In this episode of Washington Watch, host Jody Heiss dives deep into the latest developments concerning the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We explore the political intricacies behind this impasse, the impact on American travelers, and the reactions from various stakeholders. The episode also sheds light on the massive protests against President Trump’s policies and their implications for national security.
SPEAKER 20 :
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. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 15 :
Democrats in Congress have pushed our air travel system to its breaking point and inflicted massive pain on Americans with their reckless political games, all of this creating an unacceptable heightened security risk. Because of the Democrats’ unwillingness to do their basic job of funding DHS,
SPEAKER 11 :
That was Caroline Levitt earlier today on the Democrats pushing our air travel system to its breaking point. Welcome to this Monday, March 30th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Jody Heiss, filling in today for Tony. By the way, I want to thank you for your prayers for Tony and his family during the passing of his dad. And Tony is scheduled to be back in the saddle tomorrow. But thank you for lifting up him and his family. So glad to have you joining us for this holy week as we anticipate the upcoming Resurrection Sunday. Glad to have you. We’ve got a packed show lined up for you today. Virginia Congressman Morgan Griffith will be joining us shortly to dive into the latest from the partial DHS shutdown stalemate. We’ll also examine last week’s No Kings protest and the mayhem that broke out in multiple cities. And also, is the U.S. moving any closer to an agreement to end military operations in Iran? Well, we’ll be talking about that later in the program. All right, protests against President Donald Trump’s policies and the war in Iran drew millions of people this weekend. And in some instances, demonstrators became violent and actually clashed with law enforcement officers. And joining us now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper. Casey, it looked like a lot of people turned out for the No Kings rallies. What were they actually protesting?
SPEAKER 19 :
Yeah, that’s right, Jody. I mean, just looking at footage from big cities all around the country, saw millions of people turning out, including some international participants, to protest President Trump and his agenda, and in particular the ongoing war in Iran. Now, you mentioned that violence, which was very real, but generally it was rare at the many different cities at these No Kings protests. They did remain mostly peaceful. Now, authorities say that that unrest you mentioned in Los Angeles began after a dispersal order was ignored by protesters, and then protesters started throwing rocks, bottles, and chunks of concrete even at the officers, injuring at least two of them. Police, of course, responded by deploying tear gas, and they actually arrested 74 people, including some juveniles and one individual suspected of carrying a weapon. Now, officials emphasize that while many demonstrations across the country were peaceful, incidents like this are fueling criticism that some of these protests are becoming more about disruption than dialogue, Jodi.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, certainly enormous crowds. No question about that. Thanks for that, Casey. If I can, I wanted to turn a little bit to the DHS shutdown. It looked to me as though last Friday we were at least potentially getting close to resolving that. But frankly, it looks like now we’re back to square one. What’s the latest? What’s going on with that?
SPEAKER 19 :
Yeah, unfortunately I think you’re you’re right about that Jody on Friday morning the Senate passed a measure to fund TSA and FEMA but not Border Patrol and ice. So the House of course rejected this and they passed their own stopgap funding bill that would open the entire government. Now this means that DHS will remain partially shut down for at least another two weeks, if not more. The House is in recess and actually here is a clip of what happened in the Senate today.
SPEAKER 08 :
Senate will come to order. Clerk will read a communication to the Senate.
SPEAKER 01 :
Washington, DC, March 30, 2026. To the Senate, under the provisions of Rule 1, Paragraph 3 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby appoint the Honorable John Hoeven, a senator from the state of North Dakota, to perform the duties of the chair. Signed, Chuck Grassley, president pro tempore.
SPEAKER 08 :
Under the previous order, the Senate stands adjourned until 7 AM on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
SPEAKER 19 :
So April 2nd, Jody, that is not an April Fool’s joke, unfortunately. So with the Senate scheduled to be out until at least Thursday, there’s no immediate movement towards reopening DHS. Meanwhile, President Trump earlier today, he pushed Congress to return to D.C. and bring an end to what is actually now a 45-day historic shutdown.
SPEAKER 11 :
It is historic. So what is this doing, Casey, in airports? Are we still seeing massive lines everywhere?
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, there definitely is still some disruption and things are getting worked out, but President Trump’s order does appear to be making a difference. Major U.S. airports that faced massive delays for weeks, places like Baltimore, Houston, New York, New Orleans, and Dallas, are now reporting very short security lines as operations start to return to normal. The delays came after about 50,000 TSA officers were going unpaid during this partial government shutdowns. And as you know, many airports were seeing hours, maybe four hours, five hours long lines as thousands of workers were absent. But President Trump signed an emergency directive on Friday to ensure that TSA workers were paid, and some reported receiving their paychecks early Monday, helping to stabilize airport operations. And we have a clip here of White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt earlier today.
