Skip to content 7/10/2025 The Trump Administration Brings Aid to Africa and Texas Ahead of Congressional Recess Jul 10 · 59 min ...more
7/10/2025 The Trump Administration Brings Aid to Africa and Texas Ahead of Congressional Recess
July 10, 2025 · 59 min
Negotiating African peace and trade deals, next steps for Congress before the August recess, U.S. HUD assists Texas flood relief, and stopping U.S. funding of International Abortion and LGBT agenda.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio July 10, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Negotiating African peace and trade deals, next steps for Congress before the August recess, U.S. HUD assists Texas flood relief, and stopping U.S. funding of International Abortion and LGBT agenda. ...more Show the full description Show less Negotiating African peace and trade deals, next steps for Congress before the August recess, U.S. HUD assists Texas flood relief, and stopping U.S. funding of International Abortion and LGBT agenda.
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In this video 0:00 Global Affairs and Controversies3:15 Legal Battles and Policy Debates29:48 Faith, Family, and Government39:48 Disaster Response and Community Support50:50 Policy Challenges and Christian Engagement
Global Affairs and Controversies 0:05 Welcome to the Washington Watch News Desk. I'm Sarah Holliday with today's top stories. Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Gaza are full steam ahead. This0:17 week, high level discussions in Washington brought Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu face to face with US officials, including president Donald Trump. Amid these meetings,0:29 Hamas announced they will release 10 hostages. They didn't say when this would happen or who they'd release, but Hamas also took time to share a list of several disagreements they0:41 still have with Israel. It turns out the sentiment is mutual. Israel has its own list of demands.0:48 We're working together on this. We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas's military1:00 and governance capabilities because Gaza must have a different future for our sake, for everyone's sake. And no country will settle for less. We certainly will not.1:11 While hurdles remain, particularly over aid distribution and Israeli troop withdrawal, US officials expressed optimism over a potential deal. Both sides are under1:23 pressure to end hostilities. So we'll keep you updated on any breakthroughs. Shifting to the tech world, a major controversy is unfolding. The1:35 AI chatbot Grok, part of Elon Musk's x platform, faces serious accusations of promoting anti Semitic and other offensive content. The allegations
1:47 are alarming. Reports claim Grok has been caught praising Adolf Hitler and in some cases even endorsing calls for a second holocaust. The chatbot
1:59 also allegedly complied with request to generate images depicting violent rape narratives. What's shocking is that it should have rejected such prompts.
2:12 Elon Musk insist the AI was manipulated and says the issue is being addressed. But the broader conversation now centers on a critical question. How can we ensure ethical AI
2:24 behavior? Until we know more, we will turn now to congress. Democrats introduced a bill that would require ICE officers to wear identifiable uniforms
2:36 and ban face coverings during their operations. President Trump blasted the idea, calling the Democrats supporting it deranged. When asked if he'd ever back such a bill, here's what Trump
2:48 said.
2:49 These officers are doing a tremendous job. They're great patriots. If you expose them because of, you know, statements like have been made by Democrats and others on the left
3:00 usually, mostly, I think probably exclusively. You put them in great danger, tremendous danger.
3:08 This comes after weeks of nationwide violent protests targeting ICE agents and facilities, including a recent attack in which agents have been shot.
Legal Battles and Policy Debates
3:20 Ultimately, the precautions in place are meant to protect the agents and their families from the very people seeking them out and doing them harm. Now before we close, 2
3:32 significant lawsuits are making headlines. The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against California challenging states policies that allow biological males to
3:43 compete in girls sports. California officials say it's about inclusivity but the suit claims that these rules violate Title 9 and disadvantage female
3:55 competitors. Meanwhile, in Oregon, 3 teenage girls have filed a similar lawsuit against their state. Reportedly, their actions were in part fueled by the feud that unfolded
4:07 between former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines and Olympic legend Simone Biles. Ultimately, both cases argue that current policies simply undermine fairness
4:19 and integrity within girls and women's sports. The outcome of these cases could set a new precedent, so we'll watch closely as they develop. And those are today's headlines.
