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Washington Watch dives deep into pressing national issues: a complex reconciliation bill in the Senate, potential shifts in U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East, and a controversial two-state solution proposal. Former representatives and influential leaders like Michelle Bachmann offer unique insights into the historical and biblical perspectives on Israel. As national discord simmers, the episode highlights a surprising trend: Americans’ renewed call for prayer in public schools. Discover how faith and governance intersect in this intricate political landscape.
SPEAKER 25 :
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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This is good for America. This is good for the American people. It’s good for working families. And it’s been a long debate. I know people are weary. But at the end of the day, we want to get this done so this country is safer and stronger and more prosperous, not only for today, but for future generations of Americans.
SPEAKER 12 :
That was Senate Republican Leader John Thune earlier today on the Senate floor advocating for what the president has called the one big beautiful bill. Welcome to this June 30th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, the Senate is locked in a marathon debate over the reconciliation bill, a back and forth that’s expected to stretch late into the night.
SPEAKER 02 :
With every rewrite, Senate Republicans have made their bill more extreme, pro-billionaire, and more hostile to people’s health care and livelihood. Why do they do that? There’s a small group on that side of the aisle, MAGA hard right wingers, who are dictating what’s happened, and all the rest of the Senate senators on the Republican side, who know it’s wrong, go along.
SPEAKER 12 :
That, of course, was Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer. Now, let me just say this. Take everything you hear coming out of the U.S. Capitol with a healthy dose of skepticism. About 90% of what’s said, especially from the minority party, is nothing more than political theater. They lament the process, and frankly, rightfully so in some cases, but when they were in power, when the Democrats were in power, they did the same or worse. All right. So take everything you hear with a healthy dose of skepticism. All right. Stepping off the soapbox now. In just a moment, we’re going to be joined by Florida Congressman Greg Stubbe. He’s calling on Senate Republicans to stand firm and protect the core elements of the reconciliation bill that the House sent over. We’ll talk about the prospects the bill faces when and if it returns to the House. And on Friday, President Trump said a ceasefire may be in the works for Gaza.
SPEAKER 01 :
I think it’s close. I just spoke with some of the people involved. It’s a terrible situation that’s going. Gaza, he’s asking about. And we think within the next week, we’re going to get a ceasefire.
SPEAKER 12 :
So what would a ceasefire include? Some reports are emerging suggesting that the ill-conceived idea of a two-state solution in Judea and Samaria is once again surfacing. We’ll get insight from former Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, now dean at Regent University School of Government. And also over the weekend, I spoke with former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton about the future of Iran.
SPEAKER 15 :
The regime in the Ayatollahs right now is on its back. And we owe a lot of that to Israel for pummeling the terrorist surrogates. This is potentially a moment when you really could see change in Iran to help alleviate circumstances and the threat of terrorism all around the region.
SPEAKER 12 :
We’ll share a portion of that eye-opening conversation later on this edition of Washington Watch. Also, FRC’s Kena Gonzalez will join us with the latest details on the reconciliation process, what’s in, what’s out, and what’s at stake. And the Washington Stan’s Casey Harper will share some encouraging numbers suggesting that maybe, just maybe, America is desperate enough over what’s happening in our public schools to start inviting God back into the classroom. All of that and more coming up on this Monday edition of Washington Watch. And by the way, today is June the 30th. This is the final day of our fiscal year. We are just shy of our annual budget goal. But first, let me say thank you to all of you who have already given, especially those who have taken advantage of the challenge match, doubling the impact of your gift. But if you haven’t given yet, there’s still time. to ensure that Washington Watch stays on the air all across this country. So we have team members standing by to take your call, and your gift today will be doubled if you make the phone call today. So give us a call, 800-225-7000. That’s 800-225-4008. Or you can go to FRC.org and make your gift there, and it’ll be matched as well. But today is the final day. So thanks for standing with us. All right, underway right now in the United States Senate is what’s called a voterama on the big, beautiful bill. Democrats continue to oppose it and already have lost an attempt to stop the 2017 Trump tax cuts, a crucial part of the bill. The White House earlier today said that the president would be meeting with Republican congressional leadership as the voting goes on. So what is the outlook right now for the big, beautiful bill that’s lost some of its luster? Well, joining us now, Congressman Greg Stubbe. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. He represents the 17th Congressional District of Florida. Congressman Stubbe, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for taking time to join us. Hey, Tony. Thanks for having me. All right. You’ve watched the process over the weekend. The current status of the bill, your thoughts?
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, obviously they’re going through all these different amendments in the Senate side, so we’re not going to see the results of the cumulative bill until they get through that. We’re being told there’s going to be a manager’s amendment, which will be a big comprehensive amendment at the very end that would amend the majority of the provisions of the bill. The parliamentarian has struck a lot of the provisions that the House had sent over that were conservative provisions that would have cut illegal immigrants, for example, of getting Medicaid funding and these type of things that obviously conservatives in the House supported. So we’ll have to wait and see. It seems as though the expectation is the Senate will pass it either late tonight, early in the morning, and then we are due to go back to the House. I’m going to fly up tomorrow and then it’ll be a vote probably Wednesday morning around nine o’clock.