SPEAKER 15 :
President Trump determined that these circumstances constituted an emergency, compromising American security. That’s why, last week, he accordingly signed a presidential memorandum to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them, but for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown.
SPEAKER 19 :
Now, to handle the spring break travel surge, hundreds of immigration and homeless security officers were deployed at over a dozen of these airports to help stabilize things. But these are all short-term solutions, Jody. If Congress doesn’t get that full funding pass, we’re going to see more headaches.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. Short term or not, a little bit of good news. Casey, thank you as always for giving us these updates. All right. I want to turn now to Capitol Hill and get the latest on the DHS funding stalemate battle that’s going on. Joining us to discuss this is Congressman Morgan Griffith. He serves on the House Rules Committee and represents Virginia’s 9th Congressional District. Congressman Griffith, always great to have you on Washington Watch. Welcome back. Good to see you.
SPEAKER 12 :
Good to be back and it’s always good to see you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Alright, so look before I want to get to the DHS funding battle, but but let me start with the no Kings rallies that took place over the weekend in several cities. What’s your impression of these events?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, certainly American citizens have the right to get out and protest the government. They, as long as they’re peaceful, are absolutely appropriate. This is part of our system and a part of what we do. When they go into violence, when they don’t follow the orders of law enforcement officers, they cross the line.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, and fortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of that, but a little bit of it. But, yeah, it’s quite a large number of people. We’ll certainly be watching that in the weeks to come. If I can, Congressman, let me come back to Capitol Hill and the DHS funding battle. Last Friday was quite a hectic day for the House. I think generally speaking, that would be true. It looks like there’s no real solution yet. Bring us up to speed on this battle and where things go from here as the Senate is in recess and the House is about to do the same.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, you know, in reality, Speaker Johnson had a compromise. The Senate chose today not to take that compromise, and that was to do a short-term CR on the two areas of contention so that we could continue to fund TSA, et cetera, and Border Patrol until we could get back into D.C. and do things. The Senate chose not to do what’s called a unanimous consent, which they do all the time. It’s basically how they pass their bill. uh… thursday night friday morning was that they had like five senators there and they used voted everybody else because they said it’s up for unanimous consent and there was nobody on the floor to object uh… they could have done that today they chose not to they could do it again on thursday it was not the full package forever it was the full package that which everybody’s agreed to plus the two areas that are now in contention originally that was agreed to also but the two areas now in contention would go on for about six weeks, and then we would have time to get together and figure out how to resolve our differences. The Senate has chosen not to do that. This is a Senate shutdown. Unfortunately, they seem to think it’s good. Most of us think it’s bad for the Republic, bad for a country, and bad for the Senate.
SPEAKER 11 :
So what are the obstacles with the Senate Democrats in particular? What is the issue that they can’t overcome?
SPEAKER 12 :
They feel like that with ICE having killed a couple of Americans in the process of trying to deport all those millions of people that the Biden administration let cross the border, that instead of waiting on the process of law enforcement and judicial oversight to take place, they want to take action now. Therefore, they say we’re going to defund ICE and maybe abolish ICE going forward. I mean, that’s their position. It is illogical. It is dangerous for the country, particularly because we have even more terrorist types who want to take advantage of our weaknesses right now because of the war in Iran. It’s bad policy. It’s bad for the country. But they’re about making political points, and with their base, they’re scoring political points.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow. Well, maybe with a base, we’ll see how those points score with the rest of the country. If I can switch topics with you real quickly. Right there in Virginia, where you’re from, voters are about to decide whether or not to redraw the state’s congressional maps. Of course, early voting is already underway. Election Day itself coming up on April 21st. How crucial do you think is this election process? particularly for Republican hopes as we come into this fall.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, it’s extremely crucial. It’s crucial for Virginia because Virginians voted to get away from partisan gerrymandering in 2020. 65 plus percent of the people voted to say no more on the political games in gerrymandering. And here come the Democrats and they say, let’s change our Constitution. Let’s play political games now. We don’t want political games most of the time, but we want them when we want them. And they want to change the Constitution to allow for the next three cycles to be done according to the rules they set up and to change the districts dramatically their hope is to cost the republicans four of the five virginia republican seats and uh it’s bad government and it clearly is in violation of the trust that the american american people the virginia people put in our constitution uh and yet they’ve got you know they’re spending tens of millions of dollars they’ve got barack obama on tv they’re pushing hard they got abigail abigail spanberger pushing at the governor uh saying you know if you want to restore fairness you have to vote yes when in fact fairness is a no vote but you know let’s not let the truth get in the way
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, and literally when you say that, I mean, we’ve got billionaire George Soros and other groups reportedly spending, I mean, I’ve heard as much as over $30 million that has been spent in this redistricting fight.
