In this episode of Washington Watch, host Tony Perkins dives deep into the ongoing government shutdown that has left thousands of essential federal workers without pay. Joined by Congressman Andy Harris, they explore the root causes of the political impasse and potential solutions like the Shutdown Elimination Act. The discussion highlights the critical stakes for maintaining national security and the broader implications for federal workforce stability during times of governmental gridlock. Their conversation also touches on the need for strategic legislative actions to prevent such shutdowns from becoming the norm.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
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They need to be reined in. They need to stop the violence. And the question that Americans are asking is, why aren’t Republicans going along with these common sense proposals? They’re not crazy. They’re not way out. They’re what every police department in America does.
SPEAKER 12 :
That was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer commenting on the Democrat-led partial government shutdown. Welcome to this February 16th edition of Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, your host. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, coming up, the partial government shutdown moves into week one after weekend negotiations failed to secure a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Now, with Congress in recess and no vote on the horizon, the stalemate deepens as both sides remain divided over key provisions. Maryland Congressman Andy Harris will join us shortly. Plus, Eric Johnson, founder and president of Southeast Law Institute, will share his insights on Alabama’s effort to make disrupting a church service a felony crime. Well, standoff between the White House and congressional Democrats over immigration enforcement reforms continues with no agreement in sight. Now, today marks day three of the partial government shutdown, which has forced thousands of federal workers deemed essential to work without pay. Joining me now is Washington stand reporter Casey Harper, who’s been tracking all of today’s stories. Casey, no breakthrough over the weekend. So what’s next?
SPEAKER 07 :
Sure, Tony. I hope you deem me essential, but I don’t know how long I could work without pay. It’s not a fun predicament for many of these federal workers. And it all comes as Democrats are doubling down on their demands to, you know, implement this list of reforms on ICE. Some say 10, some say 17 reforms for the agency. But here’s Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer yesterday.
SPEAKER 04 :
There’s a simple answer to this. Republicans go along with these common sense proposals and we’ll fund the whole DHS bill, the whole Department of Homeland Security bill. We have a rogue agency. Why don’t we rein them in? That’s what the American people are asking Republicans.
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s simple. Do everything we want, and the government reopens, Tony. Well, as of Saturday morning, because that deal hasn’t been accepted by Republicans, the shutdown has begun. And it’s a little more complicated than normal shutdowns because of previous funding, but a few takeaways are that TSA agents are going to be working without pay, and some Border Patrol employees as well. Now, air traffic controllers are going to be working with pay for now, but with TSA agents not getting paid, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, that could lead to some backups at airports. And the further along that goes, experts predict there will be more and more trouble at those airports. So you might want to get to the airport a little bit earlier next week, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, and this, you know, this comes right after the longest government shutdown in history. We’re going to talk a little bit more about that later, because I think this is a bad way to do business as a government. And I think it shows the division. And they just… it would suggest that we’re not able to do business as a federal government. So it’s something that’s got to be fixed. All right, let’s shift to the Middle East. Tensions in Gaza have escalated after the Israeli military launched some new airstrikes on Sunday in response to ceasefire violations. Casey, tell us what unfolded yesterday.
SPEAKER 07 :
Sure, things are heating up in the region. So in a statement yesterday, the Israeli military said that these latest airstrikes were because several armed terrorists, who they think came from these underground tunnels that they’re still trying to destroy, they were hiding under debris near Israeli troops, well east of that yellow line of demarcation. So actually, here’s a clip from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking yesterday.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL We dismantled about 150 kilometers of 500 kilometers of tunnels. We have to complete the job. That means also that you can’t hide weapons labs or other facilities that they use to rearm themselves, regroup and reform, which they’re trying to do. We’re giving the President’s plan a chance.
SPEAKER 07 :
So in one of the airstrikes, the military said that Ahmad Bayouk, who had breached a military base, was killed, and they showed a photo of him in Israeli territory really to justify that strike. The Israeli military also reported killing two terrorists in northern Gaza on Saturday, who they also say violated the ceasefire. Now, as you know, Tony, this all comes after Hamas – a top Hamas leader just last week said they’re not going to disarm and that they are – take pride in fighting Israel. So despite that, President Trump said on True Social that the new members of his board of peace are going to have an upcoming meeting where they’re pledging more than $5 billion for reconstruction and important humanitarian efforts in Gaza. But right now it’s not too peaceful in that part of the world.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, Israel knows that they have to take care of Hamas or else there cannot be peace on their southern border. All right, Casey, thanks so much. We’ll talk to you a little bit later. All right, I want to turn back to the partial government shutdown and its effect on federal workers. What are the potential long-term consequences of what’s becoming kind of a regular occurrence, government shutdowns? Joining me now to discuss this and more, Congressman Andy Harris. He is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations. He is also the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, and he is from the state of Maryland. Congressman Harris, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 15 :
Good to be with you, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
So any daylight here that appears that an agreement might be reached? I know it’s in the Senate. The House has done its work. It’s over in the Senate. But what are you hearing?
