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In this episode of Washington Watch, Tony Perkins delves into the extensive fraud discovered in Minnesota’s social service programs, a scandal that allegedly resulted in the misappropriation of billions of dollars intended for children, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Joined by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer and reporter Casey Harper, they explore the political fallout for Governor Tim Walz, the ongoing investigations, and the broader implications for federal oversight.
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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.
SPEAKER 11 :
How many children have gone hungry because fraudsters stole money that was intended to provide them with food? How many autistic children were denied services because fraudsters instead sent this money overseas? How many low-income seniors, people with disabilities, or those with mental illnesses were denied access to housing because fraudsters drained resources and pocketed the money for themselves? The breadth and depth of this fraud is breathtaking.
SPEAKER 04 :
That was House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer at a hearing today on the massive fraud in Minnesota. Welcome to this January 7th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, coming up, we’ll get a readout on that House Oversight hearing. Also, the U.S. Senate was briefed this morning by the Trump administration on the operation in Venezuela. North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer joins us to share what he learned. And as new statements arise from the Trump administration claiming the U.S. needs to acquire Greenlit for national security purposes, the question rises as well, does the U.S. need to own it to use it? We’ll talk with Brigadier General John Teichert, former Assistant Deputy Undersecretary for the Air Force for International Affairs. Well, a heated hearing on Capitol Hill today as Republicans gathered information on the federal investigation into alleged fraud in Minnesota. Prosecutors say fraud in social service programs could total as much as $9 billion. During the House Oversight Committee hearing, Democrats accused Republicans of political targeting. But Chairman James Comer said oversight failures allowed this massive fraud to occur. The investigation has put Democratic Governor Tim Walz under intense scrutiny as Republicans question his leadership and accountability. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper, who’s been tracking today’s main stories. Now, the fallout, Casey, appears to be growing for Governor Walz. What are Republicans saying about his future?
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, Tony, yeah. Mr. Walz is finding it difficult to find a Republican friend who will back him up. Not a single voice has raised up to defend him. And, you know, leading Republican voices like Majority Whip Tom Emmer said that the more we look into this fraud, actually, the more widespread it is. And he’s called for Walz to resign. Of course, Walz said he’s not going to run for reelection. And by the way, Senator Amy Klobuchar said she’s seriously considering replacing him. He said he’s not gonna run for reelection. I suspect he thought that that would satisfy sort of the lust for justice that we’re seeing over this rampant fraud, but there’s still these calls for resignation as more and more comes out like we saw at the hearing today. In fact, here’s what House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said at that hearing today.
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Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota’s Democrat leadership have either been asleep at the wheel or complicit in these crimes. How could they allow this massive fraud to go on for years? This is why we’re here today. We must expose this theft of taxpayer dollars and hold everybody accountable who let it happen.
SPEAKER 15 :
So Tony, the more I look into this, the more it seems that the fraud we’ve discovered is actually just the tip of the iceberg of what’s been going on in Minnesota.
SPEAKER 04 :
Casey, was there any discussion today, and I know the focus was on Minnesota, but was there any discussion about this possibly being just one example of where fraud might be found in other parts of the country?
SPEAKER 15 :
Sure it was. And it’s actually, you know, for a lot of the American public, this kind of fraud and abuse is just now getting attention. But I’ve been covering waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government for many years. And sadly, cases like this are, this one is just getting a lot of publicity, which I think is what you’re alluding to, Tony. There are billions and billions of dollars that have been wasted, even bigger than this latest instance in Minnesota, which has sort of become a powder keg, especially with programs like the COVID payments that went out. I mean, we lost hundreds of billions of dollars potentially were lost to waste, fraud and abuse. So this is sadly just the latest chapter in big government largesse gone wrong.
SPEAKER 04 :
Casey, will there be additional hearings?
SPEAKER 15 :
Oh, yes, we’re going to see many hearings on this. Actually, hearings have been going on for a while in Minnesota. It just hasn’t gotten national media attention. Now we’re getting this federal attention. I think there’s actually a lot there there to be looked into. But at the same time, Republicans have a strong political motive to keep poking this, to keep exposing it, especially which, as you mentioned earlier, Many Democrats are actually, if not defending it, they’re attacking Republicans for investigating it, like Democrat Summer Lee, who said, Tony, you’re actually a racist for wanting to look into this fraud and calling fraud fraud.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, while this hearing was actually going on, there was a shooting in Minneapolis. An ICE agent shot a woman, sparking strong reactions as ICE is there doing their investigations, looking at some of this criminal activity. That has brought about some strong reactions. What are we hearing about that?
