In this episode of Washington Watch, join us as we delve into the ongoing government shutdown and its implications on national security and public services. With the Democrats and Republicans at an impasse, government operations hang in the balance. Host Tony Bergens interacts with prominent leaders to uncover the core issues surrounding the deadlock. We also take a crucial look at the pro-life movement’s demands from the Trump administration and the controversial abortion drug legislation. With insights from Christian activists, the conversation grows to touch on the FDA’s surprising pivot regarding a vaccine and the intersecting dilemmas of faith
SPEAKER 06 :
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.
SPEAKER 23 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now. They’ve chosen to shut down the Coast Guard, shut down FEMA, and shut down TSA rather than dramatically reform ICE. Donald Trump spent the weekend… on the golf course with Ron DeSantis. And so, we’ve not seen any high-level effort coming from the president or from the House or Senate Republican leaders—we have no idea where they’re at—in the midst of a crisis of their own making.
SPEAKER 10 :
That was House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries after the White House rejected the Democrats’ terms for reopening the government. Welcome to this February 18th edition of Washington Watch, coming to you from the Real Life Network booth at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention here in Nashville, Tennessee. I’m your host, Tony Bergens. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, coming up, the pro-life movement continues to push the Trump administration to restore the original safeguards for the abortion drug Mifeprestone. In the meantime, my home state of Louisiana and other states are fighting to stop the illegal flow of the abortion drug Mifeprestone into their states. Students for Life, Kristen Hawkins joins me later. Plus, Bunny Pounds of Christians Engaged will join me here on set to highlight America Reads the Bible campaign, which FRC is a sponsor. Well, today marks day five of the Democrat-led partial government shutdown, which appears likely to continue as the White House has rejected the Democrats’ terms to end the shutdown. Joining me now from Washington, D.C., is Washington San reporter Casey Harper, who’s been tracking today’s top stories.
SPEAKER 15 :
Casey, what’s the latest there in Washington? Sure, Tony. I’m jealous you’re in Nashville. I love Nashville, especially because here in D.C., a whole lot of nothing has been accomplished as the government remains shut down and a deal remains elusive. So White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt held a briefing today where she said that Democrats gave them an offer last night, but the White House said that they’re still very far apart on a deal. Now, as this division among lawmakers in the White House continues, as you know, thousands of federal workers are not going to receive their next paychecks. Now, we don’t have a lot of details about the specifics of that latest counter proposal from Democrats, but we could probably make some guesses about how it would affect ICE. But a White House official says President Trump remains willing to continue talks to end the shutdown. In fact, here’s White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt speaking today.
SPEAKER 16 :
He wants the government to be open. We’ve been engaged in good faith negotiations with the Democrats. Last night, they sent over a counterproposal that, frankly, was very unserious. And we hope they get serious very soon because Americans are going to be impacted by this.
SPEAKER 15 :
So no progress here in D.C., Tony. Sounds like the makings of the lyrics for a country and Western song. It is. That’s right.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, the FDA is apparently reversing course and has now agreed to review, do a review on its decision on Moderna’s new flu vaccine.
SPEAKER 15 :
Casey, what’s the latest there and what led to this pivot? Sure, this one affects older Americans in particular. So the FDA has agreed now to review the vaccine for possible approval, which would come August 5th, if it is approved, and it would clear the way for a release of the flu vaccine for the upcoming flu season. Now, Moderna said they’re seeking full approval for adults ages 50 to 64 years of age and accelerated approval for those older than 65. Now, this is really a change in course for the FDA after they previously rejected reviewing this mRNA flu vaccine. So it’s something to be closely watching, the mRNA, which is so controversial in COVID. Now, Tony, it’s affecting flu vaccines, and we’ll keep an eye on how this one progresses.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think it may make some folks a little timid, even if it is approved. Yes. Vice President Janie Vance shed some light on how yesterday’s diplomatic talks with Iran went, saying that in some ways the talks went well. Casey, what came out of that meeting?
SPEAKER 15 :
What do we know for certain? Sure. Well, while the vice president didn’t share a lot of additional details about what parts of the talks went well, they’re playing things pretty close to the chest. He did say that both parties agreed to meet afterwards in a couple of weeks. Here’s Vice President J.D. Vance.
SPEAKER 14 :
The president of the United States is very much trying to find a solution here, whether it’s through diplomatic options or through another option that means that the Iranians cannot have a nuclear weapon. I think it’s very important for the American people to appreciate it’s one of the most hostile and also one of the most irrational regimes in the world. You can’t have people like that have the most dangerous weapon known to man. It would be awful for our security. It would be awful for the future of our children.
