Skip to content 12/18/2025 Surprising News from the White House and Capitol Hill as Massachusetts Foster Parents Find Relief Dec 18 · 54 min ...more
12/18/2025 Surprising News from the White House and Capitol Hill as Massachusetts Foster Parents Find Relief
December 18, 2025 · 54 min
Health insurance reforms in the shadow of an Obamacare bombshell report; reclassifying Marijuana; the state of our economy; gender reassignment defunding; good news for Massachusetts’ foster parents.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
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December 18, 2025 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Health insurance reforms in the shadow of an Obamacare bombshell report; reclassifying Marijuana; the state of our economy; gender reassignment defunding; good news for Massachusetts’ foster parents. ...more Show the full description Show less Health insurance reforms in the shadow of an Obamacare bombshell report; reclassifying Marijuana; the state of our economy; gender reassignment defunding; good news for Massachusetts’ foster parents.
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In this video 0:00 Introduction to Key Policy Shifts: Health Care and Marijuana Rescheduling3:34 Marijuana Policy Debate and Broader Administration Updates14:00 Reforming Health Care: Lowering Costs for All Americans27:03 Ending Gender Mutilation and Week's Top News Roundup
Introduction to Key Policy Shifts: Health Care and Marijuana Rescheduling 0:01 From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington DC, bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation's leaders and0:12 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today's host, Jody Heiss.0:19 Today, I'm pleased to announce that I will be signing an executive order to reschedule marijuana from a schedule 1 to a schedule 3 controlled substance with legitimate medical uses. We have,0:31 people begging for me to do this. People that are in great pain.0:40 That was president Trump earlier today signing an executive order to reclassify marijuana. Welcome to this December eighteenth edition of Washington Watch. I'm your host today,0:51 Jody Hice. Honored to be filling in for Tony Perkins. Thank you so much for joining us. Right. Coming up, the House today approved a Republican health care1:03 plan, putting in into a COVID era Obamacare subsidy. Republicans are going to be cutting the costs and removing quite a bit of radical left wing policies.1:15 House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith will be joining me momentarily to break it all down for us. Plus, Georgia Congressman Barry will be joining us a little bit later in the1:27
1:39 House of Representatives approved the Republican health care plan. Actually, they did that yesterday, moving to end the pandemic era Obamacare subsidies, said GOP leaders say drove up
1:51 the federal spending and mainly benefited insurance companies. Well, Republicans say the program was never meant to be permanent, and their bill aims to cut costs and
2:02 eliminate radical left policies from taxpayer programs. And joining me now is Washington state reporter, Sarah Holliday, who's been following all of today's stories. Sarah,
2:14 let's, start here. What's the development been and the the reaction to, this, latest?
2:21 Thank you, Jody. Republicans say the expanded Obamacare subsidy is a costly short term fix that pours taxpayer dollars into insurance
2:32 companies
2:41 care. According to CBO, which is the gold standard for my Democrat colleagues, says it will reduce premiums by 11 percent. Now the only other time premiums have gone down since Obamacare was enacted is when Republicans
2:53 actually advance reforms in the big beautiful bill, namely rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse that lowered the cost of care.
3:03 Their bill reduces federal deficits, expands association health plans for small businesses and self employed workers, and shifts away from Washington mandates. Democrats tried to force a
3:15 vote to extend the subsidy, but they were ultimately blocked. Under house rules, Democrats can demand a vote in January, but speaker Mike Johnson says he will delay it until Congress returns from
3:27 recess, and he plans to work to defeat the extension. He called the subsidy bad policy, Jody.
Marijuana Policy Debate and Broader Administration Updates
3:34 Yep. And it's gonna be interesting to see how that unfolds. Thank you, Sarah. Okay. Also today, president Trump signed the executive order recommending the loosening of federal marijuana regulations.
3:46 Frankly, it's a move that could reshape the entire cannabis industry and expand medical research. But Sarah, what exactly does this exec executive order
3:59 do? Jody, president Trump's executive order directs the attorney general to consider reclassifying marijuana from a schedule 1 drug on par with heroin to schedule 3,
4:11 which would come alongside medications like ketamine and testosterone. This is what he said about the rationale behind his decision.