SPEAKER 15 :
Sure. There’s multiple videos of it, and depending on which video you look at and how you look at it, you can come to different conclusions. And there may be more videos and more details coming out. Some fast facts here. ICE has backed up the officer. They immediately released a statement saying it was self-defense. Tim Walz, who’s really the man of the hour right now, he came out and condemned ICE, condemned the officer as it did. the mayor of Minneapolis, and he used some very strong language and told ICE to get out of his city. And maybe most importantly, maybe not, but President Trump just came out as we were going on air and said that it looks to him like this shooting was self-defense. So we sort of have a partisan on-camera shooting again, sadly all too familiar, and political battle lines drawn here.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I’m sure we’ll see more about that in the days to come. Casey Harper, thanks so much for joining us today. Thanks, Tony. All right. I want to turn now to a member of the Senate who was briefed this morning by top administration officials on the U.S. military operation in Venezuela. Joining me now to share what he can is U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. He serves on several Senate committees, including the Armed Services Committee. Senator Cramer, welcome back to Washington Watch and Happy New Year.
SPEAKER 14 :
Happy New Year to you, Tony. Great to be with you. Thank you.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right. A lot. I mean, in today’s media world, there’s very few details that are not covered out there in the social media and in the press. Anything that you learned today that you didn’t know going into this hearing?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, Tony, the details of the operation itself, the tactics, the strategies, the weapons systems, the military men and women themselves especially, the special operators, is phenomenal, to say the least. And I have to sort of leave it at that. there should be no mistake that the United States military is the best in the world. And they’ve proven it a few times already in 2025 and now in 2026. But so we did learn some things there. I think some of the things we learned about the governance decisions, the current regime being led by the interim president, Rodriguez, who was the vice president under Maduro, We have got more details about some of that. The intelligence piece that CIA Director Ratcliffe shared, again, fascinating and important, obviously not able to be discussed in public as yet, although I do expect that some things, some details, with a little time, will be able to be declassified or at least segregated out that we can share with the public, to give the public the sense of confidence that I got after hearing from Secretary Rubio and Secretary Hagseth and General Cain and Director Radcliffe today.
SPEAKER 04 :
Senator, there’s been a lot of discussion about the activity that Maduro was involved in. Was any of that discussed in terms of basically the criminal enterprise that he was running?
SPEAKER 14 :
Some of it was, of course, and Attorney General Bondi was one of the briefers as well. We know and have known for a long time that he’s been indicted years ago and more recently again today. narcoterrorist charges and conspiracy charges. He’s a drug kingpin, for crying out loud, an international drug kingpin, he and his wife. I think a lot of people sometimes forget or maybe they don’t know that he has been indicted in the United States, and not just recently, that in fact there was a $15 million Bounty on his head in terms of an award for people who would turn him in. That was increased to $25 million by the Biden administration, actually. And then, of course, that led to a $50 million award. And that… the Maduros were given many, many off-ramps, opportunities to take more luxurious off-ramps to other places, and chose not to do that. And that’s what, frankly, that’s what madmen do. They get so addicted to their own power that they hang on to that to the detriment of their own freedom. And so we did learn more about that, Tony. And those are some of the things I hope more details can be released publicly about it going forward. Again, I think it would give Americans a sense of comfort about it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Was there one particular thing that triggered? I mean, as you said, he has been indicted. That’s not new news. But was there something that prompted the United States to take the action that it took?
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, so I think, again, referring maybe to more public information, the many choices, the many chances he was given in negotiations to take a more peaceful off-ramp. But as you notice, I mean, it’s not like the narco-terrorist trade was calming down any, but for the actions of a very brave and capable military of the United States and the drug enforcement agents in Texas. intelligence sources as well, it was just going to continue forever. And so I think ultimately just the president’s patience wore out. All of his options, Maduro’s peaceful options, were exhausted. And the weather patterns and other things became favorable. And it was time to do what he wasn’t going to do himself.
SPEAKER 04 :
Senator Kramer, what would you say to those who say this operation should have been approved by Congress ahead of time?
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, I think it’s really clear. And thank you for the question, because I think it’s a very important point for the public to understand that the fact that the current that the previous administration, the Maduro administration, is still in charge in the sense that it’s his vice president who’s the interim president for now. Now, there has to be some changes and stuff going forward, but the institutions are still under the same leadership. That is an indication, if you will, that this was not a regime change military action, but, rather, this was the execution of a legal arrest warrant based on indictments here in the United States. I think people should think about those facts and have a clear understanding that this was not necessarily a military operation that required permission, if you will, or a declaration of war.
SPEAKER 04 :
For those that would raise issues about international law, if it matters, the United Nations Charter actually allows for this type of action.
SPEAKER 14 :
That’s exactly right. And, of course, we often refer to the justification for George Herbert Walker Bush’s capturing of Manuel Noriega in Panama several decades ago. And Bill Barr, former attorney general, actually wrote that piece. And, of course, an appellate court actually upheld that indictment and that action by the United States. So there is clear precedent to that. In fact, I would submit to you, I mean, rather clearly that Nicolas Maduro posed a much greater threat even than Manuel Noriega.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, Senator, we just have about a minute left. What’s the future look like for Venezuela?
