Join host Tony Perkins for an insightful episode of Washington Watch, where key issues affecting the nation are dissected. From the impactful prayer at the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance, led by Health Speaker Mike Johnson, to significant legislative shifts on gender transition surgeries for minors. The episode includes discussions with prominent figures like Senator Roger Marshall and Congressman Chris Smith about ongoing immigration reforms and the global struggle for religious freedom. Dive deep into these issues with expert analysis and firsthand accounts from those leading the charge in Congress.
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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.
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Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now. Let us not forget what the foundations are, the moral consensus, the moral foundation, the biblical foundation of our country that has been imperiled in recent generations, but that we declare that we will defend and restore. We survive upon that. We are grateful for the profound blessing we have to be Americans.
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That was Health Speaker Mike Johnson earlier today praying at the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance held at the Museum of the Bible here in Washington, D.C. Welcome to this February 4th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, coming up, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons is now the first major medical organization to warn against performing gender transition surgeries on minors, citing a lack of long-term evidence. Are doctors finally coming to their senses? Senator and physician Roger Marshall of Kansas, a member of the Senate Committee on Health, joins me to discuss what this means and what changes this could lead to. PLUS, CONGRESSMAN CHRIS SMITH JOINS US TO DISCUSS TODAY’S HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE HEARING ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN ANNOUNCED THAT 700 IMMIGRATION OFFICERS WILL BE REDEPLOYED OUT OF MINNESOTA, ADJUSTING A MAJOR ENFORCEMENT SURGE REPUBLICANS SAY WAS AIMED AT RESTORING LAW AND ORDER. THE MOVE FOLLOWS WEEKS OF PROTEST AFTER TWO DEADLY ENCOUNTERS INVOLVING FEDERAL AGENTS. It comes as Democrats continue to push ICE reforms amid a bitter funding fight that has already triggered the second government shutdown since last fall. And today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on alleged fraud in Minnesota, estimated to be nearly $9 billion. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper, who has been tracking today’s top stories. Casey, walk us through today’s announcement on immigration agents being withdrawn from Minnesota.
SPEAKER 02 :
Sure, Tony. Well, President Trump sent Tom Homan, the border czar, to Minneapolis to try to de-escalate the situation, and it looks like so far he might be succeeding. So as you said, he announced that he’s withdrawing 700 immigration agents. That leaves about 2,000 agents there on the ground. Now to press conference today, here’s what Tom Homan attributes as a partial reason for making that withdrawal.
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Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration, And as a result of the need for less law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I have announced effective immediately. We will draw down 700 people effective today.
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Now, what Homan hinted at in that clip is this all comes as a result of behind-the-scenes negotiations with local officials and the federal government. But given what we’ve seen in Minneapolis, it’s a welcome sign that things may finally be getting under control, Tony.
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That’s actually good to see. Let’s look at some other news. This is a major announcement. A medical group, a major medical group, opposes now gender transition surgeries on minors. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has cautioned doctors against performing these gender transition procedures on patients younger than 19. This is pretty significant. What are these new guidelines?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, you’re absolutely right. This is really a sea change on this issue. So this new guidance that you mentioned from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, it says that there’s not enough evidence to prove that these irreversible trans surgeries on minors have long-term benefits. I guess there’s no long-term benefit to a mastectomy, they finally realized. But the guidance recommends that surgeons avoid doing any of these surgeries, gender-related surgeries on the face, genital surgeries or breast surgeries, until the patient is at least 19. Now, the guidance also acknowledges that surgeons are responsible for determining whether these minors actually understand the long-term implications of these surgeries, which can often involve infertility. Now, this group that you mentioned is the first leading medical group to formally come out against the pediatric gender transition surgeries, but actually, just as we’re going on air, the American Medical Association, Tony, made a similar statement.
SPEAKER 17 :
This is quite significant when you look at where the trends were headed just a couple of years ago. And I think it’s, you know, as we were successful at the Family Research Council getting the SAFE Act out of Arkansas, protecting minors against this, slowing the train down. It looks like the medical providers who were tasked with doing no harm are finally catching up.
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And the timing of that trial, the lawsuit as well.
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Because I think they’re sensing the financial liability, legal liability there. All right, let’s go to Capitol Hill. The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing where they examined the defense of religious freedom around the world. What came out of that meeting?
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That’s right. This important hearing we’re watching closely. And this hearing, it highlighted violations of religious freedom rights internationally and even in some cases right here at home in the U.S. Now, many of the countries that were the focus of the hearing are ones you’d expect. China, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, even Belarus. Those were the countries highlighted during the hearing where Christians are still being persecuted. In fact, here’s what Congressman Chris Smith, who’s the chairman of the subcommittee on Africa, had to say.