SPEAKER 12 :
So some of the other items that the parliamentarian in what’s called the birdbath washed out, there was a defunding of Planned Parenthood. That’s been reduced to simply a 12-month defunding of Planned Parenthood. Something that you have worked on hard in the House has been the issue of gender, all of the gender transition issues that were in this bill. kept taxpayers out of that that’s all out of the present bill how hard do you think it’s going to be for the house to to take this bill as the senate currently has it and i know there’s going to be some manager amendments but i’m told that those provisions are not going to make their way back in
SPEAKER 23 :
Yeah, it’s going to be tough. I mean, it’s pretty tall order for the Senate to be able to upset conservatives and moderates on both sides of all these different issues moving forward. They’ve increased spending considerably, which guys like myself who signed a letter that we wanted to keep the House framework becomes very problematic because they’ve completely dismissed the House’s framework and it’s putting $3.9 trillion on the debt. over a 10 year period of time. Now the White House will say that through tariffs and the economic impact that that’ll be reduced and it’ll be a deficit neutral bill. But on paper, that’s what it says. So it makes it hard for us to vote for that. It’s expanding the debt ceiling by 5 trillion, which is obviously hard for conservatives to do because Washington has a spending problem. This is our once in a generation opportunity to cut the spending in Washington. So it’s going to be very difficult to try to thread the needle. We can only lose three votes on the House side. If we lose four, the bill dies. We know that Massey’s gonna be a no. All of us are kind of waiting to see what that manager’s amendment’s gonna look like and what it’s gonna look like when it comes over before we start making our decisions. But the bottom line is I don’t wanna be in the way of tax cuts to the American people. If this bill does not pass, the average family of four’s taxes are gonna increase to like $3,500 a year. You’re gonna see small businesses’ taxes increase by 20% through the 199A deduction. So this is a huge economic bill as it relates to tax cuts, making Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent. The American people have asked for this by voting for President Trump and getting him elected, and we have to deliver for them.
SPEAKER 12 :
I agree with all that you just laid out there, but let me ask you, Congressman Stubbe, do you feel like the Senate is jamming Republicans by not really fighting the parliamentarian on some of her rulings?
SPEAKER 23 :
Yeah, I’ve asked for her to be fired. I don’t know why you would be the leader, the Republican leader of the Senate and have a parliamentarian who was hired by Harry Reid 12 years ago, over a decade ago. Obviously she’s a Democrat. She was hired by Democrats. She’s been there for over a decade. When new leadership comes in, it’s under the understanding that new leadership is going to bring in a new staff that works for them. It’s very frustrating that in unelected bureaucrat who was appointed by Harry Reid is going to determine what provisions are in President Trump’s one big beautiful bill, provisions that the majority of the House voted on and sent over to the Senate. It’s very frustrating to see that the leadership over there isn’t willing to change their staff, but Thune said that he’s sticking with her and the optics quote unquote would look bad, but we got elected by the American people to get a job done. And you have an unelected bureaucrat that’s kind of standing in the way of these different provisions, which is very frustrating for myself and very frustrating for a lot of the majority of the House.
SPEAKER 12 :
So again, the Republicans in the House have to take what the Senate sends over, even though they didn’t really fight for the core values and the core principles, the core elements that were in the House version. Do you think there’s the possibility that there is a little bit of a ping pong match that the House maybe tweaks it and sends it back over?
SPEAKER 23 :
Yeah, we don’t have to take it. We can obviously make our own changes again, but those changes will go back to the Senate. And then the question will be, is the Senate going to be able to pass it again? Obviously the president doesn’t want this thing to ping pong. He wants to have a bill signing on July 4th for his tax cuts and jobs act, making that permanent for the American people and the things that he campaigned on. So any change that the House would make would cause the bill to go back to the Senate. Any type of conference, whether it be formal or informal, would not make the timeline that the president wants. Obviously, it’s a timeline that he has set up. We don’t go back into recess until August. We’re there the next three weeks of July. That’s the timeline that we look at. Any change on the House side, we’ll send it back to the Senate. So the question is going to be, once we see what this language is that passes the Senate, is there enough people that have a problem with it that would force it to get changed in the House and then sent back to the Senate side?
SPEAKER 12 :
It seems that the president may be backing off a little bit of that July 4th deadline, because I think he’d rather have a good bill than force a bad through a bill through the process prematurely.
SPEAKER 23 :
I would, I mean, I would support going into a formal conference. I came from the state legislature in Florida where the House came up with a bill, a Senate came up with a bill, you went into conference, you worked out the differences and the product got sent back down to both of the chambers. I certainly think it would be a better product for the American people, but obviously that’s gonna take time and you never know what, You change on one side or the other is going to affect other senators or other house members positions because you have such a slim majority. We can only lose three in the house. They can only lose three in the Senate becomes a very challenging politically to get that done. But I would err on the side of taking the time necessary to make sure that we get this thing right.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think part of the concern may be that the Congress is going into a break. People go back home. You get some of this. You know, we’ve seen some of the fabricated town hall meetings before where, you know, people turn out and put this pressure on some. You’re right with such a slim majority. I think the leadership may be a little hesitant to send people back home for a week or so to before there’s a vote.