4:30 I'm Sarah Holliday. Dive deeper with the Washington stand at washington stand dot com. Up next is Washington Watch with Tony Perkins. We're back tomorrow with more stories that matter.
4:51 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 and
5:02 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
5:09 My administration is committed to strengthening our friendships in Africa through economic development efforts that benefit both the United States and our partners, and we're shifting from
5:21 AID to trade.
5:23 That was president Donald Trump yesterday in a White House meeting with leaders from 5 African nations. Welcome to this July tenth edition of Washington Watch. I'm your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for tuning in.
5:35 Well, coming up, could replacing aid with trade be the answer to prayer for African leaders who have repeatedly voiced disdain for the LGBTQ conditions often tied to US foreign assistance? We'll explore that
5:47 question in-depth with New Jersey congressman Chris Smith. He'll join me here in studio. Trump administration has already signaled its commitment to rolling back anti family policies in foreign aid.
5:59 In the rescissions package submitted to congress, the administration proposed reductions to PEPFAR, the president's emergency plan for AIDS relief, removing funding used to promote abortion and
6:11 LGBTQ agendas. But here's the twist. It's not Democrats trying to reverse it. It's Senate Republicans.
6:18 From my part, I believe it needs some significant changes. For example, I want to strike the rescissions of funds for PEPFAR. I
6:30 can't imagine why we would want to terminate that program.
6:36 Well, we'll tell you why. That was, Maine senator Susan Collins. We'll unpack the debate with FRC's Ariel Del Turco and senior congressional analyst for the Washington stand, Mark Tapscott.
6:48 Also ahead, after 6 months of work, congress passed the reconciliation bill that is focused on last year's budget. But with fewer than 2 dozen legislative days left in the house before the
7:00 fiscal year ends, What about this coming year's budget? Will the government be funded in time? We'll ask Tennessee congressman and house appropriations committee member Chuck Fleischman later here on Washington
7:12 Watch. And finally, the death toll from last week's devastating flood in Texas has climbed to at least a hundred and 20. A little bit later, we'll be joined by HUD secretary Scott Turner, who led members of the
7:24 president Trump's cabinet earlier this week in prayer for the families impacted by that devastating flood. All of that and more ahead on this edition of Washington Watch.
7:37 Well, leaders from 5 African nations are in Washington DC this week for a 3 day mini summit hosted by president Trump and
7:44 his administration aimed at strengthening commercial ties
7:44 between the US and Africa. Strengthening commercial ties between the US and Africa. President Trump said he wants to exchange trade for aid. Joining me now to discuss this at Moore is
7:56 congressman Chris Smith, senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chairman of the subcommittee on Africa, and cochairman of the Congressional Executive Commission on China. He represents New Jersey's fourth
8:07 congressional district. Congressman Smith, welcome back to Washington Washington.
8:10 You very much. Great to see you, Tony.
8:12 Thanks for, joining us here in studio. Now it it may, not be clear exactly from, what president Trump's comments were, but these, the suggestion he
8:23 wants to trade aid for trade or exchange trade for aid, I I would think is a welcome sign to many of these African country leaders who have been,
8:36 they've been these liberal policies out of the state department have been imposed upon them.
8:42 There's so many nefarious promotions of abortion, LGBTQ by NGOs, many of them for the United States and the European Union and elsewhere, and they build up a local capacity,
8:55 among African countries with like minded, ultra leftists. And and it's it's a very, very dangerous situation for the morality as well as the health and well-being of people in these
9:06 countries. Trade you know, we I'm a big proponent of Power Africa to help them, matriculate from, a very dearth of of capability
9:18 to run machines, to run their hospitals. I mean, power does is you know, and the climate change folks have made that even harder for them for them to build up that capacity. So what we're
9:30 saying is that a lot of countries want trade. They wanna they wanna raise the middle class
9:35 Right.
9:35 Which can can happen. But, you know, so long as the NGOs and, you know, the vast, industrial complex of NGOs as, as our secretary of state said in a recent statement,
9:47 it it it carries with it a whole lot of baggage.