SPEAKER 15 :
uh… well we’re hearing nothing right now uh… again chuck schumer double-downed uh… you know saying these are common sense you know is that the judicial warrant is common sense uh… that’s not that’s might be common sense for american citizen but it’s not the way you handle uh… detention and deportation of illegal aliens uh… so it’s not common sense and again uh… you know that these uh… These ICE officers are being doxxed. Their families are being threatened. Yes, they have to keep face coverings as long as the Antifa-type demonstrators are going to doxx them and their families. Again, if the Antifa demonstrators step back and say, we’re not going to do that anymore, maybe we should consider it, but not until then. We’re just not hearing that there’s going to be a resolution anytime soon. All the workers got paid last Friday because it was a holiday weekend. So it’ll be two weeks until the full force is felt. So, for instance, the TSA officers will miss a paycheck about a week and a half from now. And I think then the pressure begins to build for the Democrats to say enough is enough. We’re going to have to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, I know the House is in recess, as is the Senate, but the Speaker told all the members before leaving that you’re basically on a 48-hour notice, that if something does come back from the Senate, the members will be called back in to deal with that. Is that correct?
SPEAKER 15 :
We were told that. But I tell you, as you get into the middle of the week, they’re not going to call anybody back before the weekend, again, partly because all the workers got paid last Friday. So I suspect that if we have any breakthrough, it would be next week and hopefully before we hit the next payday at the end of next week.
SPEAKER 12 :
You know, I want to step back for just a moment, ask you a question, Dr. Harris. I mean, I completely acknowledge this is the Democrats. They’re posturing. This is political posturing, because as we talked about multiple times on this program, they’re targeting ICE. They’re fully funded under the one big, beautiful bill. So it doesn’t even affect that. It affects TSA workers. My concern, I actually had this conversation over the weekend with the speaker about, you Number one, I think these shutdowns show how divided our government is, how divided our country is ideologically. But at a certain point, you reach a dysfunction that it’s going to be very difficult. I’m concerned that good employees who we need good people in the homeland security because we want our country to be secure, that if this keeps occurring, that some of these folks are going to look elsewhere. You have that concern?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, that’s absolutely right. That’s why the House Freedom Caucus and Ron Johnson over in the Senate are pushing so hard for either the Shutdown Elimination Act or the Shutdown Fairness Act, something that doesn’t allow these shutdowns to occur, where you have rolling, continuing resolutions, maybe two weeks in duration, allowing you to conduct these negotiations but keeping government funded. I think Americans are going to be sick and tired of this, and I think that that’s the solution. And I think we should seriously consider putting that into law this year.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think that’s a great idea. I did talk to Senator Johnson about that. Now, doesn’t that also to create more of a pressure, doesn’t it decrease the funding just slightly or does that keep this funding static?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, it depends on which approach you take. The bottom line is there are some approaches that say you should cut funding at 1% every month or so. But one of the bills that he has says, look, all the workers are going to go to work, they’re going to do their job, but no grants can go out because those are not funded. So that might be, again, the compromise that leads to enough pressure to continue a negotiation while you continue the basic functions of the government to go completely unaffected in the case of, the need for a continuing resolution.
SPEAKER 12 :
Is there any broader support? I mean, I know the Freedom Caucus is advancing this. Is there any broader support among the Republican conference for this measure?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, again, I don’t know what’s holding it up. We thought we had an agreement to attach it to one of the bills, the funding bills. I think that once these shutdowns, and again, this is the third one we’ve had in a short time frame, I think the public is getting tired of it. We ought to listen to what the public wants.