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, I think it’s bright, quite honestly. We have a great deal of leverage over the current leadership, and there’s every incentive in the world. These are freedom-loving people, for the most part, that live in Venezuela. They’re very grateful for the action. They’re rich in resources. They once enjoyed capitalism and freedom and democracy. I think, in fact, I’m more optimistic than a lot of the analysts. I think that they’ll recover rather quickly once they get a stable government that’s duly elected and has the confidence of the Venezuelan people.
SPEAKER 04 :
And that will have an influence on the rest of Central and South America, you think?
SPEAKER 14 :
It certainly will. I think it makes the entire neighborhood much, much safer. When you think about Colombia, for example, who is a strong ally, in fact, a very useful ally and has been in this, you know, engagement, if you will, with the region and narco-terrorism, I think you give the Colombian government a great sense of comfort. I just met with the nominee to be the commander of the Southern Command, SOUTHCOM. I think America’s interests in the region will be greatly enhanced and peace will flourish.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, Senator, always great to see you. Thanks for joining us. Folks, stick with us. We’re back after this.
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The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stand on the Word is Family Research Council’s journey through the living and active Word of God. Follow the plan with us. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading God’s word. And over the course of two years, discover that the Bible is one big story. A story of many words pointing to the word. The one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. because the Word is alive and His name is Jesus. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us as we stand on the Word.
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At Family Research Council, we believe religious freedom is a fundamental human right that all governments must protect. For years, Islamist militants in Nigeria have targeted Christians and other religious minority groups with brutal violence. Since 2009, 52,000 Christians have been slaughtered. A staggering 89% of Christian martyrs in the world today are from Nigeria. The first Trump administration declared Nigeria a country of particular concern, a designation reserved for countries whose governments engage in or tolerate religious freedom violations. However, this designation of Nigeria was quickly reversed by the Biden administration. Following consistent calls from FRC President Tony Perkins and other religious leaders across the U.S., President Donald Trump has responded.
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DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States of America, Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed. I am hereby making Nigeria a country of particular concern.
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This is a huge step forward for the protection of Christians in Nigeria as well as religious freedom across the world. While this opens the door for the U.S. government to pressure Nigerian leaders to protect vulnerable Christians, it is only the beginning. We must continue to pray diligently, work strategically, and stand firm for the protection of religious liberty across the globe.
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Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to The Washington Stand, your ultimate destination for informed, faith-centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines, delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at The Washington Stand, where faith and facts meet every day.
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All right, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for making us part of your day. The website, TonyPerkins.com, be sure and check that out. Lots of resources there for you. All right, pro-life leaders, the pro-life communities, pushing back hard against President Trump’s suggestion yesterday to Republicans that they have to be a little flexible when it comes to the Hyde Amendment. Now, the Hyde Amendment is what has been in place for nearly 50 years. that has been kind of the compromise on abortion where it prohibits government funding for elective abortions. In fact, let me just – I’m going to play this clip. The president was speaking yesterday to House Republicans gathered at the Kennedy Center talking about a host of things. And this came in the context of the extensions of the Obamacare subsidies. that’s expired in December, and they’re talking about how they fix this. Here’s what he had to say.
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Now, you have to be a little flexible on Hyde. You know that. You’ve got to be a little flexible. You’ve got to work something. You’ve got to use ingenuity. You’ve got to work. We’re all big fans of everything, but you’ve got to be flexible. You have to have flexibility.
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Joining me now, Senator James Langford of Oklahoma, serves on several Senate committees, including the Ethics Committee, which he chairs. He’s also a member of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus. Senator Langford, welcome back to Washington Watch. Happy New Year. Good to see you. Thanks, Tony. Good to see you again as well. All right. Flexibility. Some things I think we need to be very resolute on, and life would be one of them. What do you say?
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YEAH, I’M NOT FLEXIBLE ON THE VALUE OF EVERY SINGLE CHILD. EVERY SINGLE CHILD IS VALUABLE. THERE AREN’T SOME CHILDREN THAT ARE DISPOSABLE AND SOME CHILDREN THAT ARE VALUABLE. EVERY CHILD IS VALUABLE. AND SO THAT’S NOT AN AREA THAT I’M FLEXIBLE ON. I THINK WHAT THE PRESIDENT WAS TRYING TO SAY AND WHAT CAROLYN THE PRESIDENT’S BEEN A TENACIOUS SUPPORTER OF HYDE. HE’S BEEN VERY ACTIVE AND I DO GIVE HIM CREDIT. HE’S DONE WHAT’S CALLED THE MEXICO CITY POLICY. HE’S TAKEN AWAY FUNDING FROM INTERNATIONAL ABORTIONS WITH TAXPAYER DOLLARS. HE HAS ACTUALLY RESTORED FUNDING HE HAS BEEN VERY GOOD ON DEFUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD. HE SIGNED THAT BILL WHERE WE DEFUNDED PLANNED PARENTHOOD FOR THIS YEAR. SO THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF VERY, VERY STRONG PRO-LIFE THINGS THAT HE’S DONE. HE’S ALSO TRYING TO BE ABLE TO GET A HEALTH CARE PROPOSAL DONE THAT QUITE FRANKLY DEMOCRATS RIGHT NOW ARE SAYING THEY WOULD REDUCE THE COST OF HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF THOSE SEVERAL MILLION PEOPLE THAT HAVE OBAMACARE RATES THAT ARE GOING UP AS LONG AS WE’LL HAVE ABORTION FUNDING IN IT. Clearly, that’s a red line I’m not going to cross. I’m not going to break what we’re doing in health care. VA doesn’t do abortions. DOD doesn’t do abortions. Indian health care doesn’t do abortions. We don’t do abortions with Medicare and Medicaid. We should not have it anywhere. But right now, the only place that abortion funding for elective abortion exists and subsidizing it is in Obamacare, and that needs to go away.