SPEAKER 12 :
Estimates are now $50 to $60 million will be spent. Soros has put in at least $5 from what I understand. But $30 million is already in the coffers, and we’ve got three weeks to go. So it looks like to me they may spend that $50.
SPEAKER 11 :
So what are you hearing? I mean, where is this going to go, do you think? Any prediction?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think it’s 50-50. It’s all about whether or not our people show up. And we do believe that if people just look at the two sets of maps, the maps that were drawn by nonpartisan commissioners and approved by the Supreme Court versus the maps drawn by the politicians in the back room in Richmond, I think they will see which map is fair. And Virginians have to decide what’s fair for Virginia. It’s not our job to decide what’s fair in California, New York, or Texas. But that’s what the And Democrats want you to have to believe that Virginians need to do something because they don’t like what happened in Texas. And as you know, if you have two kids and one of them misbehaves, you don’t let the other one misbehave, too, just because, well, it’s only fair he gets to misbehave. So for those Democrats who think that Texas misbehaved, let Virginia misbehave is not the answer.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow. Thank you so much, Congressman Morgan Griffith. Always an honor to have you joining us on Washington Watch, and thanks for all you do. I appreciate it. Happy Easter to you.
SPEAKER 12 :
Happy Easter. Thanks.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, friends, coming up after the break, FRC’s Ariel Del Turco will be joining me to consider the disturbing, disturbing continuing violence against Christians in Nigeria. All that right after the break. Stay with us.
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When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them.
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I think all people really need to have this type of education.
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I think this course is a reminder that a biblical worldview should really impact everything. It impacts our government from the federal to the state to the local. It should impact what we’re doing with our families and with our work.
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I would encourage all people to take it. I almost wish I would have took it earlier that I could have taught my kids this. I wish I had known these things when we were homeschooling because I think children and my adults now would just greatly be influenced by that information.
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So I’m an attorney, and for me, it gives me some direct practical knowledge of what I can do to try to impact my legal community, to make better legislation, to try to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical worldview, which is what we really want.
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Any pastor would benefit from taking this course because we are dual citizens, right? We are citizens of the kingdom of God, but we’re also citizens of this great land, and that comes with responsibility.
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Even as someone who has been involved in these types of issues for a while, you’re learning little bits and pieces of new stuff all the time. But it’s also approachable enough that newer people, younger people, high school, college students, they can really glean something from this. So… I would encourage everybody to take this course, whether it’s the videos, whether it’s doing it in person, bring your Bible study group through it, bring your homeschool group through it and equip yourself for these challenging days ahead.
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View the course at frc.org slash God and government or on the Stand Firm app.
SPEAKER 11 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m your host Jody Heist. So glad to have you joining us today. Thanks for being on board. All right. We continue to track the horrific violence against our Christian brothers and sisters that’s been taking place in Nigeria. And last night there was yet another attack in the country’s north central region. It led to the deaths of at least 20 people. And of course, all of this just adds to the relentless spate of violence that’s been taking place in the country. And joining us now to discuss this is Ariel Del Turco. She, of course, is the director of the Center for Religious Liberty here at the Family Research Council. She also just recently returned from spending some time in Nigeria herself. Ariel, always great to have you on Washington Watch. Welcome back.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you, Jodi.