4:19 For decades, this action has been requested by American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancers, seizure disorders, neurological problems, and more,
4:31 including numerous veterans with service related injuries and older Americans who live with chronic medical problems and severely degrade their quality of life.
4:42 Jody, that change could ease criminal penalties, unlock federal research funding, and make it easier for banks and investors to operate in the sector. The primary goal, officials are saying, is
4:54 to expand medical research and patient access while keeping marijuana federally controlled. The move has already boosted cannabis stocks and signals a significant federal shift after decades
5:06 of strict regulations. However, some doctors and researchers warn about the effects of marijuana on the brain. They point to data from states like Colorado, where legalization
5:18 has coincided with an uptick in emergency room visits, especially among the youth. Also, dozens of Republican senators and house members openly rebuked the president's marijuana
5:29 rescheduling effort. The debate highlights the balance between patient access, medical research, and public safety concerns. Jody?
5:40 Yes. A lot of concern about that, and we hope to talk further about it as the program unfolds. Thank you, Sarah. Alright. Also, president Trump delivered a rare evening
5:52 address from the White House and, of course, this time of year surrounded by holiday decor. But he was highlighting some of the major progress in his first year back in, office. Sarah, what stood out to
6:04 you in his speech?
6:06 Jody, speaking from the diplomatic reception room, of course, decorated for Christmas, the president struck an upbeat and confident tone. He said he inherited economic and border challenges from Joe Biden.
6:19 Biden. He said that he is already making progress, though. Here's what he said about Democrats' woke policies.
6:25 We have broken the grip of sinister woke radicals in our schools, and control over those schools is back now in the hands of our great and loving states where
6:37 education belongs.
6:40 He also cited lower border crossings, easing prices on some goods, and announced a 1776 dollar warrior dividend for service members.
6:52 President Trump also backed a Republican proposal to give Americans direct control over health care dollars, keeping the focus on domestic priorities while largely setting foreign policy
7:04 aside. Jody.
7:06 Well, speaking of, foreign policy is, so that the US has approved the high largest ever, really, weapons package for Taiwan. Obviously, this is probably gonna
7:18 further the strain of our relations with China. What's in that deal? Sarah, do you know what's at stake here?
7:26 Judy, according to Taiwan's defense ministry, the 11100000000.0 dollars arms package includes rocket systems, howitzers, anti tank missiles, and
7:37 drones. The Pentagon says the sale helps Taiwan maintain a credible defense as China steps up military pressure. Supporters also point to a sharp contrast between the
7:49 2 systems. Taiwan is a free democratic society where Christians can worship openly, while communist China, on the other hand, tightly controls religion and persecutes
8:01 Christians. The deal still needs congressional approval, but it has strong bipartisan backing despite objections from Beijing. Jody.
8:11 Sarah Holiday, thank you so much for keeping us up to speed. A lot happening out there. We appreciate it. I wanna go back now to the executive order that president Trump signed today, regarding the
8:22 rescheduling of marijuana. And joining me now to discuss this is congressman Barry Loudermilk, who is 1 of more than 2 dozen Republican lawmakers who signed that letter that was mentioned a while
8:34 ago urging president to keep marijuana, a schedule 1 drug. He represents the eleventh congressional district of my home state of Georgia. Congressman Loudermilk, welcome back to
8:45 Washington Watch. Good to see you.
8:48 Tony, it's good to be with you. It's good to see you again, my friend, and Merry Christmas.
8:52 Alright. Well, let's, Merry Christmas to you as well and your your wonderful family. Let's start with this executive order. What was your reaction to it?