SPEAKER 04 :
And that almost kept Obamacare from passing back when it was first adopted during Barack Obama’s term as president was the abortion issue. And he issued this basically fraudulent executive order saying that it would be covered by Hyde. And it wasn’t.
SPEAKER 17 :
And it wasn’t, actually. What was interesting is the House, when it originally passed the bill, there was a guy named Bart Stupak, who’s no longer a member, who fought at that time. He was a Democrat pro-life member, which there aren’t any more Democrat pro-life members anymore. Democrats have driven them all out. And he said, if you’re going to be a Democrat, you have to be for abortions. So at that time, there were still some Democratic pro-life members. He worked to be able to get Hyde Amendment protections in the House version of Obamacare. It went to the Senate. They promptly stripped it all out and replaced it with this, what they call as Hyde Light. It’s really a workaround around Hyde so that federal dollars can still subsidize insurance programs that then actually cover abortions on it. And we’ve got 13 states now that literally, if you’re on Obamacare, there is no option you can buy insurance on except for the insurance that actually covers abortion. Many states have one option that doesn’t cover abortion, another option that does. 13 different states say, forget it. Every single option is going to cover abortion. Those are all federally subsidized.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and Senator, I mean, this administration, previous Trump administration, certainly taking steps to protect the unborn. But what we’ve seen since the overturn of Roe is actually an increase in abortion numbers. In 2024, 95,000 plus per month. uh this 2025 98 000 plus per month it’s rising in large part because of biden era policies regarding the abortion pill that remain in place how do you explain that i i can’t explain that actually biden era during kobe they said for the covet emergency
SPEAKER 17 :
We’re going to increase the availability of the chemical abortion pills and to be able to get them out where you don’t have to see a doctor, you don’t have to have any kind of physical exam. You can literally just have somebody ship you abortion pills that take the life of that child. Incredibly dangerous for the mom. Lots of complications can occur there. We have individuals ending up in the emergency room with severe bleeding. If you have an ectopic pregnancy, it can actually take the life of the mom. It can keep her from having children in the future. IF SHE TAKES THIS CHEMICAL ABORTION PILLS, IF SHE HAS THE WRONG BLOOD TYPE. BUT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM IS INCREASING THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS. WE HAVE BEEN VERY OUTSPOKEN TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. THEY SHOULD REVERSE ALL THOSE POLICIES. THEY’RE CURRENTLY TELLING US THEY’RE STUDYING THAT. THEY’RE REVIEWING IT. WE WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO MOVE INTO SAY THE FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DIDN’T ALLOW THIS. THEY HAVE HAD NO SHAME IN REVERSING OTHER BIDEN POLICIES. THEY SHOULD REVERSE THIS POLICY AS WELL.
SPEAKER 04 :
So Senator, you would understand why pro-life advocates are a little concerned with that backdrop in those comments yesterday regarding Hyde.
SPEAKER 17 :
I’VE BEEN TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TALKING TO ME ABOUT THIS. I CERTAINLY DO AND I’VE EXPRESSED THAT TO QUITE A FEW FOLKS. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BEEN VERY, VERY STRONG ON THE LIFE ISSUES. THAT IS ENTIRELY TRUE IN THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION. HE HAS BEEN VERY STRONG. HE’S MOVED ON MULTIPLE DIFFERENT PRO-LIFE THINGS IN THE FIRST SEVERAL MONTHS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION THIS TIME. BUT THIS ISSUE ABOUT CHEMICAL ABORTION CONTINUES TO HANG OUT And we still have people that are boyfriends getting that drug and actually trying to be able to pass it over. We have people that have had no medical exam at all getting this abortion drug. And if their pregnancy has gone gestation past a certain number of weeks or they have an ectopic pregnancy, it is exceptionally dangerous for her. It’s always deadly to the child.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, Senator, just a minute left. Talking about the health care issue, I think the health savings accounts are a very good option for this. What do you see as the way forward? 50 seconds.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, we’ve been very spoken as Republicans to say, hey, we want to deal with the cost of health care. But Obamacare literally is raising the price exponentially. What Democrats have looked for is more and more subsidies on top of previous subsidies to try to hold the cost down in my state. The Obamacare insurance plans have gone up 200% at the same time that commercial insurance has gone up 29%. There is a structural problem with Obamacare. We want to make sure that people can buy their own health care insurance. They can group together in small businesses to be able to get more. We want to do high-risk plans to be able to bring down the cost for everyone. There are practical ways that we can actually reduce the cost of health care without doing Obamacare and socialized medicine.