SPEAKER 12 :
What’s the title of the bill again?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, it’s either the Shutdown Elimination Act or the Shutdown Fairness Act. And again, they differ slightly in what’s done. But the basic principle is no government functions are going to stop, except perhaps the funding of grants and monies flowing out of the government, but not to workers. All the workers go to work. They do their job. And again, that’s really what’s essential. Now, in this case, about 90 percent of the Department of Homeland Security employees, for obvious reasons, are considered essential. So it’s only a very small percent that are furloughed this week. But it should be none. The bottom line is Congress should be able to keep the government open and funded.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think, as you said, this becomes more frequent. That’s what the American people, I think, want. They want government to function and, you know, buy time for the parties to work out their differences. I think this is a… The best solution would be for the government to work effectively to get this done. But in lieu of that, when you’ve got people like Chuck Schumer and others determined to shut the government down, this would be the best approach. Just keep it moving until the negotiations can arrive at some consensus. Is your sense that not only is this affecting federal workers, but is it also decreasing the trust and confidence that the American people have in the federal government?
SPEAKER 15 :
I think what it does is it erodes the trust and confidence as exists or may exist for Congress. This is Congress’s job to keep the federal government funded. We don’t do it. And again, there are ways around it. Tony, we should look at that Eliminate Shutdown Act, Shutdown Fairness Act. We should eliminate any shutdowns. Again, that should be the job of Congress, basic job of Congress.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, on the heels of this shutdown, I want to do all I can to help advance that, because I think it’s something that the these workers, these federal workers who are keeping us safe. I mean, this is one of the most vital. agencies of the federal government, Department of Homeland Security, along with our nation’s military. I mean, we should make sure that they and their families are compensated for the work they do. I mean, this is actually a kind of biblical concept in Deuteronomy 24. You’re not supposed to withhold wages for someone. So, Dr. Harris, let us know how we can help you. We certainly want to help advance this common sense piece of legislation.
SPEAKER 15 :
Thank you very much.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. We’ll see you next week when Congress returns to town.
SPEAKER 15 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, Dr. Andy Harris of Maryland. You know, it really is concerning when these become more frequent. And I’m not saying that we should compromise for the sake of compromise. It’s just, it’s a symptom of a very divided government. And if you look at the margin that the House Speaker is now working with, it’s basically zero. He has to get every single Republican on board to pass any piece of legislation out of the House. It’s unprecedented. But that’s reflective of where our nation is. We are that divided. So it’s certainly something we need to be praying about. We need to pray for unity. And we don’t get unity by compromising fundamental truths. That’s how we got to a place that we’re so divided over. So be praying and then vote for those who align with biblical truth because we have elections coming up. All right, don’t go away. We’re coming back with more Washington Watch right after this break. 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.
SPEAKER 06 :
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 to humble, and we’re asking just now that you would help us, Lord.
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While our God is marching on.
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Glory, glory, glory.
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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 12 :
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.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us on this Monday. The website is TonyPerkins.com. All right. This week, we’re going to be at the National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville. In fact, they’ll be heading out this evening and we’ll be broadcasting there later this week. So be sure and tune in. We’ll have a lot of special guests on the program. A week ago, the Israeli government took a historic step to strengthen control over archaeological and environmental oversight in Judea and Samaria. Now, this is the area often called the West Bank, but it is the heart of Israel. It is the… central to their identity and to their history. Now, they’ve created a new civilian authority to protect Jewish heritage sites and prevent further destruction. I’ve talked about this before, but last time I was in Israel, I was at Joshua’s altar, which is in an area of Palestinian control, and they have actually bulldozed part of this historic site. because this action follows decades of looting, unauthorized construction, and, as I mentioned, damage to many of these sites in Judea and Samaria. Now, Israeli officials say the move is essential to halt the systematic erasure of Jewish history, while critics warn it expands Israel’s authority in the so-called West Bank. Well, in a parallel step, the government has authorized the first land registration process in the territory since 1967. Now, that’s when Jordan was in control. And then after the 67 War, Israel has been in control of that area. Joining me now to discuss this and more, Dr. David Wormsmer. He is a senior analyst for Middle East policy at the Center for Security Policy. Dr. Wormsmer, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 17 :