SPEAKER 11 :
Okay, so we had another attack in Nigeria last night. How does this latest incident fit into the broader violence that we’ve been seeing against Christians in that country?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, Jodi, this attack is actually not far from where I visited, close to Joss, Nigeria, in Plateau State. That’s in the northern part of Nigeria, where we’re seeing these conflicts between Muslims and Christian villages. And typically what these attacks look like are Fulani militants Fulani is a Muslim-majority tribe in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. They will storm into a village, typically in the middle of the night, often on motorcycles, extremely fast and hard to track from the military, and just slaughter villages. They’ll take people for ransom, kidnap them. They’ll commit all sorts of horrific crimes. So this latest incident was a really bad one with a really high number, of these Fulani attacks that we’ve seen in Nigeria for years now. And finally, we’re seeing come to international awareness.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow. So what was your experience when you were there recently? What did you see? What did you experience? Did you feel safe? What was it like?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, I got to speak with many victims who have survived these attacks, women whose husbands or sons or brothers have been killed, people who have been raped in these attacks. We met with one woman and visited her house, and she described what these attacks were like routinely. Her village was unfortunately targeted routinely by attacks, and she said what she did is that she would just stay in her house with their doors locked in prey, even though she knows that these door locks can’t stop the Fulani militants if they choose to target her house. So that’s the reality that so many of these people are living in. And they don’t really have the means to move. And their entire families are in these villages. But this is a routine story. And I think I was shocked by that, by just how matter-of-factly some of these people would talk about these attacks. But I think that’s because they’ve been going on for so long. It’s a part of their normal life now, sadly.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow. So you’re an expert in all of this. How should the international community respond to what’s taking place in Nigeria?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, last November, President Trump really brought a lot of attention to this specific issue happening in Nigeria. And I think that really woke up the Nigerian government to be like, hey, this isn’t just a domestic issue that’s always going to happen and we don’t really want to address. It’s actually something that the US government wants us to address, which was a very powerful move. So we really need to see more concentration from Western governments who are able to help advise the Nigerian government on security matters, on justice matters. We see routinely that these attackers don’t face any sort of punishment by the justice system. So there’s a lot that Western governments can be helping the Nigerian government on right now. And so I would love to see that continue.
SPEAKER 11 :
So is there more that the U.S. government can do? You referenced that the Trump administration has designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern. Are there additional steps that you would like to see from the U.S. government?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, when President Trump enacted this designation at the end of last year, that was really encouraging because this is something that President Biden refused to do for four years, even though there was ample evidence of the persecution continually happening there. So now the Trump administration is in the mode of developing their game plan for how exactly they’re going to address this. The State Department This has been brought to the top of the State Department’s priority list. That’s really good. And President Trump is reviewing the recommendations that he asked Representative Riley Moore to compile. So we’re seeing a lot of encouraging movement on this issue. Now we really just need to see what actions President Trump is going to take. And maybe some of those will be private with the Nigerian government, but we’re really waiting to see how that plan is going to unfold.
SPEAKER 11 :
If I can bring this whole issue of religious liberty and aggression, hostility towards Christians in particular, a little bit closer to home. Of course, FRC continues to track the attacks on churches that have been taking place right here in the United States. In fact, recently a man pled guilty and is now facing decades behind bars for threatening to blow up a Catholic church in D.C. What kind of trends are you seeing and what are you tracking in these incidents here in the U.S.? ?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, the rise of attacks on churches in the U.S. that includes vandalism, but also threats, arson, bomb attacks, things like that. We’ve tracked that for now seven years, and we have seen an increase over those years. And I think a lot of times this tends to be tied to political events. When we saw the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court, we saw a sharp rise in interruption of worship services, in protests, in vandalism. really ugly messages displayed on, spray painted on churches. And so we tend to see some of that as politics tends to heat up, especially if it’s perceived by some political activists as being related to the Christian church or something the Christian church should have a different opinion on. So that’s something we’re consistently watching here in the policy department.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, we are so grateful for your work in that area. 30 seconds or so. How would you encourage Christians to be praying in light of what’s happening both overseas and here at home?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, praying for the advancement of religious freedom around the world, the freedom to choose and change your religion, that that would be protected both by laws, but also by systems of justice and be practically protected, like the country of Nigeria, where there’s just lawlessness that causes Christians to suffer.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thank you so much, Ariel Del Turco from FRC Center for Religious Liberties. Always great to have you on the program. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thanks, Jody.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, friends, coming up, we’re going to shift gears and go to Iran and get the latest as to what’s happening over there. So stay tuned. Much more Washington Watch straight ahead.