SPEAKER 04 :
And I trust you to carve a way forward on that. Senator, thanks for joining us. Folks, stick with us. We’re back for more.
SPEAKER 01 :
Three years ago, the Supreme Court issued its historic Dobbs decision, a ruling that overturned Roe versus Wade, which for nearly 50 years imposed abortion on demand, silencing voters and bypassing the democratic process across the country. The Dobbs decision was a huge step forward against abortion, but it didn’t outright ban it. It returned the power to the people. Now, 29 states have laws on the books protecting life. However, there’s a catch. Abortion numbers since Dobbs have actually gone up with an increase of 12% since 2020, climbing from 930,000 to over 1 million in each of the most recent years. So how can this be? The answer is simple, the abortion drug. Today, over 60% of U.S. abortions involve abortion drugs, many of these without medical oversight. In 2021, the Biden administration quietly removed bare minimum longstanding safety protocols for the abortion drug that have existed for 20 years to protect women from life-threatening risks and ensuring informed consent. The Biden DOJ then declared that they would not enforce the Comstock Act, which prevents the mailing of anything that causes an abortion. This is not only illegal, but also dangerous. A study shows nearly 11% of women who take the abortion drug end up in the emergency room with serious complications. Unless the Trump administration reverses these reckless Biden-era policies, pro-life laws will remain largely symbolic. Without a full review and repeal of Mifepristone, unborn lives will remain in grave danger and pregnant mothers will remain at risk. Let’s stand for life and end this mail order abortion drug pipeline. Sign the petition urging the Trump administration to take action at frc.org slash stop chemical abortion.
SPEAKER 04 :
This is Washington Watch and I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Well, following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, there has been renewed interest in President Trump’s desire to acquire the territory of Greenland. When pressed about it by reporters over the weekend, the president said acquiring Greenland would benefit the U.S. and the European Union. And the White House press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, later put out statements to the press saying the use of U.S. military is, quote, always an option, end quote. Well, joining me now to talk about this, Brigadier General John Teichert, former Assistant Deputy Undersecretary for Air Force and the Air Force for International Affairs. General, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Tony, thanks for having me again. There’s no question of the value of Greenland, but you don’t have to own something to use it, do you?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, you don’t. And we get all or almost all of the benefits from Greenland by the partnership we currently have with Greenland and Denmark. There are economic benefits, there are security benefits, there are diplomatic benefits. And we have a very robust series of mechanisms to allow for collaboration in Greenland, including a U.S. Air Force or Space Force base. that we utilize regularly. And I don’t know why now we are threatening implicitly or explicitly our friend and our partner in Denmark and Greenland to try to bargain better and get those benefits that we’re already receiving from that territory.
SPEAKER 04 :
General, I’ve not heard much about this in the discussion, but as I was researching a little bit more, there’s a little-known Cold War agreement that was signed back in 1951 that basically gives the United States the run of Greenland. Now, it was amended in 2004 to say, at least tell us what you’re going to do, but we can pretty much do everything or anything we need to do right now.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, that’s exactly right. And those mechanisms for collaboration can allow us mutual benefit from the territory by working alongside of our Danish and our Greenlander partners. And I reflect back on the US Space Force base that’s already there, the agreement that allows space situational awareness, missile defense, Arctic defense. And I have no doubt that if we ask Denmark and Greenland for an economic collaboration on critical minerals or oil or another base or a series of bases, then we could easily get to yes on that without, again, threatening our friends and our partners.
SPEAKER 04 :
So wait a minute, you just mentioned the critical minerals. Is that an issue here? Because we have access for military defense purposes. Is it the minerals and such that are under the ice?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, there are a lot of critical minerals, rare earth metals and oil that is there in the territory. But we have economic agreements with Greenland and Denmark that can allow us the benefit of exploring and exploiting those minerals, metals and that oil. And there’s no reason why we need to own it to benefit from it. And I think that we could very easily, without threats, pursue opportunities for added collaboration to benefit economically, like we already are, but maybe even a larger extent without the threats that we’ve seen in the last few days.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, General Teicher, let me ask you a bigger question here, because we’re talking about Greenland, but there’s a bigger issue, and that is the NATO alliance. What would it be like if, I mean, we’re talking about using the military against another country that has, that it’s in NATO.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, the NATO alliance would essentially crumble if we did what we’ve been suggesting we might do. And it even reflects back to the bigger item, which is this, that the greatest strategic advantage the United States has is that we have developed and painstakingly maintained a large and trusting network of allies and partners since the end of World War II that has uniquely benefited the United States. And the thing about friends, Tony, is that when you make threats to them, you turn around at some point and realize they’re not there. And if we didn’t have friends, allies, and partners that deter our adversaries and we provide mutual benefit alongside of, then that would be profoundly harmful to the United States economically, militarily, diplomatically, and politically.