9:51 Isn't that something similar to what we've seen domestically where, you know, instead of empowering people like we saw in the last Trump administration, helping people to to to create jobs and
10:03 opportunities rather than keeping them dependent upon the government?
10:06 That's a great great point. I do think we need to ensure that where there's refugees, like we're seeing in Doctor Congo and certainly, as a result of the fighting that's been going on there, we need to be first and
10:17 foremost in providing humanitarian aid. Absolutely. Comes to the everyday, you know, what are we doing vis a vis, name the country in Africa or elsewhere, we should be saying, how do you develop that middle class and
10:29 entrepreneurs and people that can create jobs?
10:31 Let let me give you a prime example of this, something you've led on. I've mentioned it. We're gonna talk about it later in the program, so I don't wanna get too deep into it. But PEPFAR, that program started in 2003.
10:43 That's right.
10:44 It's been around for 25 years, and and it's just grown. I mean, I think we're over a hundred and 25000000000 dollars that has been it was called an emergency plan.
10:55 That's right.
10:55 But it's still there.
10:57 No. When it was first proposed, Henry Heinrich was the prime author of it, and of course George w Bush was, you know, behind it completely. But the problem is that all of a sudden, it went from abstinence and the big
11:09 emphasis on being faithful as a way of mitigating
11:11 I remember those debates. I was here.
11:13 Now they're promoting, philosophies that are antithetical to everything we believe in.
11:18 Been traced to funding abortion.
11:20 That's right. No no doubt about it. And and Biden hijacked PEPFAR, put out guidance as he called it, and said every recipient of funds need to change the laws in their country that
11:32 they're operating on on sexual reproductive health and rights. That's abortion and the entirety of the LGBT
11:37 So is that not an example of what's happened with our foreign policy?
11:41 Yes. It has been hijacked by the leftist. You know, we should have a humanitarian core, you know, of of Rubio has talked about the America First, of a project, and then that's
11:53 that's where the funding from USAID will now go over to. And we gotta make sure that it's really focused on humanitarianism and building And
12:02 and it's it addresses emergency. It doesn't become a perpetual government program like pet Pep. Pep before
12:08 I got up to about 6.7 to 7000000000. I asked the head of it, John Negunaso, who ran it for the Biden administration. And I have to tell you, he's still, he's a deputy. He's still in the mix in
12:20 this administration in running this. I met with him with my wife, Marie, for 2 hours, asked him what are they doing on abortion? What are they doing on all these issues like the LGBTQ? He said, I don't know. I'm at
12:31 10000 feet. I don't know what's going on in the ground. I have asked repeatedly to say, what are they doing with taxpayer monies? And we get
12:39 So the Trump administration in the rescissions has cut not the, treatment. There is money in there to help those to to steal still deal with those issues, but cutting out
12:51 the NGOs that are promoting these woke ideologies of abortion. That's Totally understand. Wants to put it back in. Senate Republicans wanna put it back in. Why?
13:00 I know. Well, Bush and Obama and Bono are pushing very hard for that. And I'm very disappointed in president Bush. I tried for 8 years to get him to include the pro life Mexico City policy
13:11 for
13:12 for this entire program. I remember.
13:14 And they wouldn't do it. I said that, you know, Planned Parenthood and their ilk make a beeline for this massive amount of money, then they integrate what is good, mother to child transmission drugs and the like, with
13:25 with, with abortion.
13:26 This is what is, so good. I mean, the Trump administration is zeroing in on these issues. It's disruptive to to the left, but he is zeroing in on it. And it what's frustrating is you have
13:38 same thing happened in the reconciliation bill where the senate allowed, you know, the funding for planned parenthood, the reduction that was there for 10 years. They reduced it to 1 year. They took out the the
13:49 prohibition against funding transgenderism, transgender procedures. You know, I'm not sure what's happening over there among Republicans in the senate. But folks, I'm gonna give you some,
14:01 homework later. We're gonna talk about this when, Ariel joins us about what you could do. Before we run out of time, Chris, we got about 4 minutes left. You and I were on the Hill earlier this week speaking at a
14:13 forum for China aid, Bob Fu, regarding religious and human rights persecution in China. You spoke. I spoke. But there was a prime example of what the
14:25 Chinese Communist Party is doing. I had just left. I think you had just left. But a, a man connected to the the Chinese Communist Party was there and and and started an
14:37 altercation.