SPEAKER 23 :
Well, we’re up there in the next three weeks, but leadership has made it very clear that we’re going to be voting on this bill that comes from the Senate, regardless of what it looks like. So whatever product comes out of the Senate, we’re going to have a vote probably Wednesday is my guess. We’re going to be voting on the bill if it passes the Senate on whatever that product is. Now, if there’s more than three people that says, no, they can’t vote for it for whatever reason, then that would probably force some type of either informal conference or informal discussions or They make the changes in the House, and then we send it back to the Senate, but that’ll jam up the timeline for this week.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. Congressman Greg Stubbe, always great to see you. Thanks so much for taking time to join us today. We’re going to be watching the process, obviously, very, very closely.
SPEAKER 23 :
Anytime. Good to see you.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, folks. And you can still weigh in on this process. This is why I encourage you to have the Stand Firm app, because if you’re on the Stand Firm app, you’ll get notifications of when you need to weigh in with your member of Congress or your senators when these bills are progressing along the way. And it’ll also give you the information of what’s really in it. Something so big like this, hundreds of pages. We go through, we dissect it, we bring out the issues that relate to faith, family, and freedom so that you can weigh in in a very informed way. All right, don’t go away. When we come back, Michelle Bachman joins me here on Washington Watch.
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Hi, everyone. This is Pastor Jay Johnston, National Prayer Director with the Family Research Council. I want to invite you to join our 21-day Family Bible Challenge as we read through the book of Matthew. This is an opportunity for you and for your family to come together for 15 minutes a day to read God’s Word together. Deuteronomy 6 says, these commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. and press them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Seek the Word of God, obey the Word of God, share the Word of God so that you and others might know the joy of walking with God now and for all eternity. As your family gathers to read the Bible, invite the Holy Spirit to work in your life to spiritually transform each one of you. Ask the Lord to show you creative ways for you to connect with your family to read God’s Word together. I pray that however God uses this challenge in your life and those that you join together with will be a blessing to you and strengthen you as you read the Gospel of Matthew together. Visit FRC.org slash Family Bible Challenge for more information.
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In a time when Washington seems clouded by compromise, a bold group of lawmakers are standing firm in defense of the values which our nation was built upon. At FRC Actions 100% Awards, 171 members of Congress were honored for voting 100% in line with policies that promote faith, family, and freedom.
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Faith and family made our country, it’s the foundation that made our country not only great, but good.
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The values that make America, faith, family, hard work, personal responsibility. I mean, that to me is the heart of FRC and grateful for everything that they do.
SPEAKER 03 :
It’s very important for us to have organizations such as FRC. First of all, I think it keeps us grounded. In addition to which, the issues that you champion are issues that we should all be championing.
SPEAKER 08 :
FRC is very, very good at honing in on those things that really affect Christians’ lives. Also, working with members of Congress, too, to make sure that those values are instilled in the legislation that we create.
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Having the Family Research Council to guide us is critically important to being able to do the right thing consistently.
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These lawmakers have drawn the line, not just in policy, but in principle. This is more than politics. This is conviction in action. Visit frcaction.org for more information on how you too can make a difference.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. All right, as I mentioned, this is the final day of our fiscal year, June the 30th, and we have team members standing by to take your call if you’d like to partner with us. As I’ve mentioned many times, we receive no government funding. We are here because of folks like you. So if you’d like to partner with us, in fact, today your gift will be doubled. Last day, last day you can make a gift that will be doubled. But give us a call, 800-225-4008. That’s 800-225-4008. And again, let me thank everyone who has already called over the last couple of weeks and made donations. We are grateful for that. Thanks for standing with us. OK, with the Iranian threat against Israel now, for the most part, neutralized, at least for the time being, President Trump is turning his attention back to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Over the weekend, President Trump urged for progress in the ceasefire talks after saying Friday that an agreement could be struck within the next week. As negotiations continue, President Trump is being urged to resist any plan or proposal that would resurrect the so-called two-state solution. Here to discuss this and why this would be such a bad idea, but somehow finds its way into these negotiations every time, regardless of political party in power, is former Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. She is leading an open letter to the president on this issue. She was a member of Congress from Minnesota. She now serves as the dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University, and she also is the chair of the FRC Board of Directors. Michelle, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 26 :
Tony, thanks so much. Appreciate being on with you today.
SPEAKER 12 :
So let me ask you this, you know, for those, let me just start with this. For those who do not know, what is the two state solution and why is it a bad idea?
SPEAKER 26 :
Well, that’s a division of the land of Israel. It’s a proposal that somehow there will be peace from Arabs that they will not make war against the Jews if the Jews give up their land. For over 30 years, this has been enshrined in what’s known as the Oslo Accords. It’s never worked. It was tried in Gaza. It’s been a complete failure. And so now, once again, it seems like it’s being resurrected. It’s a terrible idea. It only leads to hostility. It’s the antithesis of peace.