SPEAKER 10 :
For over 4,000 years, the Jewish people have had legal, historical, and biblical ties to the land of Israel, especially the heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria, which much of the world still calls the West Bank. To Israelis, Judea and Samaria is far more than a name. It’s the center of their ancestral homeland where nearly 80% of the Bible’s events took place. Abraham purchased property in Hebron, Jacob in Shechem, Joshua made an altar on Mount Ebal and led the Israelites into a covenant before God. On Mount Gerizim, overlooking Shechem, Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well about worshiping neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. Judea and Samaria is nearly a quarter of Israel’s current land mass, not a small strip of land on the Jordan River, but a vital and strategic part of the nation’s identity. The October 7th massacre, launched from Gaza, shattered the illusion that giving away territory brings peace. Gaza, which was once seen as the cornerstone of a two-state solution, became a launchpad for terror. Today, only 21% of Israelis support a Palestinian state. Trust in a two-state solution has all but collapsed. The Middle East is changing. Iran’s grip is weakening. New alliances are forming. But Western countries and some U.S. officials still chase the mirage of a two-state solution. History speaks clearly. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal, backed by the U.S., led not to peace, but to a terrorist regime. Judea and Samaria are 24 times larger than Gaza, deeply woven into Israel’s geographic and spiritual fabric. To surrender them would not bring peace. It would invite conflict and existential danger. Family Research Council stands with Israel’s rightful claim to sovereignty. It’s time for America to do the same for history, for justice, and for lasting security in the Middle East.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thank you for joining us today on Washington Watch. Welcome back. I am your host, Jody, nice filling in today for Tony. All right. As the U.S. military operation continues to take place in Iran, President Trump said on social media earlier today that he’s prepared to completely obliterate Iran’s energy infrastructure, while also noting that negotiations continue to move forward to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But many of the deaths of the leadership in the Iranian regime are actually meaning who are they talking to? Well, joining me now to discuss this and more is retired Lieutenant Colonel Bob McGinnis. He’s a senior fellow for national security here at the Family Research Council. He’s also the author of some 14 books, including the upcoming new AI Cold War, Liberty versus Tyranny in the Age of Machine Empires. Colonel McGinnis, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always an honor to have you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thank you, Jody.
SPEAKER 11 :
Okay, so President Trump has spoken of progress in recent talks, but who are the negotiators speaking with on the Iranian side? It seems like most of their leadership is no longer here.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, the decapitation regime that started on the 28th of February continued and even arguably continues today. You know, those that are truly in charge are, you know, certainly tertiary to the original regime. It’s hard to know exactly. We’ve seen pictures, we’ve seen names and so forth. But I would argue that they have some control. After all, the president has made it very clear that this group that we’re negotiating with have been able to allow transport tankers to exit the Persian Gulf without harassment. And so he’s indicating that that’s a good sign, and one that evidently, working with the Pakistanis, we’ve been able to make some progress against the 15 points that the administration laid out.
SPEAKER 11 :
Okay, so now we have the threat, if you will, from President Trump to destroy Iran’s energy infrastructure. How would you anticipate Tehran to respond to that?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, obviously, that’s their primary life-sustaining economic outlet to the rest of the world. They’ve been supplying arguably 30 percent of the oil that the Chinese need. And of course, they have a strategic relationship with them. But much of Asia does get Persian Gulf oil. And so I would argue that the president’s threat against the energy infrastructure, also arguably the grid, the desalination plants, And of course, to accomplish that, he’s brought in thousands of Marines and portions of the 82nd Airborne with the idea that’s been floated that we would take over Karg Island, which is where most of their oil is put on tankers and then shipped out through the strait. as well as other activities that have demonstrated that we’re very serious about this. So I would imagine that those that are still in charge see that economic disaster, especially removing their water supply through attacks on desalinization, would be very tragic. And of course, the Iranians have threatened to do just the same thing on the western side of the Persian Gulf. So it appears, it sounds, even though there are mixed messages here, as if we’re making progress. And perhaps we’re going to progress to the point that In fact, yeah, remnants of the old administration are left in place, but they’ve been healed significantly and are going to be at least tolerable to the rest of the Middle East.
SPEAKER 11 :
So with all that said, how concerned should we be regarding their ballistic missile capabilities and ability to strike U.S. bases or Israel?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I’ve seen a variety of reports on that. I would say they still have some ballistic missiles. They still have some drones. I don’t think they have a capability to produce many more. And of course, Hegseth and the Pentagon have indicated that their campaign is not complete, that they’re going after the remnants of those ballistic missiles and drones and and other capabilities that the Iranians have. So though they have some, I don’t think it’s robust. And as a result, I think that in a short period of time, they’ll be completely out of an arsenal to retaliate against whatever we would bring to their attention.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, about less than a minute or so to go, but Pakistan has recently announced that they will host negotiations between the US and Iran. What do you think of that move?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I’m not surprised. Islamabad has, of course, had a lot of experience with the Iranians being a neighbor. And, of course, they’ve worked with them vis-a-vis what’s gone on in Afghanistan, as well as elsewhere in the region. You know, the Pakistanis are pretty close to the Saudi Arabians. And so I think as a kind of a middle ground, functionary here. They’re going to be able to bring everybody to the table to discuss what is in the region’s best interest. So the Pakistanis are pretty savvy. So I suspect they’ll be able to accomplish a lot. Hopefully, they’ll be able to push this over the finish line.