14:38 With Bob Fu's wife. Got too close, and that's something that they do very well. They put a camera right into your face. It's part it's a provocative to provoke provocateur is
14:50 what this ban was all about. And and we gotta realize I mean, I happen to this kind of thing happens in all of our districts as well. You know, they shout horrible things at you, get real close. That's not the Chinese.
15:00 That's the leftist. But it's the same tactic trying to provoke you to push you away, then they claim that you have, committed something.
15:08 And this is about intimidation. That's right. You know, Bob Fu, who's actually senior fellow here at the Family Research Council as well.
15:14 An amazing man.
15:15 He he really is. His house, his home in Texas, targeted for, 3 months a few years back. The the Chinese Communist Party, I mean, they're trying to infiltrate our government at every level. They're stealing
15:27 trade secrets. They're part of, we we talked about this in the program this week, is, the the Department of Agriculture announcing that we're gonna block China from buying,
15:39 agricultural land, especially those near military land near military installations. But there is a an effort to intimidate Chinese Americans
15:51 and silence them from speaking out about the abuses of the Chinese Communist Party.
15:55 There's a term, transnational repression. They're all over this country targeting the diaspora, especially the human rights activist. 1 of the ladies that's from who works on the Hong Kong issue, Francis, she she's got
16:07 a million dollar bounty on her head from Xi Jinping. And she's an amazingly, you know, heroic individual. Yeah. She was there speaking out boldly. We we've got to get the
16:19 FBI. We've gotta get our country to do far more to end this repression where the long arm of Xi Jinping and his dictatorship, ceases to intimidate or try to intimidate. I
16:31 mean, I I know when I
16:32 was on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, I was sanctioned by China. So, yeah, all good. So I guess you and I both can't go into Walmart, because because that's pretty much everything from China's in
16:42 Walmart. But that's their their role to intimidate is to say if you say if you challenge them on their civil right their human rights abuses, my focus, obviously on the
16:54 religious freedom issue
16:55 Sure.
16:56 Which is getting worse in in China. China is not it's not getting better.
17:00 No. By the day.
17:01 And American corporations, in many ways, have been facilitating this.
17:04 They have enabled like no 1 else. Going back to Bill Clinton, when he delinked human rights from trade on May 26, 19 94, and I have, you know, a a op ed that I wrote that's sitting on my my
17:16 website. I couldn't believe how he pandered, and that goes for his wife as well when she was secretary of state to enable this these atrocities that are happening each and every day. Right. And and they don't raise human
17:27 rights,
17:28 but they do it
17:28 in a very, very quiet way.
17:30 And in fairness, Republican administrations have not been aggressive in addressing this issue either. I agree. Because of the large economic opportunity in China and the cheap
17:41 goods that come from China, You know, Trump's 1 of the first that's been willing to upset the apple cart on them.
17:47 You know, we saw it during the Olympics. We I had a hearing. We asked Right. I remember. And others. And they wouldn't say a thing about the genocide, that the Chinese Communist Party was committing against the Uighurs.
17:58 A genocide in real time, and then they're, oof, quite weak. We might lose some market share.
18:04 Well, I tell you, we're just about out of time here, Chris. But, Americans, Christians, those that are concerned about this can take action themselves by looking at the products they buy and making
18:16 sure they're not from China. I mean, that's what I do. It's hard. It's hard. When I shop on Amazon, I gotta look very closely, and oftentimes they'll try to hide it. But we should use our dollars to speak,
18:28 for those who cannot speak, and that includes product from China. Chris Smith, always great to see you. Thanks for being here. Thank you. Alright, folks. Coming up next, we're gonna take a look at, what's next for
18:40 congress as they start working on a budget for next year. Do they have enough time? Will they get it done? Don't go away. We're back with more after this.