SPEAKER 12 :
So you brought this up, but let me just put a fine point on it. Gaza. That was turned over in 2005. The Hamas was elected in 2007. They’ve been leading that effort. So in effect, you’ve had a two-state solution. They’ve controlled it. Israel’s not been in there. They pulled out everything, even dug up the bodies of the dead, left nothing behind. And what happened? On October 7th, they attacked Israel. I mean, who cannot see that?
SPEAKER 26 :
Right. No, that’s exactly right. And the term is commonly known as two-state solution, meaning Israel proper is supposed to give up their legal land to Arabs in the promise for peace. But it’s not a solution, as you know. It’s a two-state proposal that’s been tried already, as you said, and a complete and utter deadly failure. So it is ridiculous to continue to revive these hopes. that somehow by carving up Israel that there will be peace. Without a doubt, this has been completely rejected by the Jewish people in Israel. It’s been rejected by the Israeli Knesset. They don’t want this proposal because they know it will never work. And so it’s wrong for the United States to bring up this idea and to try and impose this on Israel. It would be a tragedy.
SPEAKER 12 :
Michelle, let me ask you this question because you’re right. The actual polling data in Israel post-October the 7th shows the vast majority of Israelis are opposed to this. Even Arab Israelis are opposed to the idea. So there’s no appetite for this in Israel. So we’ve talked about the historical aspects of this and what happened just in recent times. The polling data shows politically it’s not popular. But let’s talk about from a Christian perspective. You weighed in. You and Bill Koenig wrote a letter, an open letter, which many have signed on to. And, folks, you can sign on to it as well. You can text letter to 67742. I’ll talk more about that in a moment. Letter to 67742. But, Michelle, talk about the biblical reason we should not be pursuing this as a country, and we should not, as Christians, be silent about a government, our government, pursuing it, regardless of what party’s in power.
SPEAKER 26 :
Well, there is no issue more clear in the Bible than the issue of the covenant and God’s covenant land. And what we know is that there are blessings when we bless Israel. There are cursings when we curse Israel. And so the Bible is clear about that in Genesis, but also in the book of Joel, it’s extremely clear. There’s only one criterion upon which nations are judged, and that’s how nations treat Zion. And Joel 3, verse 1 through 3 is very clear. It says, no nation should seek to divide the land or scatter the people. That’s what God will judge nations on. And individuals are judged whether we bless or curse. So God has been very clear from the beginning of the all the way through the Bible, that the centerpiece, the covenant is that the Jewish people are to be in the land of Israel, Genesis 15, 18. And the mission is clear. The purpose is clear. All nations on earth will be blessed. So just think, if we push dividing the land, that means we don’t want blessings for families across the earth. That’s not what God wants. And so we need to stay in line with what God tells us in his word. This is about as clear as it gets, Tony, in the Bible.
SPEAKER 12 :
And that promise of blessing or curse is not in the future. It is in the here and now. In fact, Bill Koenig, who you have drafted and posted this letter with, is the author of a book, Eye to Eye, where he catalogs all the events that have occurred in the United States when America has been on the wrong side of this issue.
SPEAKER 26 :
Well, that’s true. And the interesting thing about Bill Koenig is that he was the only evangelical Christian in the White House press corps for years. And he noticed a pattern that when presidents pressured Israel to divide the land, the United States would experience a catastrophe. And he began compiling this. He did all the research. And it’s proved to be true. It proved to be true in President Trump’s first administration when he proposed his peace to prosperity plan, which was a phased development, which if Arabs did certain things, Israel would divide its land. A terrible tragedy occurred, which was COVID and the COVID task force. So, you know, it’s very complex causality. But again, the Bible is true. And we’ve seen it prove true in real time. And so it’s imperative that all of the gains of the Trump administration not be lost.
SPEAKER 12 :
Michelle Bachman, always great to have you on the program. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 26 :
Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
Folks, text the word letter to 67742 and you can see the letter in sign. All right, don’t go away.
SPEAKER 17 :
The Center for Biblical Worldview’s all-day workshops delves into the formation of a worldview, what it is, how it’s formed, when it’s formed, what that means to them personally and their churches and communities.
SPEAKER 18 :
My hope for people when they come to these worldview workshops is that they will come away better equipped to engage the people and the ideas that they’re living with and around. And our goal is to give people more confidence in the gospel and the fact that what God said to us actually is true, actually is the path to happiness and human flourishing for all of us, but also more confidence in their ability to have these conversations and help lead other people to the truth.
SPEAKER 20 :
for Bible-believing Christians to know what God’s Word says on these issues and to learn how they can apply it to their lives. And we believe that the more Christians that we equip, that’s how we’ll change the nation.
SPEAKER 13 :
Hey, fam, listen, Pastor Sammy here at Lighthouse Church, and I cannot tell you how equipping, how empowering, how… incredibly educating this conference has been. And so I just want to encourage anybody that either has not been part of or is thinking about hosting this event, certainly to pastors, leaders, even CEOs for that matter. This conference is lights out. Stand behind it myself. I can’t commend it enough. We’re going to be talking about this for some time to come.