SPEAKER 04 :
I mean, you dealt with the international aspects of relationships when you were in the United States Air Force as a general. How do we calm things down here and move forward in a way that, you know, there’s no question of the strategic benefit of Greenland, but it benefit more than just the United States.
SPEAKER 16 :
It does. And I really hope that when Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits down with his counterparts next week, probably in the middle of the week, that they come to some conclusions about the mutual benefit of how we can work together to use Greenland alongside of Denmark and our NATO partners. And the thing that I definitely realize here is that the president loves the negotiating tactic of keeping all options on the table. And in general, when working against adversaries, that’s wise. You don’t want the adversary to know what you’re not going to do because it simplifies their strategic calculus. But the trust that’s ingrained in this large network of allies and partners allows us to benefit massively and mutually. And the problem with threats is that we can’t explore the benefits because now you don’t have the trust that cements the nations together. And I fear that even that comment from the Secretary Leavitt, the press secretary, that now has a chilling effect on a relationship that can start to thaw any of the benefits that we get from a close relationship with NATO and allies and partners.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, General, that’s a really good point. I mean, the president is a great negotiator. I mean, he holds himself out as the art of the deal. But real estate is something different when you’re talking about a building in Manhattan as you’re talking rather than a country. It doesn’t necessarily work the same. General, always great to see you. Thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate your insights.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thank you, Tony.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. Well, again, just another thing to add to your prayer item, prayer list. I do appreciate that the president does things differently and it kind of disrupts the status quo because the status quo doesn’t always work. But we need wisdom in all things. We need to be praying that he would do that. All right. Senator, Congressman Chris Smith joins me next. So don’t go away. More.
SPEAKER 03 :
should a christian support israel that question has become one of the most emotionally charged issues of our time both in the world and within the church family research council president tony perkins offers a clear biblical and prophetic answer in his latest book He examines Israel’s past, present, and future through the lens of Scripture, revealing why support for Israel is not rooted in politics, partisanship, or cultural sentiment, but in the unchanging promises of God. Drawing from Genesis to Revelation, Tony Perkins demonstrates that the ultimate rationale for a Christian’s support for Israel is spiritual. Should a Christian Support Israel invites believers to see beyond headlines and ideologies, returning to the foundation of God’s Word to understand His heart for His chosen people and the blessings that flow when we stand with what He has established forever. Text the word Israel to 67742 for more information.
SPEAKER 13 :
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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. and look for new episodes each week.
SPEAKER 04 :
This is Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in. Let me encourage you, if you’ve not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, to go to the app store and get the Stand Firm app. Not only will you have access to Washington Watch each and every day, but you’ll have access to the Washington Stand, our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, and you’ll have access to my daily devotional, Stand on the Word. And by the way, Our word for today comes from Genesis chapter 18. For I have known him in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him. This verse reveals the underlying reason for God’s personal relationship with Abraham. God chose him not merely to bless him, but so that he would lead others, his children, his household, and others under his influence to keep the way of the Lord by practicing righteousness and justice. Abraham’s faith was never meant to be private or passive. It was meant to be lived out and passed on. The same is true for us. God has placed people within our sphere of influence, children, grandchildren, extended family, coworkers, and neighbors, and how we steward those relationships matter. By faithfully walking in obedience and directing others toward the Lord, we participate in God’s larger purposes. Now notice the order in the passage. Abraham’s leadership in righteousness and justice came before the fulfillment of God’s promises. God’s promises require faithful action on our part. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. Okay, I want to go back to an issue that we discussed earlier in the program with Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, and that is the Hyde Amendment, this legislative provision. It’s an annual rider that for 50 years, 50 years, has prohibited the use of federal funds on most abortions. In the 1990s, it was changed to allow for exceptions for rape and incest or to save the life of the mother. But this was a part of actually Henry Hyde. from Congressman, Republican Congressman from Illinois, actually introduced this three years after, it actually passed, three years after Roe v. Wade was decided or imposed upon the nation by the court. And my next guest hasn’t been in Congress those entire 50 years, but pretty close. having been in office since 1981. And throughout the time, he has been a stalwart defending the sanctity of human life. And as you will see, as he’s been on the program many times, he has been an advocate for the persecuted. Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey is going to be joining. He serves in several roles in the House, including serving as the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and the co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. He represents the 4th Congressional District. of New Jersey, and the House is just wrapping up a vote, so he’s headed back to join us. But while we’re waiting for him to join us, I want to bring in Kena Gonzalez, who is the director of our government affairs. Kena, thanks for joining us today here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 09 :
I’m sorry I’m not Chris Smith, but 20 years ago I worked for him, and he was a veteran even then on this issue, Tony.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, he has advocated relentlessly for the unborn. And while we’re waiting for him, I want to play this clip again from President Trump yesterday when he was talking to the Republicans about the Hyde Amendment. And then I’m going to let you fill in, kind of give the context. Play that clip again, please.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, you have to be a little flexible on Hyde. You know that. You’ve got to be a little flexible. You’ve got to work something. You’ve got to use ingenuity. You’ve got to work. We’re all big fans of everything, but you’ve got to be flexible. You have to have flexibility.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, so give our viewers and listeners the context of those comments.