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All around the world today, religious persecution is festering and exploding. What has been unconscionable for decades and centuries has actually gotten worse in many parts of the world. Billions of human beings made in the image and likeness of God live in countries where the God-given right to freely exercise their religion is severely restricted. many to the point of incarceration, torture, and execution. Antisemitism is exploding, not just in the Middle East, but throughout Western democracies, including in the United States.
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Now, others who testified at the hearing were, of course, the Honorable Sam Brownback, Grace Drexel, and Dr. Stephen Schneck. But it just goes to show that while we may think that the persecution of Christians is an issue relegated to the early church, it’s actually sadly still alive and well today.
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All right, Casey, thanks so much. Actually, later in the program, Congressman Chris Smith will join us to talk more about today’s hearings and other issues. All right, I want to go back to the negotiations on Capitol Hill with the funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Joining me now is Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, who serves on several Senate committees, including the Budget Committee and the Committee on Health. He is an OBGYN who has practiced medicine for more than 25 years, delivering more than 5,000 babies. Dr. Marshall, welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to see you.
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Tony, it’s great to be with you, and it’s great to pray with you all this morning as well. So thanks for hosting that event.
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Well, I wanted to start with that. I wanted to thank you for being there and being one of our nation’s leaders who prayed. You prayed for the state of Kansas and prayed for our country. You know, I’m just encouraged, and I know folks that tuned in and watched that are encouraged by the fact that we’ve got leaders who recognize there are things beyond our reach, and we need God to intervene.
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Yeah, exactly. This nation was founded by godly men and women, and sometimes we lose our way. So this is really good for once a year. And we should do it more often, but it’s come together and say, look, we’ve fallen short. We’ve drifted away. And much like the stories of the Old Testament, the people of Israel constantly drifting away from God, stopping and recognizing their sins, and asking forgiveness. So this is, to me, this is a day for us to ask forgiveness, but then to go on and praise God and ask for His blessings.
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going forward. Well and we need his help going forward, especially right now. Congress has a very short runway to reach a bipartisan agreement to avoid another funding lapse that will affect TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA. What have you been hearing? Is that going to happen?
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Well, Tony, this is, of course, now become a political issue for the Democrats. They are the defund the police party. Republicans are the party of law and order. But we have the high ground and we have the leverage. The high ground is morally it’s the right thing to do to have secure borders, to make sure that our families are safe and to remove violent, criminal, illegal aliens. We have three to four. 400,000 violent, criminal, illegal aliens still in this country thanks to Joe Biden. So we have the high ground. Everyone needs to take a deep breath. You know, the leverage we have is only 9% of this funding that we’re talking about goes towards ICE. The other 90 plus percent is going, as you mentioned, towards FEMA, the Coast Guard as well. And who am I missing? Tony, the other one here. But it’s going to other folks that are important as well. So we have leverage. I can’t see, TSA is the one I couldn’t think of, forgive me. So if the Democrats wanna shut the government down, they’re impacting FEMA, they’re impacting the Coast Guard, and they’re impacting TSA. And that won’t be a good look for the Democrats.
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Well, we’ll see how that goes over the next nine days as the Democrats and Republicans wrangle over that. I think the House is going to be a pretty heavy lift as well. But I want to move to another topic that I really want to get your thoughts on because you’ve been leading the effort in the Senate to protect children from this transgender craze that has just swept across the nation to protect them and to keep taxpayers out of that business. Just yesterday, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons announced that they’re now recommending their members not perform these gender-related surgeries on minors. Your reaction?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, I mean, this is the best news I’ve got from the medical societies in years. And I saw that. So I’m grateful to the plastic surgeons. They’re the ones that would do this. So for that college to condemn it, it’ll speak volumes. And I hope the AMA and other folks will follow. Look, this is child abuse. To do this type of surgery on a minor is absolutely child abuse. I think it’s child abuse to let a minor get a tattoo because they don’t know what they want the rest of their life. At least when they get an earring, you can take it out. And I don’t mean to make this small at all. I think it’s a step in the right direction. And remember, even the medicines they give those kids oftentimes are irreversible and will impact infertility as well. So who’s to say—and look, Tony, you and I both know that there’s a mental health epidemic going on in this country in our youth and young adults, and I think this transgenderism is part of that. We need to reach out with compassion for these children, a godly compassion, you know, get them into churches and embrace them with love and compassion and help them through these very difficult times.