SPEAKER 15 :
Hostile and irrational is a bad combination, to be sure. The vice president said that the president is willing to use the military, but he’s right now trying a strong diplomatic approach. But he’s shown that either are on the table for him, at least for now. Now, the U.S. has recently sent another aircraft carrier to the region and has just moved more fighter jets into the Middle East. Really, the president has fulfilled his promise to send an armada to the region if you look at the forces they have there. Meanwhile, in Iran, the satellite images show that Iran has recently built a concrete shield over a new facility at a military site. They have tunnel entrances fortified, missile bases. So they’re preparing for war in Iran, Tony.
SPEAKER 10 :
Casey, all I say in addition to that is I’m getting a lot of chatter from contacts in the Middle East, which suggests that something may be at play. So we’ll continue to watch it. Thanks so much for the update from Washington, D.C. Thanks. I may listen to a country tune for you while I’m here in Nashville. I want to go back to a government shutdown. Joining me now to discuss this and more is Alabama Congressman Robert Adderhall. He is a leader in the Committee on Appropriations in the House. He’s also chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. He’s also the chairman of the Values Action Team in the House. Congressman Adderhall, welcome back. Back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us as we are here at the National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville, Tennessee.
SPEAKER 24 :
Well, Tony, good to be with you as always, and good to be on, and I hope the convention is going well.
SPEAKER 10 :
It is. It is. I want to go into a topic. You know, we’re still learning more about the Rhode Island mass shooter. But what has become clear is that his struggle with gender identity issues was a key factor in his mindset before the shooting. We’re seeing a pattern here emerge. What role does the government have in addressing this issue that’s creating these situations where massive destruction of human life is taking place?
SPEAKER 24 :
Yeah, it’s really unfortunate, and you’re seeing a pattern here, and I think that’s why we have to really focus in on what’s going on with the transgender community. And obviously, uh, there are, there are, there’s some struggles going on there. That’s obvious. And I think that we need to really get to the bottom of it. So to just to pretend that this is just another shooting. And after we’ve seen the patterns of this, I think it’s something that we’ve got to go deeper into and not pretend that it’s just another shooting, because certainly there are some correlations there between the transgender identity and with these mass shootings.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I think it’s going back to understanding there’s some underlying mental health issues in many of these cases. But we got to keep in mind that the policies of the previous administration, the Biden administration, was celebrating this, promoting it and pushing it not only onto adults, but children. So this is this has been a government policy that I think has set the stage for what we’re seeing now unfolding across America.
SPEAKER 24 :
And I will say I’m thankful for the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Kennedy that they have put a stop to any federal dollars going for transgender surgeries. And so, you know, more power to them. And we need to make sure that we do likewise in the House of Representatives when we pass any legislation to make sure there’s no funding for transgender surgeries for anyone, but especially for minors.
SPEAKER 10 :
I’m going to be talking about this later with Kristen Hawkins of Students for Life. But another issue, and I know you’ve been working on this as the chairman of Values Action Team in the House, but we have the FDA still under the Department of Health and Human Services that has kept in place a Biden era policy on abortion drugs that allows those drugs to be sent through the mail into pro-life states like your own, like Alabama, without any type of medical consultation. What’s it going to take to see the FDA go back to a policy that’s protecting women and respecting the rights of states to protect the unborn?
SPEAKER 24 :
Well, as you know, there’s been many of us on the Republican side in the House that have spoken out against our own administration on this, and it’s been very disturbing. why the administration is doing this and especially uh coming from the department of health and human services uh you know overall we know that secretary kennedy has traditionally not been pro-life however uh hopefully he has we had one of the impression that he was going to take the position from the administration and be pro-life and seeing orders like this come from His agency is very disturbing. And so members of Congress that are pro-life like myself will continue to voice our concern about it. And knowing that there are many, many women that are in danger when they proceed down this pathway of seeing no doctor and ordering these drugs by mail.
SPEAKER 10 :
And folks, by the way, you can help out Congressman Adderhall and others who are trying to raise awareness on this issue. Text the word LIFE to 67742. That’s LIFE to 67742 and add your voice to this. Congressman Adderhall, we’re… approaching a week into this partial government shutdown. And so far, Democrats and Republicans are still far apart on this. The demands of the Democrats are unacceptable to the Republicans. How long? How long do you think this partial shutdown could could last?
SPEAKER 24 :
Well, it’s interesting. A week from yesterday is the State of the Union. It will be next Tuesday. So we’re less than a week to the State of the Union. And You know, Congress is not supposed to be back into session, both the House and the Senate until Monday. So I really don’t see that there’s any way that we can possibly get anything done before the State of the Union next Tuesday, even though Congress comes back into session on Monday. I don’t think an agreement will be reached within a matter of hours. So we may be in a situation where we have the Department of Homeland Security still not funded and still shut down technically. Now, as you know, the funding is there. The Big Beautiful Bill had put a lot of funding in for Homeland Security, and they’re moving money around to make sure that the operations for essential businesses the essential employees are doing their job. But at the same time, there’s always disruptions and you can never do the job correctly when you have a shutdown. So I think it’s going to be at least a week from now before we’ll see anything started back up as far as the funding, because the Democrats continue to stonewall and, you know, don’t want to see the They don’t want to see the agreement that the president’s put forward. And the thing that’s really the holdup is they want to have the agents to be unmasked and also to be identified. And that’s a real concern for the safety of these agents.