SPEAKER 09 :
Sure. So, Tony, the president spoke for a little over, I believe, two hours to Republicans on the Hill, and he was really speaking to them about what he thinks it’s going to take to have a successful year, right? We’ve just come back from Christmas. We just came back from the longest government shutdown ever. when Democrats shut down the government. And so he was laying out any number of ideas that he thinks would be helpful for Republicans to really focus on, both legislatively and then as we get towards the end of the year, right? The open secret in Washington is it’s an election year and everyone’s running for reelection. And so this comment really caught a lot of people on the Hill and off the Hill by surprise, this idea of flexibility on Hyde, because Hyde has actually been, as you’ve alluded to earlier in the program, a bipartisan agreement that whatever your views of abortion, taxpayers should not be forced to pay for it. And as you said, it’s been in place since three years after Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade is now overturned, but Hyde continues to be applied every year to the spending bills that move through through Congress and so the idea that suddenly this year for some reason not only must we abandon Hyde but that Republicans should be complicit in that abandonment or not abandonment but compromise or flexibility has really caught a lot of people off guard.
SPEAKER 04 :
kane you know how this works here in in washington dc so you make an exception this time you say all right well all right we’ve got to solve this problem therefore the democrats don’t want hide on this extension of uh subsidies so we just got it this but just this time we’re just not going to do it republicans agree to that they have broken a long-standing position on the sanctity of human life and the fact that taxpayers would not be forced to engage in funding abortions.
SPEAKER 09 :
It is really remarkable. It’s been in every party platform since Roe v. Wade until two years ago. And President Trump coming in, one of his first executive orders was mandating the extensive application of the Hyde principle across the government. He issued an executive order in his first month in office on enforcing the Hyde Amendment. So this is a remarkable moment we’re in. You’re right. Compromise here on something seemingly small, maybe seemingly temporary, is really a red flag because we don’t want to be the party of compromise.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think it’s not just a red flag. It’s a red line. I think it’s one that we cannot cross. Kena, thanks so much for joining us. Congressman Chris Smith is now ready to join us. I’m going to let you go and I’m going to let the congressman come in. So bye, Kena. Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey joins us now. He just ran off the House floor after casting a vote. Congressman Chris Smith, thanks so much for joining us today. Appreciate you hustling back to the studio.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, thank you, Tony. I appreciate it. The vote is actually occurring on bringing up the discharge petition and the Obamacare subsidy continuation for three years. The actual debate on the bill will be tomorrow. But it’s, in my opinion, very unfortunate that a number of Republicans have voted to bring this up. It does not have the Hyde Amendment, as you’ve just pointed out in that last back and forth, and has not, you know, Obamacare has not had the Hyde Amendment ever, despite all the lies that were put out by Obama himself with his bogus executive order in 2010, saying that the Hyde will apply. It does not apply. In my state, Tony, you can’t even get a policy under Obamacare that does not pay for abortion on demand. And we allow abortions right to birth in my state.
SPEAKER 04 :
Congressman, you weren’t on when we were talking about it. You served with Henry Hyde. Yes. You’ve been in Congress not 50 years, but close to about 40 years. You’ve served in Congress since 1981. This has been a bipartisan accepted view that it’s a moral issue, as Henry Hyde pointed out, that we should not force people to engage in something that many, many Americans see as immoral, and that is the taking of the life of the unborn.
SPEAKER 07 :
Tony, you said it perfectly. Henry Hyde was a huge, amazing leader. In every debate, you wanted him to be the closer. He was so articulate. But he stood up for the unborn in 1976. That was the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment. Clinton tried to get rid of it. Obama tried to get rid of it. Biden tried to get rid of it. But there was once a very strong bipartisan consensus. When I first got here in 1981, there were about 80 pro-life Democrats. Now they’re down to zero. because it’s the party of death, the Democratic Party. I say that with sadness. But the Hyde Amendment has saved something on the order of 2.6 million children who otherwise would have been killed through abortion, but the funding wasn’t there to enable it. And I remember when Henry himself learned that about a million kids have been saved, and that’s a million women who don’t go through the agony of that irreversible decision and post-abortion syndrome. When he heard that, he had tears in his eyes. I’ll never forget it. So, you know, a great man, a great legacy. And we need to be firm and say no. You know, I put it into HR 7 every year. It’s passed the House four times. that says Obamacare will no longer subsidize abortion on demand, passes the House, has not passed the Senate. It hasn’t passed in this Congress yet. We need to grow our numbers so that we can get this protection so at least the taxpayer is not complicit in dismembering and chemically poisoning babies.