18:56 A 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.
19:08 That's why we need organizations like the Family Research Council that can effectively defend and strengthen the family.
19:16 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
19:27 champion faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
19:34 FRC is 1 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.
19:44 The Family Research Council is key. It's 1 of a handful of groups that I think will determine whether our children live in a country that
19:56 enjoyed all of the freedom and all the opportunity that we enjoyed in this great land.
20:02 It's just a wonderful para church 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
20:14 successfully, not in a defensive mode, but in an offensive mode as we seek to live our lives according to the holy scriptures.
20:22 FRC, is not gonna be whooped. You know, we're we're gonna fight. We're gonna take a stand. And, again, we don't retreat.
20:31 You will never see in front of this building here in Washington, DC, a white flag fly. We will never step back. We will never surrender, and we will never
20:43 be silent. Hello, friends. This is Tony Perkins. You know what? We just finished our 21 day family bible challenge through the book of
20:55 Matthew. And if you joined us, I pray that it has already borne fruit in your life and in your home as you place the Lord and his word at the center of your home. Now our journey through the bible
21:07 doesn't end here though. The challenge was a part of our stand on the word bible reading plan. And from here, we're gonna cover the rest of the new testament. And now that we finished the book of Matthew, let me ask you,
21:18 would you consider joining us for the rest of the journey through the word of God? In 10 to 15 minutes a a day, you'll see how the good news of Jesus transformed the lives of common people, people just like you and me,
21:29 and how those same people transformed the known world through the power of the Holy Spirit. I invite you to continue the journey with me and discover the life life enriching power of the word of God. Visit f r c
21:41 dot o r g slash bible for our reading plan. That's f r c dot o r g slash bible to learn more.
21:54 Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for, tuning in. Alright. If you do not have the Stand Firm app, let me encourage you to get the Stand Firm app, and you'll see why
22:06 a little bit later when, we discuss more about the PEPFAR and the rescissions bill. It just makes it easier for you to take action. That's 1 of the reasons we created the Stand Firm app. Not only does it have,
22:18 access to Washington Watch, the Washington Stand, our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, and my daily devotional, The Stand on the Word, but it has action items, and it makes
22:30 it very easy for you to take action. Remember, our republic was not made for spectators. It was made for participants. So go to the App Store and get
22:42 the Stand Firm app. Alright. Well, passing the 1 big beautiful bill may have been 1 of the biggest challenges facing this congress. It took about 6
22:54 months. Well, it won't be the last challenge. The congress now has to turn to the budgeting for the next fiscal year. House speaker Mike Johnson has long expressed his hope
23:06 for restoring regular order. Now what's regular order? Well, that's something we haven't seen probably in a couple decades. That is passing the appropriations bills 1 by 1 and
23:18 passing them from the house to the senate to senate and agreeing on them, sending to the president, and those setting the policy and the spending. We've been seeing omnibus bills. We've been seeing continuing
23:28 resolutions. What's ahead for this year? Just less than 2 weeks, less than 24 days of legislative days are left for the house in this session of
23:40 well, before the fiscal year ends. And will they have time to get this done? Joining me now to discuss this congressman Chuck Fleischman, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Science,
23:52 Space, and Technology. Congressman, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you.
23:57 Tony, it's always a pleasure. Thank you for what you and your show are doing. I appreciate all the kind accolades for my brothers and sisters in congress who do what you want done, but, it's an honor to be with you,
24:09 sir.
24:09 Well, thank you. It's always great to see you. Let's talk just for a moment. I I I touched on this, but there's been a real desire to get back to regular order. And and and this is important because
24:21 you spend a lot of time on appropriations. And for the most part, it's almost been for naught.