SPEAKER 10 :
Final question on this front. I think 96% of Homeland Security are deemed essential, meaning they’re working anyway. They’re just not getting paid. Will the American people see the effects of this over the next week, or is it going to be basically a quiet shutdown that nobody sees the effect of?
SPEAKER 24 :
I think that’s a good question. I think that right now, you know, we’re, I don’t know when the next pay period for Department of Homeland Security employees are, but I would guess that it would probably be at the end of the month before they will get another pay period. So therefore, they are probably not feeling the crunch yet. And like you say, these employees have to be going to work. So they’re at work every day. I think most Americans will see this in the TSA agents at the airport. But once another week elapses, then I think that’s where you could all see some morale being really going down in the department.
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All right, Robert, I’ve got to leave it there. Thanks so much for taking time to join us. Folks, stick with us. We’re coming back with more from the NRB convention in Nashville. You see, America has freedom for a purpose. The question is, are we living by that purpose today? See, the founders understood we as a nation would be accountable to God for what he had granted to us. They sought freedom for a purpose, and that freedom was given to us as a nation for that same purpose, to serve God, to honor him, and to live as a people under his authority.
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At the 2026 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C., members of Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation united as one voice in prayer.
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Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this gathering. We do repent. And we ask for your continued favor and blessing over our nation, even when we don’t deserve it.
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I thank you that because of the shed blood and the glorious righteousness of your son, Jesus Christ, a sinner such as myself can boldly approach your throne. You said that you helped the humble, and we’re asking just now that you would help us, Lord.
SPEAKER 25 :
We pray that you humble us, help us to follow after you with all our hearts so that we can see righteousness exalted in this nation and this nation restored to you. We know that it’s not by our power, it’s not by our might, it’s by your spirit.
SPEAKER 10 :
Freedom has a name. His name is Jesus. And freedom has a purpose. It is to honor and glorify you. We pray that we would return to that purpose. Amen.
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The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stand on the Word is Family Research Council’s journey through the living and active Word of God. Follow the plan with us. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading God’s Word, and over the course of two years, discover that the Bible is one big story, a story of many words, pointing to the Word, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, because the Word is alive, and His name is Jesus. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us as we stand on the Word.
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Welcome back to Washington Watch as we broadcast live from the National Religious Broadcasters. We’re at the Real Life Network booth. My battle buddy, Jack Hibbs, and Real Life Network, grateful for them. All right, Christian persecution is on the rise worldwide. According to Open Doors, their 2026 World Watch list, over 388 million Christians face high persecution and discrimination for their faith around the world. The Iranian regime has recently been accused of killing at least 19 Christians who protested the regime. And we’ve seen many, many more slaughtered in the streets of Iran, according to reports coming out. In China, more church leaders have recently been arrested amid crackdowns on underground churches. So what can be done to hold these regimes accountable and protect these Christians? And is it of concern or should it be of concern to Americans? Joining me now to discuss this and more, Sam Brownback, who’s chairman of the National Committee for Religious Freedom. He previously served as United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom during the first Trump administration. Prior to that, he was in the United States Senate and governor of Kansas. Ambassador, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Hey, Tony.
SPEAKER 11 :
Good to join you, as usual. Thanks for being here, and thanks for having me on. Absolutely. Always great to talk with you.
SPEAKER 10 :
I want to… Time will go by very quickly. You have a book coming out on China, this whole issue of religious persecution. Tell our folks about it.
SPEAKER 11 :
Book’s title is China’s War on Faith. And it’s really China’s at war with God. Right. And they are attacking every faith. And they are ruthless about it. And they treat people of faith as national security risk in China, which to me tells us that we should be treating these same people of faith as really key people in our view of the world on how you bring an open society is to support them and to be behind them.
SPEAKER 10 :
So, Ambassador, we’re talking about faith. Let me play the devil’s advocate here. Why should we as Americans be concerned about what China is doing to religious minorities? Why should we be concerned about Iran?