9:01 Well, I was a little bit shocked that it was coming that quickly. And what we were asking the president to do is just hold on just for a little longer because I think we need more time to look into this. Look. There's
9:12 numerous medical studies out there. If you wanna support legalization of marijuana, you're gonna find something that supports, your, your side of the argument. If, if you're against it, you're gonna
9:24 find plenty of data to support your side of the argument. But there are some things that we really have to look at, and I think congress needs to spend more time researching, several impacts. The you
9:36 know, what is it gonna do? How's it it's gonna have an effect on the cartels. Right? What kind of effect is it gonna have on the economic base? Other other aspects that, that are cultural in nation,
9:48 we'd look at it in nature that we need to look at. But 1 of the things I think a lot of people don't understand, you know, when, and and I'm assuming you're around the same age I am, but growing up and being in high
9:58 school in the seventies and early eighties, it was, you know, marijuana was pretty common a lot among a lot of people. And and, I never used it, but I knew a lot of people who did. Now from talking
10:10 to people today, the marijuana of our days, the recreational drug is a whole lot different than what we have today. The levels of THC is, are is is
10:22 extremely high, much higher than it ever was before. The marijuana is is cultured and grown to actually maximize its potency. And while there's some that'll that'll, you know, say there's
10:34 some medical use to it, but there there's other policy issues we have to look at. For instance, in the Veterans Administration, my understanding is that they will not provide any surgery for, a
10:46 veteran that, has been taking some type of drug for, you know, several weeks. And so, there's a lot of issues, I think, that still need to be looked at.
10:58 So 1 of the issues congressman Loudoun wrote that we've been talking about here in Washington, Washington, Washington over the past few days, there seems to be a a disconnect, quite frankly. When when we look right
11:09 now, in particular, at the actions that the Trump administration is taking against the narco terrorists in the Caribbean, the disconnect here to be loosening the
11:21 restrictions on marijuana just seems, as as Tony himself said, it's like ordering milk and then blowing up the the milk truck. Is there kind of a disconnect
11:33 going on here?
11:35 Well, that's what we need to look into. You know, if if we're winning the war on drugs right now, which at least it looks like we're having a huge impact on the cartels that are bringing in fentanyl and and cocaine into
11:46 the country, is this just gonna give them an avenue to shift away from bringing illegal narcotics into the United States to then importing, a legalized drug? Does this also,
11:59 impact the response that we can have, to those that are bringing narcotics into this country. So that's that's kind of where I was coming from with this is that we need more time to look
12:11 at the broader impact that it has on families, but it has on law enforcement, that it has on our war on drugs here here in the United States and, have a more systematic approach to where if we need to do
12:23 this or or that's something that, the administration decides to do that we can put procedures in place, and we can be ready for the impact.
12:33 Well, final question. We've got less than a minute, so, not a whole lot of time here to elaborate. But the White House has maintained that the executive order today does not legalize recreational
12:45 marijuana use, nor does it pave the way, for recreational marijuana use. Is that accurate? What's your take on that?
12:54 Well, it I'm not an expert in this field, and there's plenty of our friends that serve on, energy and commerce committee that could probably answer that better. But I don't know that we have a clear definition because
13:07 it has always been, a scheduled drug is I don't know that there is a legal definition between what is recreational use versus medical use
13:18 versus illegal use. And so that's another area I think that has to be that needed to be clarified. But, you know, the the president, we've we disagree on on certain for the
13:30 most part. I think he's doing a tremendous job, in in that position, but this happens to be 1 of those areas that we disagree on. I I understand why he's doing what he's doing. I understand why he's doing what he's
13:40 doing. I just don't agree with it at this moment.
13:43 Congressman Barry Loudermill from Georgia, thank you so much for joining us. And, again, Merry Christmas to you and your dear family. Alright, friends. Coming up, the latest over the battle of health care, chairman of
13:55 the Ways and Means Committee, Jason Smith, will be joining me after the break, so don't go away.
Reforming Health Care: Lowering Costs for All Americans
14:00 Hello. I'm Tony Perkins, and I wanna invite you to join me for Stand on the Word, a daily journey through the Bible, 10 to 15 minutes a day. That's all it takes. And in no time, you'll have finished the entire Bible. And
14:11 along the way, we'll learn how to apply God's truths to the world in which we live. As we're about to start a new year and as our nation is about to celebrate 250 years, there's never been a better time for a fresh
14:23 start in the word of God. To join us, text bible to 6 7 7 4 2. That's bible to 6 7 7 4 2.