Thanks for having me. It’s an honor. Pleasure.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, this comes even after President Donald Trump has made repeated comments that he does not want to see Israel annex more of this area. Technically, this is not annexation, but they are increasing their control over this area that the international community wants to take from them.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, yes. You know, President Trump is in part, I think, relating it to the idea that either the Saudis may be on the verge of making peace and also that it could complicate our relations with supposed allies like Qatar and Turkey. Now, that is changing. Qatar and Turkey are not acting like allies, really, especially not vis-a-vis Israel. And the Saudis are distancing themselves more from the peace process or from peace with Israel. So some of the overarching reasons for Israeli self-restraint on this issue are, from the Israeli point of view, beginning to go away. But there’s something else going on too, which is, you know, it really is buried very heavily, not deeply, it’s intertwined very heavily with what you teed up at the beginning. Lots of activities were going on by the Palestinian Authority that were very dangerous. First of all was the destruction of archaeological sites. And if anybody’s ever been to the West Bank, there are fairly dense Palestinian towns, but very few of them. And much of the area is empty. And in some of those areas are some of these incredibly important archaeological sites. You mentioned Joshua’s Altar, which from everything we’re hearing is not only really Joshua’s altar, but they’re beginning to find some incredible things in that area. We have Shelah, we have Sebastia, we have a number of Bethel. You just leaf through the Bible and this is the heartland. So there are going to be archeological sites everywhere and they are being destroyed. And what’s disturbing is these are not in the middle of urban areas that need that space to expand. Again, most of the area is empty. They choose these sites because they know that it puts a dagger in the heart of Jewish and Christian history and essentially begins to erase Jewish and Christian history in the area. Then we have the issue of illegal construction. There’s massive illegal construction going on by the Palestinian Authority, which is really a strategic battleground. Geography is, that is the heartland, the strategic core of Israel. And where you put buildings, where you put cities, where you put corridors really is what dominates the land. And the Palestinians have been building like crazy while the Israelis for the last 20 years have again and again and again been in essentially a settlement freeze. So this battleground is fought by one side. That plus the fact that it was obsolete. There was a Jordanian law that was passed in 1953 that stripped previous Jewish landowners of their rights and was really designed to block any non-Muslim from acquiring or holding any land, let alone selling it to a non-Muslim.
SPEAKER 12 :
Dr. Worms, I want to go back to something you said about erasing, you know, Jewish and Christian history. Yes, that is a part of the history, but it’s also more about the identity and the connection with the land, is it not?
SPEAKER 17 :
Oh, absolutely. This is the cradle of Christianity and the cradle of Judaism. You erase that. What you do is essentially, then you turn around and you start getting into the very issue that the Palestinians go, which they say, listen, the Jews really don’t belong to this land. The Christians really don’t belong here. That’s the goal. This is awesome land from day one. But to say that, they have to erase your identity.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right, right.
SPEAKER 17 :
And that’s part of their overall war.
SPEAKER 12 :
This is a form of cultural genocide is what this is. But it’s not just the Palestinians. This has been aided by the international community and, in particular, the United Nations. I mean, for instance, I was there yesterday. Just last year, about six months ago, I was there, and most of the time I spent in Judea and Samaria, all the sites that you just mentioned. One I went to was Hebron, which is the ancient city that Abraham bought the field of Mepila to bury his wife, Sarah. UNESCO, in 2017— designated the Cave of the Patriarchs, where the patriarchs and matriarchs are buried, as a Palestinian World Heritage Site, utilizing the Arabic name and completely eliminating the historic reference to the Jewish people.
SPEAKER 17 :
Absolutely. And with that, the origins of Christianity and Judaism. So yes, you’re right. Hebron, they’ve renamed Al-Khalil and they’ve called it a Palestinian site, even though there were no Palestinians there that made it a historic site. You have the Temple Mount itself, where there was some destruction going on over the last 20, 30 years. And they also, UNESCO also labeled that, including the Western Wall, the retaining wall of the temple, they labeled that a Palestinian patronage site.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s incredible what’s happening. But fortunately, Israel is taking steps to push back. Dr. Wormsworth, we’re out of time. I want to thank you for joining us. Appreciate your insights. He was an advisor to the former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was big on Israel. All right, don’t go away. We’re back after this.
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The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 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 19 :
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 22 :
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 01 :
FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand. And again, we don’t retreat.