SPEAKER 21 :
The culture is kind of squeezing in on us as God’s people, forcing those of us with biblical views to change those views or to suppress those views. It’s forcing us to engage with issues that we’ve never had to engage with. And so what this teaches us is what those issues are, what the Bible says about those issues, and then how we can critically engage our culture on these things in a way that is committed to biblical principles.
SPEAKER 13 :
Visit frc.org slash worldview for more information.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. All right, if you didn’t catch that, text the word letter to 67742. That’s letter to 67742. Former National Security Advisor John Bolton joined me for this week on Capitol Hill, my weekend broadcast on the Salem Radio Network, to discuss the future of the Middle East and what may be ahead after Iran’s nuclear program was dealt a devastating blow by both Israel and the U.S. I want to share part of that information. enlightening conversation with you right now. So let’s talk about that. You know, in 1979, the rise of the Islamic regime, that was probably the last major movement in the geopolitical sphere in the Middle East of this magnitude that we’re seeing today. What does the U.S. need to do to change the direction and ensure 50 years from now there’s maybe more of a peaceful Middle East?
SPEAKER 15 :
Right. Look, I think that as long as the current regime in Tehran stays in power, that there’s really no chance for sustainable peace and security in the region. Even if we got a government in Iran that was peaceful and concerned only about their own internal affairs, of course, there would be other factors, other risks in the Middle East. But you don’t even get to that problem until you solve the problem of Iran. So I think that actually conditions inside Iran today are very favorable for regime change. I think the regime is extremely unpopular on economic reasons, on social reasons. reasons on various forms of repression that they’ve been engaged in. And I think the opposition inside and outside Iran among the Iranian diaspora really has the regime in a very difficult place. In addition, of course, the Ayatollah Khamenei, who is only the second supreme leader, is in his mid-80s. He’s not well, and you can already see the signs of a of a potentially very destabilizing succession challenge below him. So I think we should try and help out. You know, regime change is a bad word in many circles. In this case, it does not come anywhere close to meaning boots on the ground. I think we can provide support to the opposition and hope that it will be primarily an internal Iranian affair.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, that’s very important to point out, Ambassador, because people think of regime change. They think Afghanistan. They think boots on the ground. They think, you know, long term American commitment. This could be done primarily through sanctions, keeping sanctions in place, because we know that even this week there was discussion of lifting some sanctions so China could buy oil from Russia. Iran. And that’s been a major source of revenue for Iran is through China, keeping those sanctions in place and only removing them as we see positive developments within Iran. Correct?
SPEAKER 15 :
Right. I agree entirely with what you’ve just said. You know, the regime in the Ayatollahs right now is on its back. And we owe a lot of that to Israel for pummeling the terrorist surrogates, these radical extremists in Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis. The dictatorial Assad regime in Syria has fallen. We don’t know necessarily enough about the new government there, but it certainly didn’t do anything to come to Iran’s aid. during the Israeli attack. This is potentially a moment when you really could see change in Iran to help alleviate circumstances and the threat of terrorism all around the region. Very interesting. German Chancellor Merz said at the G7 meeting earlier this week that this is sort of the Washington gaffe, you know, speaking the truth when you don’t think anybody’s listening. But he said, The Israelis have been doing the dirty work of the West against the Iranian regime, this very radical Islamist state that threatens everybody in the region, Arab and Jew and Christian alike, and threatens Europe as well as the U.S. with terrorism. So I think there’s beginning of awareness that maybe the regime in Tehran is far more vulnerable than many people thought.
SPEAKER 12 :
Ambassador, I see for those that are watching, I see over your shoulder a chessboard. This is not checkers. This is chess. When we look at the Middle East, what’s the next move for America as we look at the entire landscape of the Middle East?
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, I think there’s a possibility that we’ll see further diplomatic recognition for Israel granted by Arab states, more Abraham Accords, the first of which were negotiated during Trump’s first term. I think that would be very important. I think these are steps toward a more normal and a more peaceful Middle East. And I think it’s a signal really around the whole region and globally that things are continuing to change there at a very rapid rate. We should support that. And at the same time, we should keep a very, very close eye through intelligence and the cooperation with others on what’s happening inside Iran to make sure they’re not trying to revive that nuclear weapons program.
SPEAKER 12 :
A minute and a half left, Ambassador. How is China and Russia interpreting these events, do you think?
SPEAKER 15 :
well i think having seen the uh… bunker buster bonds in operation uh… you can bet that chinese and russian military analyst or pouring over uh… the data they can get and that the poll political leaderships in beijing and moscow and seen uh… a use of american power here in support of one of our closest allies israel against one of the worst threats we face the iranian nuclear program clear and decisive action. It may not have been everything it could have been, but this is something that is not like the four years of the Biden administration, that’s for sure. This is a way of demonstrating the American deterrent in action. And the point of the deterrent is to prevent conflict, to brush our adversaries back. I hope it’s had that effect.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thirty seconds. Does it affect the view of Taiwan?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, I think that coming to Israel’s side as we did should remind the Chinese that among the American people, there are very strong feelings of support for the free government on Taiwan. And I hope that gets Chinese decision makers to think twice or three times before they do anything that might pose a threat to Taiwan.