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Senator, would it be— Fair to say that had the election not gone the way it did, when the Biden administration was pushing this agenda so heavily, that we may not have seen this decision from this medical association. I mean, I think this is an example of how elections have consequences.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, there’s no doubt that there was a train coming from the Biden administration on this issue. They were going to force medical students, nurses to participate in these types of surgeries. It’s very lucrative, if you can imagine, for these folks as well. It’s very lucrative for the folks that make the hormones as well. So that train was coming down the track. And the second that Donald Trump was elected, then the course, that trade was stopped. And now people, maybe more common sense people, are willing to step forward and say, look, we don’t want boys’ and girls’ bathrooms. We don’t want these irreversible surgeries going on. Give these kids a chance to grow up a little bit. And for crying out loud, make sure the parents are involved in these types of challenges and decisions. Don’t hide it from the parents. So I think this is all consequences of President Trump being elected. For such a time as this, that President Trump was indeed elected.
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We just have a little over a minute. laugh, Senator Marshall, but this is that intersection of faith, because you and I have talked about this. This is a spiritual issue. It’s emotional. It’s a psychological issue, but it’s also a spiritual issue. But it intersects with public policy and politics, if you will. So this is why Christians need to be engaged in the process.
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Yeah, I was thinking today after the prayer we had today, just going back and thinking how the model of this country is one nation under God. And that model is there in the House of Representatives. And you look up above and you have the great lawgivers, their profiles in that house chamber as well. But the greatest lawgiver of all was Moses. And he has his full face looking over the goings-ons there as well. So at the end of the day, this is a spiritual battle for the soul of the nation. And above all, that’s what we want to protect. We want to protect our religious freedoms and protect our right to worship God as we see fit.
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And that would include parents being able to protect their children from these heinous, heinous procedures. Senator Roger Marshall, always great to see you, my friend. Thanks so much for joining us.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you, Tony.
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All right, coming up, we’re going to check in with Senator Steve Daines of Montana to discuss what’s happening with Iran in the U.S. dialogue that’s supposed to take place. It’ll go away. We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill, urging the Trump administration to end the Biden era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates and multiple Republican congressmen.
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There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug, Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
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The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
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It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
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And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
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As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
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It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
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We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
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We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
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Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
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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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Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for making us part of your day. The website is TonyPerkins.com. Also, the Stand Firm app. If you’ve not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, that way you can have access to Washington Watch no matter where you go, and access to The Washington Stand, our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, as well as my daily devotional, Stand on the Word. All that is found on the Stand Firm app. So earlier today, reports suggested that U.S. talks with Iran were on the verge of collapsing. But this afternoon, Middle Eastern leaders reportedly stepped in, convincing the Trump administration to reverse its decision to kind of walk away from Friday’s scheduled nuclear talks. Now, this sounds like kind of the same song, just different verse. Joining me now to discuss this and more is Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who serves on several Senate committees, including the Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Daines, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Glad to join you, Tony. All right, before we get started, how was hunting season?
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It was great. My wife and I knocked down some really nice antelope. My sweetheart made a perfect 195-yard shot on hers. I did one at 495 yards with 6.5 PRCs. This is getting in the weeds a little bit, Tony, but had a great season. Had some great chase, some mule deer. My son knocked down a really nice buck as well in Montana. So anyway, we could spend the next couple hours talking that, Tony, but thanks for asking.
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Well, impressive, impressive. All right, so what do we make of the escalating tensions this week ahead of Friday’s talk with Iran? I mean, we’ve seen this off and on before, even going back to when the United States moved and bombed their nuclear facilities. There were discussions going on then, and they were off and on, off and on. I mean, is something new here, or is this more of the same?
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Well, I’m concerned, Tony. Look, this leopard has the same spots it’s always had, this current regime in Iran. Let’s just step back and remember that they’ve labeled us as the big Satan. They label Israel as the little Satan. They are the primary state sponsor of terror in the world. They are singularly behind Hamas, behind Hezbollah, behind the Houthis. Tony, we need moral clarity at this moment around who the good guys are. You know, there’s good guys, there’s bad guys, and there’s really, really, really bad guys. I put the current Iranian regime in the really, really bad guy category. And there’s a lot of blood on. their hands with our U.S. forces, what they have done to U.S. troops, as well as many innocents around the world. So I’m skeptical of the motives of this current regime. And think about this. It’s hard to understand how many innocent Iranians have been killed, have been protesting the regime because they have a blackout right now on the Internet. But the range, as I’m hearing, only from 10,000 to up to 40,000 innocent Iranians being slaughtered in the streets of Iran. This is not somebody that, in my opinion, you negotiate anymore with. This is one where you put maximum force against them and hope the Iranian people can drive a regime change.
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Well, Senator, the U.S. military said that an Iranian drone aggressively approached an aircraft carrier. Its intent was unknown. But, I mean, if you’re trying to make peace and have conversations, that doesn’t sound like the type of stuff you’d want to do.