SPEAKER 12 :
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. Thanks so much for joining us. Sorry, ran out of time with Dr. Wormsmer. I could have continued that conversation for quite some time because there’s so much to unpack that’s happening in the Middle East. I had dinner actually earlier last week, middle last week when. Benjamin Netanyahu was in town, one of his advisors, and they were briefing us on this very issue of what’s happening in Judea and Samaria. And so I was encouraged by what I heard. We’ll be exploring that a little bit more later. in the days ahead, probably actually this week as we talk to some of the folks at the National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville. All right, the controversies that came out of former CNN anchor Don Lemon’s anti-ice protest at City’s Church in St. Paul have largely died down. although he has his own legal battles now. But in its wake, states outside of Minnesota are looking to protect their own churches from these types of disruptions, and I think it’s smart to do so. The FACE Act, which is what has been used, that’s the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act that was signed by Bill Clinton back in the 90s, and as I’ve talked about on the program, Orrin Hatch, the late Orrin Hatch, amended it to include protection for places of worship. Now, at the time, there was no thought that that was going to be needed. Well, I think it’s smart on behalf of states to start being proactive because now we see the left’s hostility being openly displayed toward churches. Well, in the state of Alabama, they are working on legislation that would make it a felony to disrupt church services or block those going into a church service so they can take state action and not have to wait on the federal government. Here now with more on this is Eric Johnson. He is the founder and president of the Southeast Law Institute. Eric, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, thank you for having me. So give us the facts. Alabama is moving forward on on this. Give us the kind of the I assume it’s connected with what happened up in Minnesota. What’s the bill going to look like?
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, it certainly is connected. Immediately after the events in Minnesota, some of our proactive legislators wanted to do something. And so a bill was drafted initially. I think it was a little bit weak. We’ve worked on a bill to expand how we can protect churches. And that bill, one bill is moving through the process now, and we expect to have another version of it. moving through very soon, maybe this week.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, this will be a felony. Will this have mandatory jail time, or what will the penalty be structured as?
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah. The draft that we have is a Class D felony. That’s the lowest felony. That would be maybe a year in prison. Second or subsequent offenses would be a Class C felony, which could be up to 10 years in prison, plus fines. And we included a provision to give a private right of action to church members who were injured or damaged and the ability to have an injunction. And we also give the attorney general the ability to enforce the law.
SPEAKER 12 :
Eric, I’m going to go to that point about the private right of action. That’s become very important in the enforcement of some of these laws, given the maybe not so much on the behalf of Alabama, but where we see such political vacillation from one election to the next, where one ideology, you know, will not pursue democracy. protection of churches. As we’ve seen under the last federal administration or the Biden administration, a private right of action allows those who are aggrieved to take action.
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, I think you’re absolutely right. And I think in Minnesota, if it hadn’t been for the FACE Act, there would have been simple trespass laws might be the only thing that could be applied. And the penalties in those are very, very nominal. We learned in the 1990s with the FACE Act when it was used against those who were sidewalk counselors around abortion clinics, that you need a very strong law. Operation Rescue, of course, had a lot of people arrested, and it calmed down. But now that we know the way the culture and society is going, we can expect there to be such demonstrations around churches. I mean, we all know that the church is the only thing that stands in the way OF SOME OF THESE VERY NEW CULTURAL PHENOMENONS THAT WE HAVE SEEN GROW DURING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND EXIST RIGHT NOW.
SPEAKER 12 :
I agree, Eric, 100 percent. That’s why I think it’s very smart to be proactive, not waiting until I mean, it’s already here, but it’s not as widespread as I think it will be. What would you say to the detractors of this bill that claim that this bill, like others, would chill First Amendment activity in churches?