14:30 At Family Research Council, we believe religious freedom is a fundamental human right that all governments must protect. For years, Islamist militants in Nigeria have targeted Christians
14:42 and other religious minority groups with brutal violence. Since 2009, 52000 Christians have been slaughtered. A staggering 89 percent of Christian martyrs in the world today are
14:54 from Nigeria. The first Trump administration declared Nigeria a a country of particular concern, a designation reserved for countries whose governments engage in or tolerate religious freedom
15:06 violations. However, this designation of Nigeria was quickly reversed by the Biden administration. Following consistent calls from FRC president Tony Perkins and other religious leaders across
15:18 the US, president Donald Trump has responded.
15:22 Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed. I am hereby making Nigeria a country of particular concern.
15:34 This is a huge step forward for the protection of Christians in Nigeria as well as religious freedom across the world. While this opens the door for the US government to pressure Nigerian leaders to protect vulnerable
15:46 Christians, it is only the beginning. We must continue to pray diligently, work strategically, and stand firm for the protection of religious liberty across
15:58 the globe.
15:59 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
16:11 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,
16:23 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
16:35 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
16:47 the course at PrevostStand dot org slash GodInGovernment or on the Stand Firm app.
17:03 Welcome back. Thank you for joining us today on Washington Washington Watch. I'm Jody Heise. Glad to be filling in for Tony today. Alright. Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that will
17:15 not extend the expiration date that the Democrats had set for the enhanced and temporary Obamacare subsidies that they voted on during the, COVID 19 pandemic.
17:27 Instead, this bill, according to House Republicans, will expand health care insurance options as well as lower health care costs for all Americans. Isn't that what we all
17:38 want? Well, joining me now to discuss this and more is congressman Jason Smith. He's the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. He represents the eighth congressional district of the great state
17:50 of Missouri. Chairman Smith, welcome back to Washington Watts. Great to see you.
17:55 It's great to see you, Jody.
17:58 Thank you. Alright. I gave a quick summary, probably just, scratching the surface of it all. Can you go into greater detail as to what this bill actually
18:10 does?
18:11 Well, first off, this bill is focused on driving down the cost of health care for all Americans. That's roughly 347000000 Americans. When people talk
18:23 about extending the premium tax credits or the Obamacare subsidies, they're only talking about 7 percent of the population. So the bill that we passed yesterday off of the house floor
18:35 will help lower the health care cost for all Americans. It creates associated health plans, which have found to be very beneficial in the first Trump administration. This puts it into statute.
18:46 It it puts into statute the choice agreement accounts. It allows small businesses to to give money tax free to their employees so that they can go purchase
18:58 their own health insurance. And then, of course, there's PBM reform that creates more transparency to help lower all drug prices. These are items. They're they're they're steps that help
19:10 lower the cost of health care across the board, but there's so much more to do. But the good thing about these, it affects all Americans, not just 7 percent of the Americans, unlike what the other side have been
19:22 pushing.
19:24 My and and while you're doing all that, of course, the Democrats are still pushing. As as I see from every perspective, they're still pushing to extend those expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies. What what's
19:36 your thoughts on their efforts? What are they really trying to accomplish here?
19:40 You know, I can't understand it because their their their push is for the status quo. They want to extend the current, premium tax credits. The subsidies that were created
19:52 during COVID, they were in the American Rescue Plan and then extended in the Inflation Reduction Act. This was something that they set the date to expire at the end of this
20:03 month. They're the ones who set the date. They could have made them permanent, by the way, Jody, but they decided instead to make permanent their green new tax credits that they put in the Inflation Reduction Act
20:15 and make these subsidies temporary. But the waste, fraud, and abuse that's within the exchanges, it's it's unconscionable. For example, myself, former chair,
20:27 Kathy Morris Rogers of Energy and Commerce, and also Jim Jordan, requested the GAO to investigate the Obamacare exchanges. And what did they find? So much waste.
20:39 In fact, more than 59000 dead people were having their health insurance subsidized. You had just 1 Social Security number that had more than 125
20:51 policies attached to it. And guess what? They even attempted to create fake accounts with fake identities and fake Social Security numbers, and 100 percent of their attempts were approved and enrolled.