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Well, it’s just consistent with who they are, Tony. This should be no surprise. The Iranians are taking aggressive action against U.S. forces, whether it’s during peace talks or not. That’s who they are, and that’s why I’m skeptical. I know it’s a tough situation to sort through, but there’s one thing the Iranians understand, the regime, I should say, and I want to separate the Iranian people. Right. from the current regime. Because as you know, across Iran, there’s a lot of pro-Western, pro-US sentiment. This is about this evil regime of the Ayatollah. But they understand one thing, and that’s called B-2 bombers. And that’s why I think we need to resort to strength is the best approach here against this regime.
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I want to play a clip of your former colleague, now Secretary of State Marco Rubio, about what he said would be the focus of these conversations. Play clip one, please.
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As far as the topic of those discussions and what the agenda needs to be, look, I think in order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles. That includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region. That includes the nuclear program, and that includes the treatment of their own people.
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Anything else need to be on that list?
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Well, that’s a pretty long list, but I guess, Tony, I think we have to make a decision. Are we dealing with a good faith negotiator with the Iranians or not? In my opinion, we are not. And I think this is similar to the Hamas negotiations is they will continue to want to negotiate, negotiate, negotiate to buy time. I’m just not optimistic, Tony, that they really want to come to the table and make some kind of an everlasting peace agreement to make sure that they are meeting all of our requirements, our demands. I just don’t think it’s going to happen. And if they do say yes, I wouldn’t trust them anyway.
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Right. I’m with you, Senator. I mean, we’ve seen this over and over again. In fact, yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that Iran has repeatedly proven they cannot be trusted. And I’ll have to say, when it comes to their neighborhood, I kind of trust Israel and their intel completely. in what’s happening in the neighborhood. They were right on Syria. They took out a lot of Syria’s, when the Assad regime collapsed, they took out a lot of their military capabilities, which was good given what we see happening now in Syria. So I think we should kind of follow Israel’s lead.
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Well, remember, Israel is minutes away from ballistic missile attacks. We have an ocean that separates us from the Iranians. And that’s why I do believe, as you do, Tony, that Israel’s voice really matters in this situation. And it was the brilliance of the Israeli defense forces working with the United States that allowed us to set the Iranian nuclear program back many, many years. But that was a very methodical approach, you know, post-October 7th with that horrible deadly terror attack on Israel. At that time, the Israelis were surrounded with the Houthis to the south, you’ve got Hamas there, and Gaza to the north, you’ve got Hezbollah. And the Israelis systematically and sequentially virtually neutered each of those threats between Hamas, Hezbollah, and they’re still working on the Houthis. and then allow them an open window to go after the nuclear program there with the Iranians. So I think it’s very important we are joined with Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israelis in looking at their security because their security ties to our security, Tony. I really believe that Israel’s interests there maintain their security, ties right to our security here in the homeland.
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Senator, we just have about 30 seconds left. Given what you know in the Foreign Affairs Committee, looking at what’s happening globally, how should Christians here in the United States be praying?
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Well, you always pray for peace. And I think we also need to pray for, at this moment, specifically our leaders, to pray for President Trump, to pray for Marco Rubio, to pray for Steve Witkoff or Jared Kushner, those that President Trump is sending in as envoys to negotiate. They truly need wisdom. If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask. Pray for wisdom for these leaders and for tact. They can tactfully and wisely work to the right conclusion here and then take the right action.
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All right. Thank you, Senator. Step with us, folks.
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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. Whether policies or partisan politics, whether conflict in America or conflict abroad, join us and our guests as we examine the headlines through the lens of Scripture. and explore how Christians can faithfully exalt Christ in all of life. Follow Outstanding on your favorite podcast app and look for new episodes each week.
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What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash godandgovernment or on the Stand Firm app.
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This is Washington Watch, and I’m Tony Perkins. All right, if you’ve tuned in to Washington Watch before, you’ve probably heard me talk about the annual Pray, Vote, Stand Summit, which, by the way, is taking place September 23rd through 25th in Leesburg, Virginia. It’s Pastor Gary Hamrick’s church just outside of DC. But now, we’re also launching Pray, Vote, Stand chapters across the nation. Today, we rolled this out here in Washington, D.C. This is to equip believers to engage locally, prayerfully, and biblically to make a change in their community so that the nation can be transformed. So how do you get involved? Well, joining me now to discuss this is Tim Eccles, executive director of Pray, Vote, Stand chapters and Pastor Rodney Lord, who is a senior pastor of Freedom Gate Church in Marietta, Ohio, where one of our new chapters was just launched. Yes. Welcome. Thank you. Pleasure to be here. Tim, good to see you. Good to see you, Tony. Former founder and president of TeamPAC.