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, because Iran and China are in alliance. You’ve got an axis of evil that’s operational between Russia, China, Iran, North Korea. These guys operate with each other. They are wanting to take us down, and they are in a fight with us, but we haven’t decided yet if we’re really— So the issue of religious freedom is a part of that concern? It’s a part of it in the sense that this is the group of people that will actually stand up to all of those rogue regimes. It’s the Christians inside of Iran. It’s the Baha’is there. It’s the Buddhists in China that will actually stand up. It’s the Falun Gong and Christians there in China that will actually stand up to these regimes. And on top of it, Tony, because China has a global view of what they’re doing. They want to take over and rule the world. They don’t want Western democracies to be ruling the world. They want authoritarians. They are pushing this regime of control of religion everywhere with all of their satellites and acolyte countries.
SPEAKER 10 :
So two reasons I would see here. Number one, as a Christian, as a believer, Hebrews tells that we should be in bonds as they are. We should consider ourselves alongside them. So we should be concerned about the plight of Christians in other countries. But as a policymaker here in the United States, the evidence seems to be overwhelming that when a country has religious freedom, it has greater social stability, economic opportunity and prosperity, and therefore less of a concern for us from a national security standpoint.
SPEAKER 11 :
It is, absolutely. But I’m just saying that China fears their own religious people more than they fear our aircraft carriers or even our nuclear weapons. And if that’s the case, then we should be working with these folks in those countries and backing them and supporting them, sending the Secretary of State to meet with the Dalai Lama, meeting with these Christian groups. And I’d also note these Christians that were recently arrested in China. They’ve been charged with national security crimes in China. So the Chinese see them as a national security threat. We should see them as people we should be supporting against this Chinese Communist Party.
SPEAKER 10 :
I mean, by standing with the religious minorities, we’re standing against these totalitarian regimes.
SPEAKER 11 :
We are. That’s who we’re saying. And this is our erstwhile enemy. These guys want to take us down, Tony. These guys want to run the world the same way the Soviet Union wanted to run the world. The Chinese Communist Party wants to run the world. And we need to wake up and realize that and say, okay, what do we need to do to effectively fight back against them? And religious freedom is a bedrock of what we can fight back. Similar to how Ronald Reagan went at the Soviet Union. He talked about the godless commies.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right.
SPEAKER 11 :
and what they would do to the Jewish refuseniks. We need to talk about what happens to the Christians in China to communicate to the American public in the West, these are our allies, that’s the right asset, and they need to take on, we need to take on the Chinese Communist Party.
SPEAKER 10 :
This administration is certainly talking about that more than the previous administration did. Is it being effectuated in the policies of this administration?
SPEAKER 11 :
I don’t think we’re there yet with effectively getting into policies. We’re seeing more democracy advocate groups support religious freedom as seeing this is a constituency that you can work with to build a more open society. We need our national security apparatus to now look at that. You know, when Nixon opened up China, one of the deals it appears was struck is that we would no longer support the Tibetan Buddhists and the Muslim Uyghurs. Bad deal. We need to come back.
SPEAKER 10 :
So you’re saying we need to understand religious freedom is about more than religious freedom.
SPEAKER 11 :
It can no longer be treated as this boutique human right issue. So it’s really more of the hub of almost everything we’re concerned about as a government. it’s our greatest asset. It’s what we stand for as a country. It is an existential threat to the Chinese Communist Party. And if that’s the case, then we should treat it as this major asset that it is and not as a mere human right that we raise when it’s convenient.
SPEAKER 10 :
Ambassador, we just have about a minute left. I’m going to ask you to put back on your Senate hat back when you were in the Senate. Iran right now, existential threat to Israel, obviously. They’re on the ropes. What would you like to see the outcome of the current situation?
SPEAKER 11 :
What would be ideal? The regime being toppled. There is no solution of getting rid of the terrorist levels in the Middle East now that involves this Iranian regime staying in power. This regime needs to be toppled, that needs to be taken over by the people and elections happening inside of Iran. That’s your only solution that’s going to get you away from the levels of terrorism they’ve sponsored. Fifteen seconds. How can we help with that? I think we as the United States stand up and back President Trump and say the only answer is the regime has to be changed and the people need to take over in Iran. I think there’s no chance of reforming that regime.
SPEAKER 10 :
You can’t. They’ve proven decade after decade, five decades of hostility to human rights and to freedom.
SPEAKER 11 :
And obviously the people want a change. They’ve been out in the streets and getting killed. It’s not something we’re imposing on them. It’s something they’re asking. They want it. And this is the only way it’s really going to happen. And this is the time for it to happen. Senator, we got to go. Thanks so much for joining us, folks.
SPEAKER 10 :
Stick with us. More to come on the other side of the break.
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The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
SPEAKER 06 :
Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 05 :
FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think, had they not been here, that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
SPEAKER 20 :
The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
SPEAKER 13 :
It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
SPEAKER 23 :
FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand.