SPEAKER 04 :
Were any of your colleagues moved to reconsider their support for Hyde by the president’s comments yesterday?
SPEAKER 07 :
I don’t think so. I think it caused some bewilderment, you know, that we needed to be flexible. What does that mean? You know, the child who’s about to be exterminated in a very painful way, especially through dismemberment, but even the child who starved to death through the abortion pill, almost nobody, you know it, I know it, it kills the baby by starving that little girl or little boy to death. We also know it’s very dangerous to women, based on the most recent data that came out last April, a complication rate of 11 percent when they advertised that it’s less than one-half of 1 percent. So women are suffering. Babies are suffering. No, we need to reassert our commitment to the most defenseless group of people on earth unborn children, and I would say to their mothers. It’s the biggest lie and deception ever that somehow killing a baby is pro-women. My wife is very pro-life. The women that make up the pro-life movement, and it primarily is led by women who are just amazing. So we have to redouble our efforts to protect life.
SPEAKER 04 :
You may have caught my conversation with Kena Gonzalez about the what you’ve been around long enough. You know what happens if an exception is made one time. If we say just we’ve got to address this crisis in health care because these people are going to be losing their health care and the Democrats won’t vote for it unless it covers abortion. And so it’s the Republicans who have to be flexible. They have to be the ones that vote. not flexible basically throw their principles out the window but if you do it one time you’ll do it a second time if you do it a second time you’ll do it a third time and before you know it we are funding abortions in this country wholesale
SPEAKER 07 :
No, there’s no doubt about that concern. Luckily, the Health and Human Services and all the other, the Hyde Amendment, as it’s embedded in there for Medicaid, federal Medicaid only, not state Medicaid, that’s intact and will fight. But that’s an annual rider.
SPEAKER 04 :
Annual fight. And so if Republicans cave on this, and I’m not suggesting they would because you’re right. I’ve talked to many of them. They’re resolute. But the call, the call by the president to abandon your principle on Obamacare, I believe will carry over into that annual rider.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, that’s a very important point to make about that. potentiality of that outcome, because that would be horrible. We need to get abortion out of Obamacare. My bill, H.R. 7, no taxpayer funding for abortion, would make every one of the riders, and I did the rider on federal employees’ health benefits program back in 1984, and that’s intact, it’s saved, but it’s always at risk, just like the Hyde Amendment, so that we don’t pay for it in the FEHB program. But Obamacare, there was so much lies and deception and subterfuge to get that passed. Even Obama put out an executive order in 2010. And when I read it, I said, well, what’s our problem? It says Obamacare is covered by Hyde. Biggest lie I have seen in 45 years as a member of Congress. But it convinced some of the pro-life Democrats to vote for it. But you’re right. Precedent becomes potentially habitual, and we don’t want that. So we’ve got to be very concerned about, you know, we’ve got to stand for these little babies and their moms.
SPEAKER 04 :
So let’s talk about—we just have a couple minutes left. Let’s talk about the vote tomorrow. It’s with a few Republicans joining the Democrats. It’s going to pass. It’s going to go over to the Senate. Probably nothing happened with it over in the Senate. But there is going to be some resolution, some way, somehow, to this crisis that’s been created by these subsidies that were approved totally initially by Democrats. Republicans have never voted for these subsidies for Obamacare. So what is the way forward? resolved?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I think we have to grow our numbers. Much of what was touted as the subsidies getting new coverage for people was actually a redefinition pursuant to the Medicaid law that allowed more people to be considered as needy and therefore eligible for Medicaid. So many of those who became now with a health care program, it was through Medicaid, not through Obamacare. But that said, Obamacare advertised that everyone would save, Obama himself said it, $25,000 average cost savings per year beginning with the first year. When the first year was over, it went up by 25,000. That’s 50,000 difference between the two, 5,000, I should say, between the two, and it’s gone up ever since. It’s the unaffordable care act. And so we just, we have to come up with a better health. It needs to be overhauled.
SPEAKER 04 :
It has to be overhauled. And I don’t think you’re not going to be able to do that in a couple of days. I mean, this is going to take some.
SPEAKER 07 :
Many of our Republicans, Tony, like me, we’re being picketed. That only makes my resolve more in our district. I’ve become stronger rather than less so because, you know, they’re all for abortion being included in this plan. And again, in my state, you can’t get an Obamacare plan It doesn’t pay for abortion.
SPEAKER 04 :
And as you pointed out, the underlying plan doesn’t work. It’s the Unaffordable Care Act. Congressman Chris Smith, always great to see you. Thank you, my friend, for being such a stalwart for the unborn.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you, Tony. You’ve been tremendous. You’re a force in Washington, that’s for sure.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you. And folks, thank you for tuning in and make this a top prayer item. We’ve got to get the administration on the right side of this issue consistently. All right. Until next time, keep standing.
SPEAKER 12 :
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.