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Yes. It was a great experience starting in 1994, building that throughout the country.
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Yeah, we met not shortly thereafter. I used to host you guys every year at the legislature in Louisiana. All right, before we jump into this, this morning, both of you were a part of our National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. And I think it helps set the stage for what Pray, Vote, Stand chapters are all about. Rodney, what did you think today?
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Well, an amazing time of seeing civil leaders coming together with pastors, ministry leaders, lay people. And just to hear from the heart of our senators, our congressmen, and others. Been to a lot of events here in D.C. And the worship time together, all of it, it was an amazing event.
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think people are encouraged to actually see elected officials at the national level pray heartfelt prayers?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, absolutely. It just gives you great encouragement to see that because, you know, from a distance you pray for leaders, as the scripture says. You think about, you know, their legislation, then their pressures that they have, and then to see them step up and pray heartfelt prayers is very encouraging.
SPEAKER 17 :
And Tim, of course, that’s probably why the media doesn’t want people to see that.
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These weren’t token prayers. You think about what maybe had gone on in the lives of these people as they prayed for repentance for their own individual state. I was really surprised at just how honest they were and some of them in tears praying about personal things that they had done in their life long ago. And I was going, wow, this is really, really genuine what’s happening here.
SPEAKER 17 :
But that’s what the Word of God calls us to. And if we want to see change, that’s what we have to have. And that’s really at the heart of the Pray, Vote, Stand chapters is to create that spiritual awareness, bringing elected leaders alongside our pastors. Tim, you’ve come on board to lead this effort.
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Yeah, we’re attaching these to churches, and they must be in churches. They must be biblically based. I mean, I think people grow weary of just partisan politics, and oftentimes I think the church and Christians have been co-opted. in party politics. And we want to base this in churches where they’re reading the Word of God, they’re praying, everything’s biblically centered, and we’re helping them think through the Christian worldview and a cultural impact for their own individual community.
SPEAKER 17 :
So this is more than just political engagement, although that’s part of it, voter registration, voter education, voter turnout. But it’s more about teaching them how to think biblically. Talk about how, I mean, you’ve got one of the pilot programs, you’re rolling one of these out. Why are you doing it?
SPEAKER 09 :
Over the years, I’ve noticed that anytime an election rolled around and there were issues on the ballot or people to vote for, I would get phone calls from sometimes people in our congregation or others and say, can you tell me what to do? So there was this awareness that they weren’t really informed. And it takes work to be informed. So that’s why Pray, Vote, Stand as an equipping model and tool is really powerful because we can equip not just the people in our churches, but in the broader community through the gatherings and through building those relationships.
SPEAKER 17 :
And so, Tim, the goal is to have a Pray, Vote, Stand chapter, at least one in every county in America over the next 10 years, anchored, as you said, in a church, because this is gospel-centered, biblical-centered. And there’s a move before I continue, very quickly, how can folks find out how to be a part of this?
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, you can just text the word CHAPTERS to 67742, and you’ll get a text message back from us, and we’ll get you engaged.
SPEAKER 17 :
Chapters 267742. There’s tension within the conservative movement where biblical truth is being replaced with libertarianism, and I think this is about anchoring Christians in biblical truth for godly engagement.
SPEAKER 18 :
You know, political parties exist for one purpose, and that is to gain the majority, to hold the power. But that’s not what we’re interested in doing. We’re interested in reaching the powerful, our Heavenly Father, and His perspective on life. And so we’re going to help these Christians see this through our God and Government video series. That’s a six-week or a six-month, depending on how you do it, lesson, you know, on video, hour sessions. They’re fantastic. You put those together, very professional. And then we’re going to have a number of different things that chapters can do in order to improve the worldview of folks in their congregation and to help them be civically engaged. Maybe it’s going to a county commission meeting, going to a city council meeting, going to the Capitol, to the legislature. Right. doing a prayer walk at the Capitol. Some of the things that we did with eight to 12 year olds in Teen Pack, we can take those adults there and they can experience that as well.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah. And praying for elected leaders, building relationships with them. There is a whole list of things that the Pray, Vote, Stand chapters can do. But the main thing is to be to pray, Understand the spiritual battle that we’re in and the responsibility we have. Vote, engage as Christian citizens, and stand. Stand on that biblical truth no matter which way the culture is headed.
SPEAKER 18 :
Look, we’ve been called to be salt and light. And in order to be salt and light, we’ve got to have some engagement.
SPEAKER 17 :
Tim, we’ve got to leave it there. Rodney, thanks for joining us. Folks, stick with us. We’re back.