SPEAKER 10 :
And again, we don’t retreat. You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent. Welcome back to Washington Watch as we broadcast live from the National Religious Broadcasters. We’re at the Real Life Network booth here in Nashville. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, a major legal battle over abortion drugs is drawing national attention. 21 states, 60 members of Congress, and dozens, Dozens of pro-life organizations, including the Family Research Council, are backing a lawsuit filed by my home state of Louisiana against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the FDA. Now, the case challenges a dangerous Biden-era FDA policy that permanently allowed the abortion drug mifeprestone to be prescribed and mailed without in-person visits or consultation. At the same time, a number of state legislatures, including Iowa and West Virginia and several others, have either adopted or advancing laws to ban mail order abortion pills. I mean, this is illegal drug trafficking. There’s about a dozen states that prohibit the use of these pills, but it doesn’t matter because the FDA policy and the Department of Justice’s Refusal to enforce the Comstock Act is undermining all of these laws of these pro-life states. And guess what’s happened? Since the overturn of Roe, let me go back. The year before Roe was overturned, there were 930,000 abortions in America. The latest total number is available, 2024, 1.1 million abortions. That’s despite that all of these states that have pro-life laws. Why? Because of the abortion pill. Joining me now to discuss this is Kristen Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America. Kristen, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 18 :
Thanks for having me. It’s good to be with you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, this is the top focus for your administration. I mean, this is like, it’s kind of like the abortion industry. People are celebrating the clinics were closing down. But it’s like Amazon.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
I mean, they’re not.
SPEAKER 18 :
It’s abortion by Amazon is what they call it.
SPEAKER 10 :
I mean, it’s murder by mail.
SPEAKER 18 :
That’s right. That’s exactly right. And we’ve been seeing this for a number of years. It started first in California on the college campuses. It was actually before Governor Newsom. There was an effort to get these chemical abortion pills distributed on college campuses. That was the first time I even testified in the state legislature was even before COVID, if you believe it or not, saying this, this is the new wave and Planned Parenthood in the abortion industry is. They knew the legal challenges that were being mounted against Roe. They knew Roe was going to fall. We all knew Roe was on shaky legal ground. And so they very smartly pivoted the entire industry to death by mail. And that’s the fight we face today because as we see this year, even with the BBB and the defunding of Planned Parenthood for one year, we’ve seen growth. 50 plus Planned Parenthood facilities, brick and mortar shut down. The abortion numbers are rising because as you said, it doesn’t matter. Like I would just testify in the state of West Virginia in front of the Senate. And I showed them in two minutes how fast it was to get illegal chemical abortion pills shipped into a state that has made abortion illegal because of the DOJ’s refusal to act.
SPEAKER 10 :
So what happened to all of this narrative after Dobbs that, well, now the states have a right to regulate abortion and protect the unborn? What happened to that?
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, I mean, and that’s been President Trump’s view, right? He said after, you know, last year, two years ago, he was running for president again. He said, well, I think it’s a state’s issue. Well, if it’s a state’s issue, then the federal government needs to allow states to enforce its own laws. And we’re not seeing that. Pam Bondi, the DOJ, has completely refused to enforce the Comstock Act, which would overnight stop
SPEAKER 10 :
So the Comstock Act is simply, it’s been on the books for a long time.
SPEAKER 1 :
1890.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, so it goes way back, and it says that you can’t, among other things, you cannot send through the mail things that would induce abortion. That’s right. So how did they get around that?
SPEAKER 18 :
There was a memo sent. I don’t know if you remember this, Tony. After the Dobbs, the disastrous hearing they had on Roe in December of 2021. I mean, if anyone listened to the arguments, it was very clear Roe was probably going to go. Right. And the DOJ at the time actually issued a memo saying we are not going to enforce Comstock and just declared it. It’s complete anarchy. And even with the new administration coming in, we still haven’t seen any focus on Comstock. Now, we’ve been pressuring, obviously, you know, and we’re working at this FRC, the FDA, because the FDA, when they approved Miprestone in 2000, didn’t even make sure it doesn’t violate, you know, environmental.
SPEAKER 10 :
Really, this is an extension of the weaponization of government that we saw during the Biden administration. But this part of this weaponization against the unborn remains in place.
SPEAKER 18 :
That’s exactly right. And so and that’s why the pro-life movement must remain active in Washington, D.C., as well as our state capital. So we’re we’re advancing a student life action, anti-chemical abortion trafficking bills in West Virginia, South Carolina. We’re very close in Oklahoma, Kentucky. Our bill was just introduced. Idaho, maybe we’ll say, I don’t know what’s going on. I live in Idaho. I don’t know what’s going on in Boise, but it ain’t good. But federally, we have to remain engaged in pressuring the administration to do the right thing.
SPEAKER 10 :
Because right now, no matter what those states pass—
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, that’s right.
SPEAKER 10 :
It doesn’t really matter.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, I mean, West Virginia, the bill that has just passed the West Virginia Senate, just headed to the House, it has a criminal and a civil statute in it because I can’t guarantee that the criminal statute is going to hold weight because of these shield law states.
