony Perkins and the team. God bless you all.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you, sir. All right, friends, that wraps up this edition of Washington Watch. Remember, you can stay on top of all that we have by going to getting the Stand Firm app. See you tomorrow.
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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.