SPEAKER 18 :
Well, the First Amendment activity in churches is free exercise of religion, not speech. The speech rights of those who object to the position that the church takes are wrong. They need to respect what is going on in the church. You know, in the old days we heard about if it stays within the four walls of the church, it’s okay, just don’t bring it out on the street. Well, the church brings these issues out on the street and ministers to people and takes a voice in the culture. And that is what brings the people inside the church because they object to the position the church is taking. They just want to be sure that the church is protected when those days come because surely they will come.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s a great point, Eric, because they said, just stay in your church and you talk about what you want inside. But now they’re not content with that because they know faith cannot be contained. Our beliefs as we walk them out in obedience to God, it’s going to affect the way we live. That’s their concern. And so I think we have to protect the freedom of worship. They’re invited to come in. I’d love for everybody to come into our churches and hear what we have to say, but they can’t disrupt it. and discourage people from attending. Eric, I want to thank you for joining us. We’re going to be tracking this very, very closely. Appreciate your expertise on the topic. Good. Thank you. All right, Gary Johnston down in Alabama. I hope other states will follow suit. I think the best thing to do is put a firewall around our churches and say, you know, we’re not going to tolerate this. Just absolutely not going to tolerate. Anybody’s welcome to come in. We welcome you to come in, but you’re not going to hijack our worship services and use them for spewing anti-biblical information. deception. It’s not going to happen. All right, don’t go away. We’re back after this. 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 13 :
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 14 :
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 21 :
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 10 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
SPEAKER 11 :
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 20 :
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 21 :
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 14 :
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 13 :
Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 07 :
Download the new StandFirm app for Apple and Android phones today. You can join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We’ve created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective. Read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events, and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family, and church members. And of course, stand firm wherever you go.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you, Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in and making us part of your day. We have resources available for you to be an informed and engaged citizen. You can find those at TonyPerkins.com. We have resources for each of our guests. But better yet, get the Stand Firm app. On the Stand Firm app, we have lots of resources there for you so that you can stay informed from a biblical perspective. All right. So you can get that in the App Store. Stand Firm is the name of the app. We’ve got not only Washington Watch is on there live, but also we have our Stand on the Word daily devotional that comes every morning. And then we have Washington Stand, our news and commentary from a biblical perspective. All of that is found on the Stand Firm app. Well, speaking of the word, our word for today comes from Exodus 23. You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do according to their works, but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. In other words, he was telling, God was telling Moses, look, don’t conform to the culture. You’re called to overcome it. And so are we with the weapons of spiritual warfare, prayer, fasting, and most importantly, the word of God. Now consider the benefits that flow to a nation that follows the ways of God. We pick up in verse 25. So you shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days. I will send my fear before you. I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come and will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. Well, this describes God’s provision and protection, along with the natural blessings that flow to obeying his design. God has experienced, America has experienced such blessings over the 250 years that we’ve been a nation. Yet as we drift from God’s truth, we should not be surprised to see a diminishing of his protection and provision. May we return to his ways. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. All right, as we mentioned at the top of the program, we’re now approaching day three of the partial government shutdown, which started… this weekend, over the weekend. This time, the shutdown only affects the Department of Homeland Security. So is Capitol Hill working on a solution to this end? And here now to break all this down and much more of what’s happening across the country is Casey Harper and Travis Weber, FRC’s Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs. Casey and Travis, welcome back to the program. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 09 :
Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. As I mentioned, the government is moving toward day three of the government shutdown, though it’s only Department of Homeland Security. Casey, how will the shutdown of the DHS affect everyday Americans?
SPEAKER 07 :
Sure, Tony. I mean, it’s the question to be asking. But ironically here, Democrats have shut down DHS to stop ICE, but ICE is funded and going to continue doing what they’re doing, deporting criminal illegal immigrants like they’ve been doing every day. So the shutdown doesn’t actually impact what they say they’re trying to stop. But it does have some other impacts, and they’re going to get worse as it goes on, primarily It’s TSA. So TSA agents are working without pay right now. And as you mentioned earlier on the show, there’s just the common compassion that you have and decency to you want to see people to be able to put food on the table. But I think there’s also really a safety concern here. You know, I remember during the last shutdown, Tony, when I was going through TSA, and I was thinking, I was kind of looking at the TSA workers, because I knew at that point they weren’t getting paid. This is later, I think, what was it, a 43-day shutdown. And I asked the guy, hey, do I need to take my laptop out of the bag? Because for some reason it changes at every airport. I don’t know why. And I asked him, do I need to take my laptop out of the bag? And I’ll never forget, he said to me, I don’t care. I’m not getting paid anymore. That’s what he said to me. And so I kept the laptop in the bag. But that’s like a very telling real world comment there that says maybe we’re it’s a safety issue.
SPEAKER 12 :
It really is. I mean, it’s it’s it’s a morale killer for for that department. I know. I mean, I doubt there are very few people that would like to go to three weeks without a paycheck. I mean, it’s anyway, I think it’s going to cause a brain drain, so to speak, from. a very essential agency within the Department of Federal Government. I want to move to another issue. Travis, over the weekend, there has been some developments on the Save America Act that passed the House last week that will protect federal elections. This passed the House, even had one Democrat vote along with it. This would very common sense procedures for federal elections like voter I.D., that you have to have an ID when you show up, just like you do at the airport. You got to show an ID where you have to show an ID to vote. Now, there’s been some developments. We’ve got Senate Republicans lining up for this as well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, Tony, I think clearly this issue is one in which the American public is on the side of those who are backing this law. So the Democrats just don’t have the public sentiment, the public feelings and support behind their position in opposing this. And the president even recently put out a post detailing the law, the issues, the reasons for it, and the reasons it should be passed, I think, clearly puts pressure on people, including the Democrats, who want to stand in opposition to this. So I think it’s appropriately something that any common sense, anyone who cares about a fair and objective and truthful and accurate voting framework and voting system should be looking at this law and saying, well, it’s common sense, let’s support it. So, literally, as the political dynamics play out, You have a situation, and I think Republicans have the stronger upper hand on this one.