SPEAKER 10 :
So the private right of action is what’s key. Texas has that. Other states are putting that in. So if someone, say, a – the father of the child can take civil action.
SPEAKER 18 :
We just saw the next lawsuit in Galveston. There was the first lawsuit. Our model legislation, when it passed in Texas, that allows anyone to sue. It doesn’t even have to be a family member. So we just saw the first lawsuit. A father who lost their child, his child to abortion, is now suing. The problem is you have these shield law states.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right. Right. Kristen, we’re almost out of time. How can folks find out more about Students for Life?
SPEAKER 18 :
Studentsforlife.org or you can follow me on X and Instagram and you’ll be enthralled with the videos from me on campuses. It’s a little entertaining.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, Kristen, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 18 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Keep up the good work. And folks, you need to weigh in on this as well. You need to be a part of addressing this issue. For me, it’s a protecting of the unborn, but it’s also, I think, a spiritual imperative for us as a nation to stand on the side of life. You know, God gave us, I think, granted us grace and mercy with the overturn of Roe, but what are we doing with that grace? Don’t go away. We’re coming back with more Washington Watch on the other side of the break. We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
SPEAKER 01 :
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill, urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates and multiple Republican congressmen.
SPEAKER 12 :
There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug, Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
SPEAKER 03 :
The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
SPEAKER 09 :
And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
SPEAKER 22 :
As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
SPEAKER 03 :
We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
SPEAKER 12 :
We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
SPEAKER 01 :
Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 19 :
The Stand Firm app brings trusted Family Research Council resources together in one place. Stay informed with news articles from the Washington Stand, watch interviews from Washington Watch, explore courses produced by FRC, and find many other resources to equip you to engage culture and government from a biblical perspective. Download the Stand Firm app today by texting APP to 67742, or by searching for Stand Firm in your app store.
SPEAKER 10 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch as we broadcast live from the National Religious Broadcasters here in Nashville, Tennessee. We’re at the Real Life Network booth. So if you’re a Real Life Network viewer and listener… I salute you. All right, let me go back for just a moment to what we were talking about earlier with Kristen. Weigh in on this. I need your voice. We’ve got to convince our policymakers in Washington that they have to act on this. This is the FDA. This is the Trump administration, and they need to get it right. And we’re speaking of this not from a place of – of anger or a place of, you know, coming against them aggressive. This is for their benefit. We want them to do well. I mean, this is appealing to them to do the right thing, to stand on the side of truth, which is to stand on the side of life. So text the word life to 67742. That’s life to 67742. We’re going to change this policy. I’ve got a minute to draw a line here. We’re going to see this policy change. We’re going to pray, we’re going to vote, and we’re going to stand until we see the unborn protected in this country. All right, our word for today comes from Exodus chapter 26, and you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern, which you were shown on the mountain. Now, when Moses was on the mountain for 40 days, the Lord gave him detailed instructions for building the tabernacle. In this chapter, those instructions are recorded, so nothing would be overlooked. So why such precision? Because the tabernacle was to be the place of God’s presence, where he would meet with his people. The details mattered. God did not leave the design to human preference. It was to be built according to the pattern he revealed. Now, that raises an important question. If God was so concerned about the details of the tabernacle, the dwelling place of His presence in the Old Testament, would He be any less concerned about the details of our lives, since we are now the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit? Scripture tells us we are His temple. Just as the tabernacle reflected His holiness and glory, our lives are meant to reflect the same. The design of the tabernacle communicates two enduring truths. We approach God according to His design, not ours, and God pays attention to the details where His Spirit dwells, and so should we. The God who cared about the precise measurements also cares about the unseen architecture of your heart. To find out more about our journey through the Bible text, Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742. Well, speaking of the Bible, reading God’s Word is integral to the spiritual health of a Christian and to a nation. Romans 12, 2 instructs us, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God and what is good and acceptable and perfect. And as my next guest will share, God’s Word changes us, and it results in a transformation, not only of us, but the world around us. Joining me now to discuss this further is Bunny Pounds, the president of Christians Engaged, and she’s spearheading a major, major project in April, America Reads the Bible. Bunny, welcome back to Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 17 :
Tony, I always love being with you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I’m excited. I’m passionate about the Word of God because it is transformative, and it is, I believe, in this 250th anniversary of our country, something we have to rediscover, those biblical principles and truths that the founders built this nation upon. And you’re helping to do that. Talk about it.