24:28 Well, Tony, thank you for raising that. I'm what we call a cardinal, a subcommittee chairman on appropriations. I chair the energy and water subcommittee, but you are so right. We work for months, sometimes,
24:40 for hours a day trying to get a bill crafted. My bill, the energy and water will bill will actually be in full committee for what we call markup for passage. But so many
24:52 times, because of the failures in congress, because we don't have regular order, our work will go for naught. Not just my work, but my my fellow, members on the
25:04 appropriations committee in the house. The senate has a corresponding committee that does the same thing, but the failures turn up in something that we call a continuing resolution
25:16 or, god forbid, even worse, a government shutdown.
25:19 So let's talk about that because I I I don't put a lot of stock into the Hill press, because, you know, a lot of them they're designed just to create angst among people. But they're saying, look.
25:31 They don't see how congress is gonna get these appropriation bills through the process without having to turn to another continuing resolution. Your thoughts.
25:42 Well, thank you. The fiscal year ends September the thirtieth. The new year begins for congress for fiscal 20 26, October first. So the clock does become the
25:54 enemy. It's gonna be very difficult to get that done. We have passed some bills. The middle con VA bill has been passed. We've had that on the floor. The house has done that. The senate
26:05 is working on their appropriation bills. This week or actually next week. The defense appropriation bill will actually be going to the floor, but there's just no way we'll be able to get 12 appropriation bills
26:17 done by the time September thirtieth rolls around. So probably a short term continuing resolution only probably into early December
26:29 so that we would have an opportunity to do regular order and get the house and senate together conference a bill that we can send to president Trump for his signature.
26:40 Congressman, explain why that is so important getting back to regular order. Now, again, I know we touched on that, but combined with funding, I mean, where we the
26:52 the Bible says where your your your heart is, your treasure will be also. And and and our money determines our priorities.
27:00 Well, you're so right. Once again, view it this way. A family has a budget, but those needs change year from year. They may add a child. They may have a new job.
27:12 The the needs of the country change year to year. For example, I think we're in a much more dangerous world. Thank God we have president Trump in this position to quell the threats of Iran and
27:24 and overly aggressive Russia and China. But the reality is the needs of the country change year to year, and congress is supposed to do its job and address that. If we fail, we get a continuing
27:36 resolution, which is basically a repeat of the prior fiscal year. So it wouldn't work for a family. It certainly doesn't work for a country. And God forbid, if we get into a situation where
27:48 we fail totally, and that has happened 3 years in my tenure, in my 15 year tenure in the house, where we've had a government shutdown. And then our troops are at peril because they don't get
28:00 paid. We have so many different issues. And then, unfortunately, it costs so much more money to reopen the government. So, ideally, we will get a budget done with
28:12 the house, with the senate, and the president can sign it. At worst, a short term CR and get something done maybe by late November, early December. But we should we owe it to the American people,
28:24 Tony, to get a budget done. That's our job.
28:27 I I I would agree with that, and I do appreciate those who have been diligently working on that. And I should point out, the house has done a pretty good job in getting those through. They've died though in the senate.
28:39 Now we have new kind of leadership in the senate. We'll see. They still have that 60 vote threshold they've got to go through, so the challenge is still going to be there. About 30 seconds left, congressman Fleischmann.
28:51 How can our viewers and listeners be praying for congress at this moment?
28:56 We need to pray every day for our congress, for our leaders, for the people like us who agree on conservative fiscal and social values. I think that's very important biblical
29:07 values. But, we've gotta pray to God. God's got it. We know that. But good faithful stewardship, good prayers for our country, making sure that our great
29:19 republic that I think is a gift from God
29:21 Yeah.
29:21 To the American people, stays strong in now and in the future.
29:25 Chuck, thanks so much for joining us. Always great to see you on the program.
29:28 Thank you, Tony. God bless you.
29:30 Alright. And folks, I do think, you know, as Jesus said, you know, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. I think, you know, where we what we prioritize, where our heart is, that's where we're gonna place
29:40 our treasure. And so we need to make sure congress is prioritizing the right things. Alright. Don't go away. We're coming back with more Washington Watch on the other side of the break.Show more
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