SPEAKER 12 :
By the way, folks, you can weigh in on this because the Senate’s going to have to move it. And right now, I’m not sure they’re going to because they don’t have the 60-vote threshold, but it would be good to see the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, move this forward. So if you’d like to add your voice to a petition that we have that we’re going to deliver to them, Text the word SAVE to 67742. That’s SAVE to 67742. And add your voice, your name to literally tens of thousands of people who say it’s time to protect our elections. All right. I want to go to California. Travis, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Senate Bill 106 into law that is essentially a giveaway to Planned Parenthood. Talk about that.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s sad. I mean, tragically, you know, the state of California, the government of California, we don’t want to say the state of California because there are people who disagree with this nonsense, but the current government of California decided to give away its taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood, really bolstering Planned Parenthood in the face of pressure they might be under as a result of pro-life actions in other states, really specifically in this case, the president’s actions that he’s taken that have led to them not receiving all of the funding that they otherwise would get from the U.S. taxpayer. At the federal levels here, Governor Newsom stepping in and saying, California taxpayers, I’m going to put you on the hook, and we’re going to support Planned Parenthood with our tax dollars. It’s kind of what you have going on here, despite the verbiage that we hear, the war on women, women’s health, health care. Those are our cover. Those are smoke screens for what’s actually going on here. Big abortion business is being propped up by the California taxpayer.
SPEAKER 12 :
Casey, $90 million. I mean, California, I mean, this is a high tax state. They have, I think, about a half trillion dollars in debt as a nation. And I mean, what does this say?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I mean, one thing, we have Republicans in power at the federal level, but these states where Democrats have taken power, they keep reminding you of what Democrat rule could look like nationally. I mean, $90 million giveaway to Planned Parenthood in California. We’re seeing in Virginia a lot of really aggressive, very far-left principle policies come out, like third trimester abortion in Virginia. They’re pushing marijuana everywhere, gambling, a lot of other things. And in California, one more thing is, imagine if your house had burned down and the Palisade fires, and you still haven’t been able to rebuild, as many people there haven’t, and yet the government’s prioritizing giving $90 million to abortions. I can’t imagine being in that position.
SPEAKER 12 :
I mean, it’s really fascinating to see what’s happening in the states across the country. You look at the state policies. And, of course, California lost congressional seats in the last election, the last census, because people were leaving the state. And I think in part it’s because of the politics. But that said, there are some red states that are taking some positive actions. We have Iowa and actually I think West Virginia, both states. Their legislature is taking a look at laws that would prohibit the abortion drugs being mailed into their state, something that Family Research Council has been very active on trying to change that FDA policy. Travis, what do we know about those efforts?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, Tony, I think clearly the response here is states, the people in the states and through their elected leaders are responding to the fact that we have states being undermined by the abortion drug primarily Mifepristone, but it’s really abortion drugs being mailed through telehealth appointments and other means from out of state, right, from mailed into states that are trying to protect life. Those people and their governments are being undermined. So West Virginia is a response to that dynamic. We know of the situation that’s arisen out of Louisiana with the state effort to protect life there and the litigation around it. Iowa is focused on the telehealth dynamic and in-person requirements, which would also get at the out-of-state dynamic that we have that’s problematic. There’s a bail moving in Ohio that would deal with liability and require warnings to be issued, warning the drug companies of potential liability at the hands of those taking them. So clearly, Tony, there’s a burgeoning movement here that is That is being driven by people who are upset, I think, at their voice being undermined by dynamics which really are in the purview of the federal government to regulate, to step in. But we’re encouraged by this response that we see from the states.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, in the Iowa, if I recall correctly, in that legislation, or there was actually a few pieces they were moving forward, it included a private right of action, did it not?