SPEAKER 17 :
We’re never going to have this moment again. And I think we all need to take ownership of living in this generation for such a time as this, right? But our constitution has outlasted every constitution in world history. Why? Because of the fabric of scripture that our founders took into that document. And we get to live that out every day. It’s exciting. And so we need a whole new generation of leaders to arise that have a biblical worldview that are devoted to Jesus fully with their whole heart and soul. You know, the first commandment is to love your Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. We want to see that lived out. So we are having our national leaders read the Bible all the way through to celebrate our 250th birthday of America, 475 years. Leaders, 113 national ministries now a part of this. It is going to be epic, April 18 through 25 from Washington, D.C., and you guys are going to be reading the second hour of Genesis. I’m so excited, Tony.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, Becca, I’ve been looking through the passage, make sure I don’t get a list of those baguettes, you know. I can remember, you don’t remember this, but I remember the 1976, the 200th anniversary of And I was 13 years old and I remember the parades and the celebrations and all of that. This is, you know, 250 years. And I just look over the last 50 years how our nation has strayed from those biblical foundations and how this is the opportunity to do a course correction. And I would say that now I was only 13, so I wasn’t politically engaged. I had become a young believer at that time. My family had started going to church. But I didn’t see the integration and the recognition that I see now, maybe the need wasn’t there, of how we need to return to that biblical foundation. There seems to be a greater awareness, the fact that we have strayed, But then ministries like you’re spearheading this and this is a multimillion dollar effort that you’ve undertaken, bringing many ministries together to be at the Museum of the Bible, which didn’t exist back then 50 years ago. This is an exciting time.
SPEAKER 17 :
We have all of our readers doing pre-recordings, and I’m telling you, when the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, reads Romans 15, I literally wept. Because it is the most powerful thing when we see people in authority that you know have the busiest calendars and the busiest schedule just read Scripture right over our nation and And I think we’re going to be surprised when we’re reading Leviticus and Ezra and Job and Jude and all these places that are not sexy, right? I mean, we sometimes, Tony, come to the Bible just expecting that we’re going to feel something and we need to just show up and say, God, speak to me through your word. And I think what’s going to happen when people are just reading scripture, not commentating, not preaching sermons around it, but just reading the Bible that God is going to speak to Americans watching it on the live stream and sitting in that theater.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, the word of God says his word will not return unto him void. And so I think the Word of God is the most powerful. And in fact, I may step on some toes here, but I think that’s what’s missing in a lot of churches today is the actual Word of God. It’s really not what we think. It’s not our opinion. It is the Word of God that transforms lives. It is, you know, we come to faith by the Word, and the Word, we hear it when it’s preached. I want to ask you this, Bunny, because this is not just a one-off of, all right, we’re going to have a week of reading the Bible. Your hope is something much more than that.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I want to see Americans get into Bible reading plans and discipleship programs. We’re highlighting our 14 top ministries, Family Research Council being one of them, and your daily reading of the Bible. But we want to see hundreds of thousands of people sign up for these free resources, Tony, because… I wish I could tell you that every local church was getting it done, but we’re, we’re sometimes we’re, we’re not, we’re trying to live on a 20 minute sermon and we’re trying to make it. And what’s happening is that we’re famined. You know, we don’t have the food for the day. We don’t have the, the.
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s like trying to, it’s trying to, it’s like trying to live on one slice of wonder bread a week.
SPEAKER 17 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 10 :
Doesn’t work.
SPEAKER 17 :
No. And then we wonder why we don’t have the leaders that are willing to go run for school board or go to their chamber of commerce and preach the gospel. It’s because we are not having daily bread flowing into our soul.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right.
SPEAKER 17 :
I’m a little excited about this.
SPEAKER 10 :
I know. So am I. Let me ask you this because, you know, most people, I mean, you have Christians Engage, which is about getting Christians involved, registered, voting, running for office. We do something very similar at the Family Research Council. So people say, well, so why are public policy organizations focused on the Bible? Why don’t you just focus on public policy?
SPEAKER 17 :
Because our public policy comes from our values and our principles. And the problem is that we don’t know what our values and principles are if we don’t go back to the moral code and we don’t hear what God thinks about it. You know, our culture is so full of so much noise. We can listen to every podcast. We We’re going to be swept by every wind of doctrine and every deceiving spirit if we don’t know what the scripture says ourself. And so we need to strip it all away, Tony. I’m diligent about let’s strip it all away and go back to basic prayer, worship, and devotion to Jesus through meditation on the word.
SPEAKER 10 :
I mean, the word of God, the Bible, is really the manual for life that God has given us to know him, that we might serve him. But our founders also saw it as the blueprint to build a nation. And so if we want to get our nation back on track, we need to go back to see what the founders were doing when they set this nation, what they were reading, what they were thinking. And John Adams, the second president of the United States, a quote that I use often as he was speaking to the Massachusetts militia, said that, Our government was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other. So there was this predisposition that our founders created a government for people who would govern themselves according to the truth of God’s word. That’s the only way we’ve been able to enjoy freedom is that we have self-governed, which means you have limited government on the external side governing man. But as we’ve seen recently in the last few years in places like Minneapolis where we’ve seen the total breakdown of order and that marched across the country a couple of years ago, is that when we will not govern ourselves – If we’re going to maintain order, it’s going to become a government that is tyrannical. So either you’re going to have anarchy or tyranny, or we have to have self-government according to the rule of law, the moral law of God.