SPEAKER 06 :
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 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 :
The family is the oldest, most tested, and most reliable unit of society. It is divinely created and sustained. And yet, there are those who are always tampering with its values and structure. That’s why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
SPEAKER 14 :
Family Research Council began over 40 years ago, like all great movements of God, with prayer. Today, rooted in the heart of the nation’s capital, FRC continues to champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
SPEAKER 01 :
FRC is one of those bright lights that helps us focus on true north. And I shudder to think, had they not been here, that it could have been worse, worse, worse.
SPEAKER 25 :
The Family Research Council is key. It’s one of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
SPEAKER 13 :
It’s just a wonderful parachurch organization that doesn’t seek to take the place of the church, but it seeks to assist the family and the church as we try to move forward successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the Holy Scriptures.
SPEAKER 07 :
FRC is not going to be whooped. You know, we’re going to fight. We’re going to take a stand.
SPEAKER 16 :
And again, we don’t retreat. You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, D.C., a white flag flying. We will never step back. We will never surrender. And we will never be silent.
SPEAKER 17 :
All right, welcome back to Washington, Washington. If you’d like to find out more about the PrayVote Stand chapters, again, text the word CHAPTER to 67742. That’s CHAPTERS to 67742. Now, as I said, over the next 10 years, our plan is to put one of those in every county in America. Pray, vote, stand. We want to raise awareness among the Christian community of the spiritual battle we’re in and the tools that we have as Christian citizens to engage and to make a difference. And it’s all based on the Word of God because we have to have a moral foundation in order to have the courage to stand against the challenges of our day. Well, our word for today comes from Job chapter 42. So, Eliphaz and Bildad and Zophar went and did as the Lord commanded them. For the Lord had accepted Job, and the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job’s losses were restored when he prayed for his friends, the very men who had deepened his suffering by misrepresenting God. in accusing Job of being evil. Before restoration came intercession. Before blessing came forgiveness. To walk in the fullness of what God intended to give him, Job could not harbor resentment toward those who wounded him. Unforgiveness would have provided fertile ground not for God’s blessing, but for man’s bitterness. Forgiveness does not excuse wrong. It releases us from the bondage of carrying it. Jesus reinforced this principle when he taught his disciples to pray, forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Our experience of God’s forgiveness is inseparable. It is connected to the willingness to forgive others. When we release those who wrong us, we position ourselves to receive what only God can restore. I invite you to join us on our journey through the Bible. In fact, tomorrow we begin the exciting book of Exodus. To find out how you can join the journey, text the word Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742. Well, I don’t know if you’ve picked up on this so far during the program, but religious freedom has been very much in focus this week here in Washington, D.C., starting with the International Religious Freedom Summit that concluded yesterday, the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance this morning, and a House Foreign Affairs Joint Subcommittee hearing that took place today on defending religious freedom around the world. And for good reason. As my next guest highlighted earlier today, religious persecution is festering and exploding. There is something that is it is something that is need needs U.S. leadership. Congressman Chris Smith joins us now in studio. Congressman Smith has several roles in the House, including senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. And he chairs a subcommittee on Africa as well. He is also the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and co-chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China. He represents the 4th Congressional District of New Jersey. How do you get that all in one business card?
SPEAKER 05 :
It doesn’t. Tony, it’s so good to see you. Thank you.
SPEAKER 17 :
Always great to see you. Thanks so much for coming into the studio today. And let’s talk. Religious freedom. This is a topic that the legacy media really just doesn’t cover it.
SPEAKER 05 :
They don’t cover it. And it’s under assault here and all around the world. Some places, like China, you practice your faith as a believer. You’re probably going to be harassed. If you’re a pastor, you may go to prison. You will suffer torture. And it’s only getting worse under the dictator in China, Xi Jinping.
SPEAKER 17 :
So let me ask you this overall, because you’ve been around here. You’re one of the longest serving members of Congress. And this has been your issue, I think, from day one. You have been all over the world advocating for the persecuted. What is the trend, the trajectory that you see over the last 40 years? Is it getting worse?
SPEAKER 05 :
I think it’s getting much worse, and I think what’s causing it in part, dictatorships realize that they are so weak-minded and they’re so fearful of loss of power. And people of faith, when they have that foundation, they will ask for human rights. They will ask for democracy. Right, right. oxygen of being able to do what they want to do. You know, hopefully it’s all good things. And then there’s the radical Islamist growing trend all over the world, including in the United States, but especially in the Middle East. It’s been there for a long time. That has gotten worse. Hamas is a quintessential example of that hatred for Jews and for Christians. And then you have a situation like in Nigeria. where Christians, more Christians have been killed there than anywhere else in the world. And you have a government in Nigeria that practices denial, a culture of denial. No, nothing to see here. They even hired D.C., I, a big firm here in DC.