SPEAKER 11 :
Great. Thank you so much, Lieutenant Colonel Bob McGinnis. As always, we appreciate your input. Thanks for joining us. All right, stay tuned for more Washington Watch. After the break, we want to shift gears to our new PrayVote Stand chapters that are popping up all over the country. These are exceedingly important parts of a huge strategy that FRC has, and we want to make sure you’re fully aware of it. We’ll tell you all about these PrayVote Stand chapters right after the break. Stay with us.
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The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
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Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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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 11 :
We’re so glad to have you joining us today on Washington Watch. Welcome back. I’m Jody Heist sitting in today for Tony. All right. Despite our mission as being a public policy institute in Washington, D.C., the Family Research Council also remains fully, fully committed to strengthening local churches and equipping believers to stand for biblical truth in their own communities. That’s part of who we are. But it is for that reason that FRC has launched Pray, Vote, Stand chapters that are going up all across the country. Now, these are local gatherings of Christians who are committed to prayer, to biblical engagement, to cultural impact and so forth, all for the purpose of spurring national renewal, one community at the time. And joining us now to discuss this effort is Tim Eccles. He’s the director of our Pray, Vote, Stand chapters here at the Family Research Council. We also have Paul Letvin. He’s a pastor of Submerge Church in Fargo, North Dakota, who recently formed a Pray, Vote, Stand chapter in his community. Tim and Paul, welcome to Washington Watch. Great to have you both.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you, Jody. Thanks so much, Jody.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, Tim, you bet. Tim, let me start with you. I think it’s important that we begin this discussion just with a general overview of the Pray, Vote, Stand chapters and what you’re hoping to accomplish through these.
SPEAKER 09 :
You know, Jody, Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. is demonstrating great bravery even today on this whole mithoprestone chemical abortion issue. And we’re living this out as a ministry, and we want to take that all the way down to the county level. There are 3,144 counties in America. And there are issues that are popping up in these counties. Maybe it’s at the library. Maybe it’s at the county commission. But we want to take our expertise, the media that we have, all the interviews that we do on this show, all the articles in the Washington stand, and we want to push that all the way down and kind of raise the political IQ of folks that are out there in churches across America. Many of them watch our show, read our material, but we want to help them influence others in their own church, Jody.
SPEAKER 11 :
So this is a brand new rollout. I mean, some 35 chapters have already opened, maybe more than that, but how is it going so far? How would you, just give us an update on how this thing is going.
SPEAKER 09 :
We have some outstanding leaders, and I am really looking forward to coaching these leaders and helping them continue to grow. Jody, you were in elected office. I was in elected office for 15 years. And, you know, there’s a difference between a party chapter out there and then what we’re trying to do at a church. We are focused on Bible reading and stand on the word every day with Tony. We’re focused on prayer. We’re focused on the biblical worldview on issues like abortion and gender dysphoria. So we’re trying to bring that to folks out there in communities and churches. And we’ve got one of those one of those chapter leaders on with us today.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, so let me jump over, Paul, to you. What motivated you to get involved in these Pray, Vote, Stand chapters?
SPEAKER 14 :
Thanks, Jody. Yeah, I’ve been very impressed with Family Research Council the last three years that I’ve been involved. And as soon as they announced that they were going to launch the Pray, Vote, Stand chapters, I decided this is what we need to do. A lot of it already fit what we’re already doing with our church anyway. So it hasn’t been a whole lot of extra work. And I knew that it would just be a great fit. And I’m hoping that we can get more people in the community outside of our church involved very soon.