SPEAKER 12 :
Ambassador John Bolton, always great to talk with you. Thanks so much for taking time to join us today. Well, thanks again for having me. Again, that was my conversation with former ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor John Bolton on the weekend program this week on Capitol Hill. All right, don’t go away. There is a lot more Washington Watch straight ahead.
SPEAKER 06 :
Family Research Council is committed to advancing faith, family, and freedom from the East Coast to the West. So FRC is going to Southern California for this year’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, October 17th and 18th at Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills. Join us for this powerful gathering of Christians desiring cultural renewal and spiritual revival. The Pray, Vote, Stand Summit brings together Christian leaders, issue experts, and government officials for a time of prayer, inspiration, and action. Together, we will seek God’s guidance for our nation and engage in meaningful discussions on the intersection of faith, government, and culture. If the spiritual foundations and the cultural walls of our nation are to be rebuilt, we all have a role to play. May we each find our place on the wall as we build for biblical truth. Register now at PrayVoteStand.org. That’s PrayVoteStand.org.
SPEAKER 14 :
Jennifer, it’s so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God’s Design. Who is actually going to benefit from reading this book in your view?
SPEAKER 05 :
There are so many different audiences that can benefit. The first one are counselors themselves, because we have some material in there where we really address the gender dysphoria diagnosis and what is wrong with it. We have information for people who are wanting to go back to embracing God’s design for their life.
SPEAKER 14 :
This is really magical to have the therapist and the individual who suffered come together and write about why this is happening and why we’re seeing this.
SPEAKER 05 :
And we brought all of that experience to the table. We want to see people walking in the fullness of who God has called them to be and not a false identity.
SPEAKER 14 :
Order today at embracethedesign.com.
SPEAKER 22 :
How should Christians think about the thorny issues shaping our culture? How should Christians address deceitful ideas like transgenderism, critical theory, or assisted suicide? How can Christians navigate raising children in a broken culture, the war on gender roles, or rebuilding our once great nation? Outstanding is a podcast from The Washington Stand dedicated to these critical conversations. Outstanding seeks to tear down what our corrupt culture lifts up with an aim to take every thought and every idea captive to the obedience of Christ. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m Tony Perkins, and you are tuned in to Washington Watch. If you have not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, let me encourage you to do so. That way, maybe you don’t have access to one of the 850 radio stations that carries Washington Watch, or maybe you can’t get to the Internet online. I don’t know, maybe you can’t watch it on TV, but you can on the app. Wherever you go, no matter where you might be in the world, you can watch Washington Watch on the Stand Firm app. Plus, you can have access to our news and commentary from the Washington Stand and my daily Bible devotion, Stand on the Word, every morning as we make our way through the Bible. By the way, let me just once again remind you, last time, last time, last time I’m going to mention it, but we have team members standing by that can take your phone call if you would like to partner with Washington Watch, with Family Research Council. And in fact, today, as we’ve had for the last couple of weeks, but this is the very last day, If you make a contribution, it will be doubled by a very generous challenge match that’s been put out there. So give us a call, 800-225-4008. That’s 800-225-4008. I think we have a couple of our team members that are actually looking a little lonely. They could take a phone call from you. So give them a call, 800-225-4008. Or if you’re listening to a delayed version of this, you can go to the website, frc.org, and make your gift today, and it will be matched as well. Our word for today comes from Matthew chapter 24, where Jesus offers a sobering picture of what the world will be like when he returns. Verse 37, But as the days of Noah were, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man be. So the time of Noah was marked by widespread wickedness and lawlessness. Humanity had all but forgotten God. Though Noah preached righteousness, his warnings were mocked and ignored until the rains came and judgment fell. Jesus says his return will be just like that. Life will be normal. People will go about their routines blind to the spiritual reality unfolding around them until judgment. the moment everything changes. So what are we to do? Well, Jesus tells us very plainly in verse 42. He says, “‘Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.'” So let us not be lulled into complacency. Let us live with watchful hearts and faithful hands, ready for the return of our King.” To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742. Okay, as we were talking about earlier, the Senate is still in the thick of its voterama. It’s a term used as the Senate puts up all kinds of amendments on this reconciliation process. They’re voted along party lines, most of them, and this takes hours. It’ll probably go into the wee hours of the morning. And this bill does not include, as we’ve talked about, it doesn’t have a whole lot of pro-family, pro-faith policies, but there are some that were in there coming out of the House that we worked to get in, and they’ve been drastically edited or changed during the process in the Senate. So here to give us kind of a status report on the reconciliation bill and the process in the Senate and… What the prospects may be as it moves over to the House is Kena Gonzalez, FRC Senior Director of Government Affairs. Also joining us, Casey Harper, Managing Editor for the broadcast of The Washington Stand. Kena, Casey, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining me today.