SPEAKER 17 :
The first lady was here. She was here this week. And in fact, they wanted to come on the program to talk about religious freedom. And I said, I’m not going to give them a meet with. I’m not happy to meet with anybody. Same here. But I’m not going to give them a platform to cover up what they’re doing in DC.
SPEAKER 05 :
And that’s just what it is, a massive cover-up. You know, I met with a big delegation that came in, and it went for almost two hours. And the attorney general of Nigeria said that this bishop, Anambe, who I had at two of my hearings. You were there.
SPEAKER 17 :
He testified right next to me.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right next to you. A wonderful man. He said, oh, he’s a liar. And I said, whoa, stop that. And then they always do the thing, well, my wife’s a Christian or I’m a Christian or my husband. It’s like, don’t tell me that. What is happening as churches are being firebombed, people are being killed in cold blood, abductions, which is very, very big there in Nigeria, of Christians especially, but others, but especially Christians. And there’s this assault on faith everywhere. that has gotten worse. Obama did nothing. You know, Boko Haram flourished under his eight years in office. And now it has gotten so much worse.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, it was your persistent advocacy that actually eventually got them labeled as a terrorist organization.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes. For three years, we tried, Tony. And I had hearings on it. We had people give very, very compelling testimony as to what Boko Haram was doing. And finally, on the day we were marking up my bill to tell the administration, you have to declare them a FTO, Foreign Terrorist Organization, that day, that hour, basically, they said, oh, they’re an FTO. And it was like… Three years ago, we could have been working to find out where their sources of funding and weapons… Before they kidnap many of the girls. That’s right, the Chibok girls and many of the others were all… And that continues to this day.
SPEAKER 17 :
Let me ask you about that, Congressman Smith, because as you say that it’s gotten worse, you’ve got these dictators and tyrants in different parts of the world. My experience when I was chairing the USURF Commission, going to different countries, is that many of these bad actors… have seen what’s happened in America over the last two decades where we have gone from one administration that actually like we have right now that protects religious freedom to one that doesn’t care about religious freedom and promotes abortion and LGBTQ. And so they just want to wait out. So we’re not having that persistent, consistent presence of influence on the world.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, that’s a very keen observation because I have found that you even hear that from some of the diplomats when you talk to them. Oh, he’ll be gone. Trump will be gone in two years. And then potentially could come in a very, very liberal Democrat like the governor of California who couldn’t care less about religious freedom. You know, I remember I had hearings.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, it’s the Democratic Party doesn’t care about it.
SPEAKER 05 :
No, there are many. It’s very clear. Most of them don’t.
SPEAKER 17 :
You’re right. But when it comes to their priorities and their platform, you don’t see it there.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. And, you know, we saw it with Barack Obama. I would continually say, OK, the International Religious Freedom Act, authored brilliantly by Frank Wolf, it says you must provide us with countries of particular concern, countries that are really doing bad things that could be sanctioned. And we wouldn’t even get the list year in and year out.
SPEAKER 17 :
But that legislation also says that religious freedom will be a priority in our foreign policy.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s exactly what it says. Of course. Absolutely it says that. And, you know, it’s been in effect since 1998. You know, I’m happy to say that the Republicans have very faithfully administered it or carried it out.
SPEAKER 17 :
So the situation over time has gotten worse. We see that we have aggressive action being taken by this administration. In fact, troops being sent to Nigeria. Do you know what their role will be there?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, in the past— There has been an attempt to try to train the Nigerian military in counterinsurgency operations against these terrorist organizations. Because not only do they go after the Christians, they try to do just what Hamas does. You can’t be a non-jihadist type of Muslim and live in Gaza during those bad old days. You just can’t. They force you into it, they coerce you into it, or else you find yourself out in the back street dead or wounded very severely. And that’s what they do. So people conform, and if you do it from early on, very early years.
SPEAKER 17 :
And these terrorist organizations are better equipped than even the military there in Nigeria.
SPEAKER 05 :
They are, and they also have the element of surprise all the time. They go to a girls’ school. They go to St. Mary’s. They kidnapped all of those students. What time did they come? Three o’clock in the morning or something like that. Do a blitz and they take these kids out. So we need from Nigeria a very serious effort to say that’s it. Enough zero tolerance on allowing terrorists to do this rather than saying nothing to see here and then hiring big firms here in D.C., two of them at least, to put a false image on. And I remember during Romania, during Ceausescu, because I got involved with religious freedom after reading Pastor Warmbrand’s book, Tortured for Christ. And boy, what an eye-opener that was as to what was going on in Romania in that time during the communist dictatorship. And he said, you people are so naive. You know, they come over here and they charm you. They say they have nice bullet points about how Ceausescu was doing so well. And the guy was a monster. and he tortured people regularly. His securitate, which is the equivalent of the KGB in the Soviet Union, was infamous for its cruelty. And he said all this, and a lot of us did try to listen and act.