SPEAKER 11 :
So what was it like getting involved? What was involved in starting this chapter or what kind of resources were provided you? Just generally speaking for others who are listening right now who might be interested in this, kind of walk through what it was like starting one of these chapters.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely. Yeah, the resources have been very helpful, even starting with the God and Government course, which I think was released a little over a year ago through the Stand Firm app. And I was drawn to that immediately. And our church actually went through the 13-week version of that last fall. So we were kind of already ahead of the game before we started our Pray, Vote, Stand chapters. That’s one of the things they recommend chapters begin with. is to go through the God and government course. And all our folks had already been through that. So then we were able to kind of go to the next step. After that, they provide resources on how to host a local prayer meeting, how to do a prayer walk, how to get to know government officials. There’s a plethora of resources that have been provided and guides on how to keep the monthly meetings going in a productive and efficient way.
SPEAKER 11 :
Man, how powerful when you think of this, Tim, of the possibility of churches all across the country, potentially in all 3,144 counties you mentioned, where there’s a church leading the way, reaching out to elected officials, getting involved, getting engaged, praying for them, having prayer walk. I mean, this is incredible. So why don’t you take it from there, Tim, and maybe just describe how these Pray, Vote, Stand chapters are different from perhaps just, shall I say, typical small groups or existing Bible studies? What is this doing? What niche is this providing for the church and the community?
SPEAKER 09 :
Now, folks hear the word pray and the pray vote stand, and they think, well, we’ve already got an intercessors group here in our church. Do we really need this? And what we’re doing is combining the importance of prayer and Bible reading with this voting piece, meaning that think citizenship, think your county commission, your city council, your state legislature. We want people to understand how these operate. We’re going to have guest speakers coming in to these chapters. We want FRC resources to be brought to these chapters and for them to understand things maybe better than they’ve ever done in their life. And then on the standing part, Jody, this is what’s really hard is teaching someone to be brave, teaching them to be courageous when something comes up. You think about what just happened in Atlanta with the Atlanta Hawks wanting to do a partnership with a strip club. There were a lot of people that took a stand against that and the NBA stepped in and they curtailed the Atlanta Hawks even being able to do that. And there was an outcry. And Jody, as things come up in cities and counties and states across America, we need an army of Christians who are willing to speak out, that they’re ready, that they already understand the biblical worldview, and then they can articulate that. We’re going to help you be able to do that through our chapter model.
SPEAKER 11 :
So what are the? What’s the vision? Where are these going to go geographically? Where are these based? Where are they going to be going all across the country?
SPEAKER 09 :
We’re really just starting with people that God brings to us. Like today, folks can text chapters to 67742, and you’re going to get an email from me about this. If you’re interested in starting a chapter, being a part of a chapter. Maybe you’re not the leader that you think should handle something like this. We’re going to help you find a co-chair, a prayer coordinator. You can be a part of a team. We want this accordingly. Across America, think about San Bernardino County in California. It’s 184 miles wide, one single county, and you have a lot of people there. It’s probably going to require four or five chapters in one single county, but we’re starting out with just one, Jody, but I think in the end we’ll wind up having over 5,000 chapters in 10 years.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s remarkable. Paul, let me come back to you. Why is it, from a pastor’s perspective, why is it important for Christians to engage in the political discourse?
SPEAKER 14 :
Glad you asked, Jody. In fact, I just preached out of Ephesians 5 this last weekend, and my big idea was, you know, let’s live as light. as Jesus asked us to. Jesus is the light of the world, but he said, you are the light of the world. The city on a hill cannot be hidden. And Jesus calls us to be in the salt of the earth. So he calls us to be salt and light. And these Pray, Vote, Stand chapters, I think, are just a great practical way to help encourage Christians and equip them at the local level to have the skill sets as well as the the courage to take a stand in their community. But of course, we have to pray first. You know, that’s the most important. That’s one thing that our chapter had focused on in one of our meetings, praying for these local officials. And then after you pray for them, then go and reach out to them and show the love of Christ being salt and light in all these areas where God has placed us across the nation.
SPEAKER 11 :
Tim, let me throw that same question to you. Paul, from a pastor’s perspective, just as a national Christian leader perspective, you kind of have a bird’s eye view of what’s happening in churches across the country. Why should Christians, why should churches be engaged in the political discourse?
SPEAKER 09 :
You know, if you wait till there’s an emergency in your city or your county and you’re panicking because you want to stop some hot issue that’s coming or an issue that’s If you wait until that moment to build a relationship with an elected official, it’s really too late. You need to build relationships with elected officials now. And that starts with inviting them to your chapter or helping your chapter members get to know them. Get their cell phone number in their phone. Let them know we’re praying for you. Do things out of service to them. And then when something comes up, Jody, then you’ve got the opportunity to reach out and say, hey, we’re concerned about this issue or how this might impact our church or Christians. in our area. So I think, Jody, we need to be proactive in getting to know elected officials. You and I were both elected officials. I had a guy call me every Wednesday and say, I’m praying for you. How can I pray for you today? And that meant a lot to me.