SPEAKER 19 :
Hey, Tony.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thanks.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, Kena, let me start with you. What do we know? What’s the latest on the voterama? What’s in? What’s out? What’s at stake?
SPEAKER 19 :
yeah there’s a lot at stake actually like you said this is a thousand plus page bill that came over from the house uh… the senate has put up its version it’s nine hundred and forty pages and they spent all night reading it out loud uh… the poor senate clerk had to read it overnight sunday and uh… monday morning What was in that bill, as you said, coming over from the House, were a couple of provisions in particular that we’re interested in. One, defunding big abortion providers like Planned Parenthood for 10 years, which would be a major, major win. The other is defunding gender transition procedures permanently. Both of those provisions made it out of the House very strong, and both have been weakened or gutted in the negotiations in the Senate.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. So I was talking earlier with Congressman Greg Stubbe, obviously conservative, especially he’s the one that carried the women’s sports bill. So he’s strong, as they would say back in Louisiana, garlic milkshake. But the reality is that they want to get something through and they’re going to be jammed like they’re often jammed. But it won’t take much to upset the apple cart. Do all of the Republicans go along with whatever the Senate sends over?
SPEAKER 19 :
Yeah, like you say, the Senate is going to try and jam the House. Whatever they send over to the House, they’re going to say, now you guys have to pass exactly what we did. But of course, Tony, that’s not how legislation works. The House had its say, the Senate is having its say, and then those two are going to have to come together at some point. So it’s not a given that what passes the Senate, probably in the wee hours tomorrow morning, is the final version of this bill.
SPEAKER 12 :
Casey, I want to bring you in on this conversation as well. Earlier, as I mentioned, talking with Congressman Greg Stubbe, there has been a lot of murmuring about the leadership in the Senate from House members. Has it been strong enough? What do you think we’ve detected or what has been revealed about the leadership of John Thrun in this process? Anything?
SPEAKER 24 :
Yeah, I mean, it’s a good question because This is a pivotal moment for the new majority leader. I mean, if you remember, of course, House Speaker Mike Johnson, he came in kind of on unstable footing. There was many members who were speaker or almost speaker before him. And it was unclear when he came in if he was going to be able to solidify his footing, get, you know, wrangle all this very divided house at the time in particular. and then still stand for the conservative principles that he’s known for and that really, you know, the House majority was elected to do. But I think he’s been able to do that against all odds, really, and solidify and submit his position. So now Senator Thune is in the same position replacing, of course, Mitch McConnell. And I don’t think he’s cemented it yet. Not that anyone’s really asking for him to leave or there’s no rumors of him being ousted, but he’s really setting the tone here for what kind of leader he’s going to be. Is he going to, you know, Republicans are historically very good at criticizing when Democrats are in charge to win elections. But then when it comes to actually governing and standing for those positions, they haven’t always been willing to do that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. Good observation, Casey. I think Senate House leadership apples to oranges because there’s just not the kind of turn turnover in the Senate and leadership like you see in the House there. You know, they they they have a tradition that they stick with. And even if it kills them, they stick with it. But I do think, and I know I’m a little biased because I’m close to the speaker, but I would think that the speaker really has cemented himself next to the president as really the congressional leader for the Republicans and who people are going to turn to. He’s really going to be the driver along with the president. Kena, you agree?
SPEAKER 19 :
I think Speaker Johnson is a remarkable individual. And yes, Tony, I do agree that he has emerged his leadership. I, you know, I spend all day watching proceedings in the House and Senate. I read a lot of news every day. And the story for the last year and a half have been that Mike Johnson is on the cusp of defeat. Mike Johnson is on the cusp of disaster. And time and time and time again, by pushing the House to really take up and talk through these tough negotiations, he’s just had a remarkable run as Speaker of the House.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, Casey, I want to go back to you. Switching gears, I want to play a clip from my conversation with the House Speaker over the weekend, not on the reconciliation bill, but on the socialist New York City mayoral candidate, Zoran Mandani. So I want to play this clip.
SPEAKER 09 :
This individual is not only an avowed socialist, really a Marxist. He’s also a raging anti-Semite and a dangerous, dangerous choice. The idea that he would be the nominee of one of the major parties in his country is frightening. I mean, his proposals range from legalizing prostitution and drugs and having, you know, injection sites funded by taxpayers to basically giving everything away.
SPEAKER 24 :
Now, Casey, I know this is New York City, but how did this happen? How did this happen? Yeah, his policies read more like a Berkeley freshman year English paper or something, Politics 101. It is the question a lot of Democrats are asking. I mean, there’s kind of a practical answer, which is the New York Democrats are so discredited. Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams are facing all kinds of allegations. that someone like this was able to sneak through. So on the one hand, it’s encouraging that the Democratic Party in that area, even a very liberal area, has to be so discredited for someone like this to peek through. But I don’t think we should take too much encouragement from that, because in my view, Zoran is really looking at the future of what we can expect from the left and from the Democratic Party. These are the kind of candidates that Democrats are pushing forward. We’re seeing more and more of them. And they’re pushing things that would make people like Bernie Sanders blush.