SPEAKER 03 :
I believe so. I’d have to check that one specifically. But Tony, that that private right of action is an issue, is an element that that that states, I think, are taking a look at. I mean, there was a that that’s relevant to the Ohio bill that’s moving in their legislature now as well.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s what I was talking about earlier with Eric Johnson about that way, regardless of how the political ideology of the executive branch might swing in a particular state, if individuals can then take private rights of action. Now, it’s not criminal, but it is civil, and it’s still punitive in many ways. So I think that’s an effective tool. Not that I want to advocate for more litigation, but sometimes— If that’s the only way to get at the heart of the problem, then it should be done. Casey, Utah, another example where legislators passed a trio of bills protecting kids from the harms of the so-called gender affirming care. Tell us about that.
SPEAKER 07 :
And that’s right in utah we’ve seen bills come forward which ban gender affirming as they call them gender affirming or you could say really gender denying surgeries. But not just surgeries because there’s been a lot of progress and surgeries, but also the the drugs that go along with it, which are often prescribed to young kids. To allegedly transition them from one gender to another, so this is another aggressive. push that we’ve seen in utah we’re seeing it in other states and the data just keeps coming out not just the biblical foundations which we’ve always had not just the common sense intuition that hey maybe we shouldn’t be you know taking 12 year olds and putting them on drugs but we also have had the time now for studies and research to come out which is showing not good outcomes for these kids showing that they often regret it that their rate of suicidality does not go down because you’re often told if you don’t let your kid transition that they’re more likely to commit suicide. That’s been debunked. And so the data is finally giving lawmakers the ammunition at the state level to say, hey, we’re not going to do this anymore. We’re going to take a stand. That issue is very unpopular. And Tony, one point I’ll make before throwing it back to you is what we’re seeing as we’ve taken this quick survey of the states is that despite what you’re hearing from the national level political strategists for Democrats, that we’re going to talk about affordability and All these things. When you look down into it, Democrats, the fights they’re taking on are all the same old tired unpopular battles. It’s transgender issues for kids. It’s stopping deportations of illegal criminal immigrants. It is, you know, funding Planned Parenthood. So there’s no, as far as I can tell, the Democratic Party has not remade itself. It’s taken on the same unpopular battles.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, that’s a good point, Casey. It’s kind of a smokescreen. I do want to mention one of the bills in Utah would force private insurance to fund detransition. You know, they’ve been pushing it, but as a one-way street. Now I think it’s going to cause them to think twice before they start funding. In fact, another one of the bills prohibits the public employee’s insurance from funding these gender procedures. But I want to, we’ve just got about two minutes left, Casey, and you brought up something that I want to throw out there for discussion. biblical truth. Now, we know the social science eventually will catch up if it’s allowed to be done. What’s been happening is a suppression of the social sciences when it comes to human sexuality, which would include marriage and so on and so forth. But this, you take the issue for life, you know, for 50 years, we’ve been fighting this issue of life, but it was a biblical issue. And we knew if we stood on it, eventually enough would enough of the people would come around to understand that truth because it would be borne out in the social sciences and in society as a whole. As long as we still have a bit of, you know, as Romans 1 says, we get to a point where we can no longer even discern right from wrong, but as long as we have some discernment left as a society, we can arrive at the right position. But that’s why it’s so essential that believers not abandon biblical truth even when it’s not popular. I’ll give each of you an ability to give a thought on that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Sure, I can jump in. I’ll jump in. You know, going back to Romans, there are some who are on an extreme side of the issue who have just exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and they don’t want to know the truth. There’s a certain level of hardness of heart where it doesn’t matter what kind of studies or truth, people are going to, they want to do what they want to do. But there is a middle of the country that I think is very persuadable and persuaded about on this issue. And what we’ve seen, similar to how when there came out a picture of a baby in the womb, we finally got the technology to show detailed pictures of babies in the womb. It was a shift. And people said, wow, it’s actually a baby. And a lot of people came over to a pro-life or moderate pro-life stance. I think these detransitioners showing the horrors of their stories is causing a shift for many people.
SPEAKER 12 :
Travis, give your last 30 seconds.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, Tony, I mean, as you often say, we’re not going anywhere in our stance for biblical truth. We’ll speak to the political powers from the perspective of biblical truth. And as Christians look at 2,000 years of our own history, we need to remember that we, as the Holy Spirit advanced the gospel against the powerful Roman Empire, we’re on an uphill path. uphill battle until the Roman Empire blessed the development of Christianity, which led to Western civilization, right? We’re in the long arc of history. We always need to defend the truth and not compromise on it.
SPEAKER 12 :
No white flags. No white flags. Travis, Casey, thanks so much for joining us. Folks, thank you for joining us as well. Until next time, keep standing.
SPEAKER 16 :
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.