SPEAKER 11 :
Oh yeah, those messages, those text messages, phone calls, mean the world. People don’t realize the attacks that elected officials live with day in and day out, verbal and otherwise. And to have people… reaching out to them, encouraging them, letting them know that they’re praying for them, it just means the world to them. Pastor Paul, let me come back to you. What advice would you have to Christians out there who would say that it’s not biblical to participate in politics, for Christians to participate? How would you respond to that?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, our Lord said that you are, or there’s the saying that we need to be in the world, but not of the world. And Jesus has put us here for a reason. We’re Christ’s ambassadors. We’re citizens of heaven. And yet here we are. On this earth, for us in particular, we’re in the United States of America, and we’re called to be ambassadors for Christ. And there is no realm that God does not reign over, whether it’s the public school system, whether it’s churches, whether it’s politics, whether it’s government. God created all of it, and he wants all of it to function in a way that is just and righteous. And he calls us to be active participants in that. He invites us to be active participants in that. And the government system is no
SPEAKER 11 :
exception that that is a sphere that christians need to be involved in yeah and particularly a great point i think you know right here in america not only do we have the biblical mandate as you said to be salt and light but we’re in a country that our entire political system does not work without we the people being involved in it so we have both a biblical and just a structural invitation to be involved tim let me go back to you there are there are some christians who may feel overwhelmed, just absolutely overwhelmed by the culture. And they wonder, really, at the end of the day, if their small efforts really make a difference. What kind of encouragement would you give to them?
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, we certainly don’t want to overburden anyone in thinking, hey, it’s my fault that this is happening. Look, we need to call upon the Lord. Only He and deliver spiritual revival we just need to continue to ask him for that and you know you take the little things happening in your area maybe you just need to be faithful to get to know your city council or your county commission Jody, I think we often see cable news out there and we think, wow, it’s so difficult to engage in politics. And it really isn’t. These are public servants. And oftentimes people are not communicating with them. They’re not building relationships with them. We want to help you do that. We want to help you have a prayer breakfast this summer celebrating the 250th anniversary of our country. We’ll coach you through that. These chapters are important. they’re agenda-driven, they’re resource-driven. We’re going to help you be successful if you want to start a chapter.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s awesome. All right, Pastor Paul, back to you. All right, pastor to pastor, speak to the pastors out there right now who are listening. What would you say to them if some of them are thinking about possibly a Pray, Vote, Stand chapter in their church?
SPEAKER 14 :
I think it’s important for us to remember that There are so many people out there that need the gospel. And government elected officials are part of those people. They’re real people. They’re people that have hopes and dreams and families just like we do. And they happen to be in positions that affect our daily living. So just based on that. And all these churches that say, yep, we just, we preach the gospel here. We preach the gospel. Well, preach the gospel to these government leaders. There was even a government official that I was talking to last month and I asked her, what would you think about us having you come and tell us about what you do and giving us a chance to pray for you? And she said, my cup runneth over. That would be incredible. And right there, you know, she’s a real person that wants prayer. She wants people to pray for them. So I would say, absolutely. If you’re a pastor, jump on board with this. It’s so important. so that we can keep preaching the gospel with the freedoms that we have in this nation.
SPEAKER 11 :
Perfect segue, Tim. Where can people go to get more information?
SPEAKER 09 :
Please text CHAPTERS to 67742. You’ll hear from me. I will reach out to you, and we’ve got informational Zooms you can get on. We’ve got other calls to be able to help you do this. We want you to be successful.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, that’s chapters to 67742. And listen, when Tim Eccles says he’s going to reach out to you, I can tell you from experience, he’s going to reach out to you. So this is a great opportunity. Text chapters to 67742. Thank you so much, Tim Eccles and Pastor Paul Letvin for sharing the exciting news about these Pray, Vote, Stand chapters. Great to have you both on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you. Thanks for having us. Yep.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right, that wraps up this edition of Washington Watch. Hope you have a fantastic remainder of your evening. Keep the torch ablaze, and we’ll be back tomorrow here on Washington Watch.
SPEAKER 20 :
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.