SPEAKER 12 :
So let’s talk about some of the more concerning aspects of his platform, what he’s actually proposing. Now, you know, I know a lot of people can make statements, but I mean, he’s actually calling for policy ideas like hiking property taxes for richer, whiter neighborhoods to pay for free stuff for the rest of the city.
SPEAKER 24 :
Yes, yeah, he’s brazenly saying, and he even used that language wider. We’re not kind of reading into his statement. He’s saying taxing one race to pay for another, which is kind of shocking language to us here. But I think, again, this is kind of the natural conclusion of a lot of what we’re seeing. You know, if you’ve seen the pictures of him, he’s a good looking guy. He’s well spoken. I think in many ways, Democrats are trying to recreate the charisma of Barack Obama through candidates like him. and aoc but they are believe it or not even much further to the left than even obama was and i think zoron really represents this kind of as good looking as he is he’s really a frankenstein of different policies of the worst of leftist policies i mean you have an arm for defund the police which he’s said he kind of backtracked a little bit but he said that you know you have uh his parents, his father is a professor at Columbia who teaches about the evils of colonialism, which of course there were, but it’s really the next step in that teaching is that the West is entirely evil, America is the next generation of colonialism. He’s a rich kid who turned socialist, and it seems so many of the rich kids do turn out socialists which is kind of a funny thing and then you know we don’t want to make too much of this but he’s a muslim immigrant and i only bring that up we’re not trying to impugn all muslims or something but if you watch his campaign footage he makes very clear that he wants to represent muslims he use link uses language like we the muslim community are not represented And so he’s very much out there in the identity politics lane, claiming not just to represent Americans and New Yorkers, but the Muslim community. And with that comes some very controversial stances on Israel and even anti-Semitism. But I think when I say it’s a look into the future, it’s because you look at countries like England, which now has filled with, even though it’s like, you know, less than 10% Muslim, has Muslim mayors in many of its largest cities, including London. So I think that’s really something we have to keep an eye on as believers that you know, even small Muslim minorities, very unified working together, can take over even cities, take over the leadership and the mayoral responsibility of a city like New York or London.
SPEAKER 12 :
Really, really good point, Casey. Kayna, no chance of you moving to New York City anytime soon, huh?
SPEAKER 19 :
You know, I am the child of an immigrant who rejected socialism, so no thank you. Communism has failed everywhere it’s been tried.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, let’s talk some good news here for just a moment. Pew Research, identifying that just over half of U.S. adults, 52%, say they favor allowing public school teachers to lead their classes in prayer. They support chaplains in the public schools. Has the desperation reached a point where everything else has failed, that people are now ready to turn back to God?
SPEAKER 24 :
I personally think so. I mean, we’re seeing, you know, God forbid, school shootings. We’re seeing suicide rates increase among young people. We’re seeing hopelessness, depression, anxiety. They’re seeing, you know, on all kinds of medications to address this. And so one hand, I think that that’s part of what’s happening. On the other hand, I think it’s sort of in a myth that Americans oppose prayer in schools. This poll is encouraging. You’re tempted to see a poll like this and say, oh, wow, there’s a resurgence in America. And actually, there is a resurgence in America in faith. But Americans have not been as opposed to prayer in schools as the media has led us to believe. There was a vocal minority and then some bad court rulings that really took prayer out of school, not an overwhelming uprising. And so part of why they’re being more vocal now is that hopelessness you referred to, Tony. And then also we’ve seen now that this idea that the school classroom is a level playing field or a place where politics and religion can’t enter is a myth because they took prayer out of schools and then they replaced the Bible with the LGBT flag and they replaced prayer with the mantras of Black Lives Matter and pride and different DEI teachings. And so religion never actually,
SPEAKER 12 :
left school it was just replaced from christianity to to wokeism or liberalism you know kane from a policy standpoint we’ve seen some significant changes in between 2010 2020 a lot of pro-life laws at the states but now we’re seeing a lot of pro-christian religion uh that respect it, as Casey was saying, allowing it back in like the Ten Commandments. So there’s a lot of public policy that’s behind this now that there is this, I guess, a shift in the courts, a shift in the public willingness to speak out on these things.
SPEAKER 19 :
That’s right, Tony. Laws like the ones we’re working on across the country right now to allow schoolchildren and their parents to opt their children into religious teaching at a local church, for example, are passing in state after state. I think Governor Abbott in Texas just signed one into law in the last 24 hours. But really the most encouraging thing to me on this front, Tony, is the rise of revival on college campuses and among youth in schools. That is where the change is really going to come from.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, good point, Kena. Also, I would throw into that more young men are turning to reading the Bible and following its teachings, which are leading them to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So if you can get the young men to pursue God, to come into relationship with him, it’s going to change the dynamics of the family for generations to come. Kena, Casey, thanks so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER 19 :
Thanks, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
And folks, thank you for joining us as well, but we’re out of time for today. So tune in again next time. But until then, you know what to do.
SPEAKER 25 :
Pray, prepare, stand, and then keep standing. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