SPEAKER 17 :
What needs to happen when you look at this trajectory? You look at the United States role, but it’s inconsistent in its stand. What do we need to be doing to ensure that religious persecution actually takes the opposite direction, begins to decrease?
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s a great question, and I think the administration, they really have gotten it with Nigeria. We need to do it with other countries. India has a very, very poor record of religious persecution. China and North Korea, but North Korea is far smaller.
SPEAKER 17 :
India is very similar to Nigeria in that it’s not the government that’s perpetrating the violence, but they enable it by turning a blind eye.
SPEAKER 05 :
Exactly right. And that’s what we’re trying to say to the administration. I think, you know, Marco Rubio is very, very committed. We’ve got people, Mark Walker, who, you know, could have been the ambassador at large. He holds on the Senate. But he’s got a very, very good job as advisor, principal advisor to the president. And we need a… you know, an all out effort, you know, a pivot, if you will, to say this matters. We will use every tool at our disposal, including economic sanctions. One of the downsides over these many years of the Religious Freedom Act is that it’s got two parts. You declare a country, a country of particular concern based on its record. And for many times that becomes the end of it. Now, these bad guys look at that and say, well, what’s the penalty? There has to be a penalty phase. And prescribed in the bill are all these wonderful sanctions that can make all the difference in the world. And they’re often not used. They need to be used very, very effectively, prudently, but aggressively and say, we’re not kidding. Stop torturing the Christians or other faiths. You know, religious freedom, as you know, because you headed up the Religious Freedom Commission and did so beautifully for those years, it’s for everyone. You know, if people want to worship, they worship as they would like. But you can’t have this, you know, you name them and then you walk away and say, been there, done that, got the jersey. It’s window dressing. It’s not changing things.
SPEAKER 17 :
So we just have a little over three minutes left. Why should we focus on this? I mean, I’m constantly talking about foreign policy among domestic issues here on Washington Watch, but trying to bring Christians to understand the importance of speaking out on behalf of the persecuted church.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I think first and foremost, I think the Lord would have us do it. We need to be obedient that this would be something God wants big time. And that’s not being presumptuous. I think it’s, you know… When he said, when I was in prison, did you visit me? You know, we’ve got to raise our voices for the persecuted believers. Secondly, when you get people who are of faith into government, into business, you get a much better society. You know, they have self… They’re not going to be taking bribes. They’re not going to become the worst of the worst, corrupting others and being corrupt themselves in politics. So you get a whole new, better society. They’re less likely to be killing people, less likely to be waging war. If you’ve got holy men and women in government positions. So I think it’s a win win. It’s good for the economy. It’s good for for peace and reconciliation. And again, we’re on this earth to serve his will on earth as it is in heaven. So we all need to be doing that. And I think we get a better society.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, there are studies that validate everything you just said, that when religious freedom is a hallmark of a society, they have greater social stability, they have greater economic prosperity, which means it’s less of an issue for us. We’re not concerned about those countries that have good economies, that are relatively stable. Those are not problems for America.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s true. And, you know, to Tocqueville, many decades ago, found that that was part of the genius of America. If you want to have good government, elect men and women of faith who truly take the stewardship of power, not self-aggrandizing, which we find so often, getting rich in that position, but they’re trying to serve the people. It’s all about service. And you get that, I think, in spades from people of faith who take worshiping God and then carrying out His will very, very seriously.
SPEAKER 17 :
Chris Smith, we just have a little, about 45 seconds left. Based on, I mean, you track this issue. You’re looking at the persecuted. You’re also a huge advocate for the unborn. How would you tell our viewers and listeners, what would you suggest they be praying for?
SPEAKER 05 :
I think we’re told to pray for government. We need to pray for President Biden. Biden, he’s gone. We did pray for him, though. We did pray for him. We prayed for him on and on. And unfortunately, we got a mixed outcome. But with regards to the president and the future presidents, the future Congresses, Supreme Court, pray for men and women of faith, of vision, of selflessness to get these positions. And we do have to turn the tide on this Holocaust of the unborn. Yes. It’s still going 66 million dead babies, wounded babies, mothers, I should say, dead babies. And it’s like I mean, that is that stench has to. And again, anytime somebody picks up a little baby or sees an ultrasound or, you know, picks up a child, just go back a couple of months with that child and say he or she was in the womb. We need to protect them.
SPEAKER 17 :
Chris Smith, thanks for joining us, folks. Thank you for joining us as well.
SPEAKER 14 :
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.