SPEAKER 17 :
And self-government only comes from one place, knowing who you are in the spirit. And I think, you know, when I had this Ezra moment two and a half years ago at the Museum of the Bible, and I thought we need to have an Ezra moment before we can have a leadership of Nehemiah raised up in our nation. I thought, you know, the American church, we’ve forgotten our identity. We’ve forgotten the miracles and promises of God. And, you know, I was blessed with a father, Tony, that told me I could go change the world. and taught me how to read the scripture and taught me how to love God. And so many in our culture do not have that privilege, but we have a Father God who can disciple the next generation if we go to his word and lend ourselves to the greatest thing that we could possibly do to transform our life. And that’s what I’m praying for America right now.
SPEAKER 10 :
So let me ask you this, those that would say, well, you’re just trying to impose your religion on America. historically, when a nation operates according to God’s principles, everyone benefits.
SPEAKER 17 :
Absolutely. And the worst thing we could have done is take scripture out of schools, right? In our founding, everybody read the Bible as a textbook in public schools. And so we have a whole generations of Americans that don’t know who Moses is and don’t know who Noah is. And don’t really know the stories of Jesus and don’t know what the Sermon on the Mount is. And that affects our culture because then we’re living with kids with anxiety and depression and loneliness and fatherlessness, and it affects everything we do. So I’m praying for America Reads the Bible. that people that see these clips on social media, people that watch news reports on Fox News and other places that are going to cover this, and they say, you know what, maybe I should go pick up that Bible in the hotel room right now and see if there’s something in there for me. Whether it’s apathetic Christians or the American citizens overall, I believe we’re going to have a Bible revival in the years ahead, and we’re going to all get to lead that, and I’m excited about that.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think the Lord will take his word. As he says, it will not return into void. I think I’m excited to see what may come from this. Talk about, we just have about three minutes left. Talk about the prayer going into this, how people can be praying into this.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, there’s spiritual warfare, and it’s real. Our whole team felt it the moment we hit January 1, I’ll tell you. This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire career, to get 475 leaders to read the Bible and to lay down our egos and to lay down all of our stuff just to come together in unity in the spirit of John 17. But I need everybody in this country praying for the Holy Spirit to move on this journey You know, when Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, reads the Bible, when cabinet members read the Bible, when members of Congress and governors read the Bible, when Hollywood folks read the Bible, that these social media clips go global around the world and that people see that these passages can speak to them and to move in their heart and change their world. So please, intercessors, pray for America Reads the Bible. Come to D.C. and pray with us. We need you.
SPEAKER 10 :
How can people find out more?
SPEAKER 17 :
AmericaReadsTheBible.com. Sign up now for the live stream. Plan your church gatherings and come to D.C. We got the Dead Sea Scrolls there while we’re there. And this is going to be a national moment you’d want to be in the room for.
SPEAKER 10 :
Begins on Sunday.
SPEAKER 17 :
Saturday night, April 18th, our opening celebration you’re speaking at. And then we start Sunday morning, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven full days.
SPEAKER 10 :
I’ve got the Sunday school hour. So I’ll be reading Genesis Sunday morning. So be sure and tune in. And folks, if you can come to Washington, it’d be great. I know I’ve talked to a lot of people. They want to come to Washington. This would be a great time to come and then get tickets by going to americareadsthebible.com. All right. Bunny, we’re going to be praying. In fact, let me pray for you right now. Father, we thank you for this opportunity for America to read the Bible. May we rediscover the truth of your word. And I pray for Bunny and her team as they spearhead this. May you use them mightily for your kingdom and for your glory. Protect them. And Lord, we pray for our leaders, that Lord, they would not just read the Bible, but Lord, that we would all yield to your word and to your ways, that we might be a nation that is worthy of your blessing. In Jesus’ name, amen. Bunny, thanks so much. It’s always great to see you, and we look forward to America Reads the Bible.
SPEAKER 17 :
Thank you, Tony. I want to be you when I grow up. Thank you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, folks, I do hope that you’ll make your way to Washington, D.C. for this. But if not, you can still participate. So go to americareadsthebible.com. Find out how you can be a part of this. You can have, you know, watch parties at your church. But every one of us can be praying for this. I think this is a critical moment that we could see America return to God. Thanks so much for tuning in. Tomorrow we’ll be back, Lord willing, here at the National Religious Broadcasters. Hope you’ll tune in. Until next time, keep standing.
SPEAKER 06 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