21:02 And guess what? A year later, this year, 90 percent of those are still being subsidized. So the insurance companies are making out like a bandit on
21:12 that. Wow. Yeah. You mentioned that GAO, that's the government accountability office. But, you know, that that's stunning information. So what is your sense, chairman,
21:24 on how this battle over health insurance is gonna play out? What's gonna happen?
21:30 Well, I always say expect the unexpected in Washington. You served up here. You know what I'm talking about. But what we have to do, we have to be willing to take
21:42 tough tough steps, and we need to go after the health insurance companies. We need to investigate them. We need them to justify to congress. They need to justify to congress their huge
21:54 premium increases. Their premium increases of 20 plus percent this year. What why is this? And you have record profits. For example, some of these health insurance companies, just in the last
22:06 15 years since passage of Obamacare, their stock price has increased almost 1000 percent. 1000 percent. They're making a ton of money at the expense of everyday
22:18 Americans.
22:19 Wow. That's unbelievable. Alright. Well, shift gears real quickly. We've just got a couple of minutes here, but, obviously, 20 25 is pretty much, upon us as far as concluding. Can you kinda give us a
22:31 preview of what 20 26 might look like there on Capitol Hill?
22:37 You know, in 20 26, I think you're gonna see a lot of attempts, to work on bipartisan pieces of legislation when you're seeing such a a narrow majority. And what are those bipartisan pieces of
22:49 legislation on tax, health care, trade that, that delivers for the American people. That's, I think, what you're gonna be, balancing and threading the needle. Of course,
23:00 by January thirtieth thirtieth, we have to, fund government. That is what the government date, that is approaching, and that's going to be a huge challenge, in the first
23:12 month of the year.
23:14 Yeah. Sure will be for the Democrats. I just got kicked in the gut over that 1. So what, less than a minute, what are some of the Republican priorities going into a new year?
23:26 Well, like I said, when it comes to health care, our focus and our priority is to lower the cost of premiums, lower the cost of health care for all Americans, not just a
23:38 single population, not just for 7 percent. We wanna do that for all. We wanna create more transparency in the health care market so that there's more competition. We want to be able to know what the cost of different
23:49 health care prices are, and we wanna hold health insurance accountable. These are all things that we can do within health care, but then we need to look from a bipartisan perspective
24:09 to items. We were very successful to pass the big beautiful bill just a few months ago on July fourth. The president signed into law. That will lead to the largest
24:20 refunds in US history this coming year. It'll be good.
24:24 Wow. Thank you so much, Missouri congressman Jason Smith, chairman of the all important house, ways, and means committee. Appreciate you joining us on Washington Watch. Again, merry merry
24:36 Christmas to you. It's great to see you,
24:38 my friend.
24:39 Merry Christmas to Jody. Take care.
24:42 Alright. Coming up, a much needed announcement from the Trump administration on the mutilation of minors, gender mutilation. We've got big news, and we're
24:54 gonna bring it your way right after this break, so stick with us. We'll be back.
25:01 For over 4000 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.
25:13 To Israelis, Judea and Samaria is far more than a name. It's the center of their ancestral homeland where nearly 80 percent of the Bible's events took place. Abraham purchased property in Hebron, Jacob in
25:25 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
25:37 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
25:49 vital and strategic part of the nation's identity. The October seventh massacre launched from Gaza shattered the illusion that giving away territory brings peace. Gaza, which was
26:00 once seen as the cornerstone of a 2 state solution, became a launchpad for terror. Today, only 21 percent of Israelis support a Palestinian state. Trust in a 2 state solution
26:12 has all but collapsed. The Middle East is changing. Iran's grip is weakening. New alliances are forming, but western countries and some US officials still chase the mirage of a 2 state solution.
26:25 History speaks clearly. The 2005 Gaza withdrawal, backed by the US, led not to peace but to a terrorist regime. Judea and Samaria are 24 times larger than Gaza, deeply
26:36 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
26:48 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.
27:03 Welcome back to Washington Watch. Hope you're having a great afternoon. I'm Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony, and we're glad to have you with us as well. Alright. Earlier today, the US Department of Health andShow more
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