Skip to content 4/21/2026 News from Capitol Hill and Iran, and a Sober Look at the Save America Act and the Pro-Life Movement Apr 22 · 54 min ...more
4/21/2026 News from Capitol Hill and Iran, and a Sober Look at the Save America Act and the Pro-Life Movement
April 22, 2026 · 54 min
Today’s Washington Watch guests discuss the confirmation hearing for a new Fed Chair, U.S.-Iran extended ceasefire negotiations, Reconciliation 2.0, and updates on the SAVE America Act. They also look at efforts to fast-track psychedelic drugs through the FDA, the DOJ investigation into the SPLC’s paid informant program, and finally, they assess the state of the pro-life movement at this moment.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
April 22, 2026 · 54 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Audio
Today’s Washington Watch guests discuss the confirmation hearing for a new Fed Chair, U.S.-Iran extended ceasefire negotiations, Reconciliation 2.0, and updates on the SAVE America Act. They also look at efforts to fast-track psychedelic drugs through the FDA, the DOJ investigation into the SPLC’s paid informant program, and finally, they assess the state of the pro-life movement at this moment. ...more Show the full description Show less Today’s Washington Watch guests discuss the confirmation hearing for a new Fed Chair, U.S.-Iran extended ceasefire negotiations, Reconciliation 2.0, and updates on the SAVE America Act. They also look at efforts to fast-track psychedelic drugs through the FDA, the DOJ investigation into the SPLC’s paid informant program, and finally, they assess the state of the pro-life movement at this moment.
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In this video 0:00 America Reads the Bible and Iran Ceasefire5:41 Funding Border Security and Voter ID Push17:03 Dangers of Fast-Tracking Psychedelics27:26 SPLC Investigation and Call to Focus38:41 Abortion Pill: A Weapon of Mass Destruction
America Reads the Bible and Iran Ceasefire 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 and newsmakers,0:13 all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.0:19 The DEA and the FDA are gonna work together to create a pathway so that people can get access to these drugs, not in a pharmacy, shelf or behind the counter, but in a controlled medical0:31 setting with supervision.0:33 That was FDA commissioner Marty Makary discussing the Trump administration fast tracking the approval and use of controversial psychedelic drugs. Welcome to this Tuesday, April 20 first edition of0:45 Washington Watch. I'm your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Coming up, Ohio senator John Husted joins us to discuss Republican efforts in the senate to advance an expanded reconciliation0:56 bill aimed at moving legislation forward without Democratic support. And speaking of drugs and the FDA, pressure is rising on the Food and Drug Administration over its abortion pill policies. A new1:08 journal of the American Medical Association study finds that in states allowing mail order access to abortion drugs, about 97 percent of mifepristone prescriptions are now being1:20
1:36 America Reads the Bible continues for the third day with president Trump set to participate tonight. Joining us now to discuss this is Washington stand reporter Casey Harper. Casey, what can we
1:48 expect to hear from the president tonight?
1:50 Yeah, Tony. It's a great week of reading scripture. And tonight, just after the show's over between 6 PM and 7 PM eastern, president Trump himself is scheduled to read the Old Testament. Second Chronicles chapter 7
2:01 verses 11 through 22. That's when the Lord tells Israel that if they'll repent and turn from their wicked ways, that he'll heal their land. Very fitting for the president for this hour, really. But his reading is gonna
2:13 be live streamed on the America Reads, site, reads the bible website, and the streaming is also actually available on the Pure Flix app. Now about 500 people from politicians to stars to regular folks will be reading
2:24 through scripture aloud throughout the week. And we actually have a have a clip here of the chair of USERF, also a former congress woman, Vicky Hartzler, reading scripture earlier today.
2:34 Then he went down and dipped himself 7 times in Jordan according to the saying of the man of God, and his flesh came again like the flesh of a little child, and he
2:46 was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him. And he said, behold, now I know that there is no God in all
2:58 the earth but in Israel.
3:00 So it's just great to see, Tony, leaders not just giving lip service to Christianity, but reading the scripture itself because that's really what we have to get back to in our nation right now.
3:09 Yep. It it certainly is. We were able to be a part of the kickoff wave, earlier this week. Actually, Sunday morning, we were the first ones to, to read. You know, Lord says the Bible says the, the
3:20 word of God will not return unto him void. So we're just praying that that would be the case. Speaking of prayer and the word of God, something we need to be praying about. President Trump announced just moments ago
3:31 before we went on the air via Truth Social that he was unilaterally extending the ceasefire with Iran until Iran could submit a proposal to end the hostilities. What's, what's happening
3:43 there?
3:44 Yes, Tony. This is breaking news on the show right now. It's really been leading up to this ever been everyone's been wondering what's gonna happen with these deals. We thought JD Vance was lee leaving to lead the talks,
3:53 and then he he didn't go, and then maybe he was gonna leave tonight. President Trump was threatening to blow up every bridge and power plant in Iran if they didn't reach a deal. Iran was really waffling on whether they
4:04 were even gonna show up. And then right before we went on the air, we have this post on true social from president Trump, where he said that, essentially, he is going to extend this ceasefire to, until they can come
4:16 up with a deal. And he said, quote, I've directed our military to continue the blockade, and all other respects remain ready and able. So, you know, president Trump is saying clearly that the the military is ready to
4:26 continue fighting, but there's a couple of important points here. 1, that naval blockade is gonna continue. That has been putting a lot of economic pressure on Iran, which relies very their economy relies very heavily on
4:37 getting oil out of the country. And right now, they're not able to do that. Another thing that's really interesting here, Tony, is that he said that he did this at the request of Pakistani leadership. Of course, these
4:47 ceasefire talks have been held in Pakistan, but his post here suggests outsized influence from Pakistani leaders. And to put it put it mildly, Pakistan has not always been an ally or really aligned with the US worldview.
4:59 So it's interesting to see that they have, they have such influence here. And, you know, this it's a long message. I won't read read the entire thing. But we have the naval blockade continuing, Pakistan is influencing,
5:09 and the ceasefire is continuing. But whether, Iran actually agrees to the ceasefire season's unclear. I think by tomorrow's show, we'll have our answer.
5:18 Yeah. Very interesting. It it sounds all sounds also as if the the the the country is so fractured. They don't know who they're negotiating with and people don't you got they they just don't know what's going on. So, you
5:29 know, maybe extending a little bit of time could bring a resolution. Casey, thanks so much for bringing us up to 8 on, these key issues.
5:38 Thanks, Tom.
5:38 And, continue to track, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Alright. We wanna turn back now to, to Capitol Hill to discuss the latest developments on the Department of Homeland Security and the funding efforts. Joining us
Funding Border Security and Voter ID Push
5:48 now is senator John Husted of Ohio who serves on the senate committee on health, education, labor, and pensions. Senator, welcome back to the program. Thanks for joining us.
5:59 Great to be with you.
6:00 So earlier today, I I think, the Republicans discussed this at their lunch today. Senate budget chair Lindsey Graham released a blueprint for a target reconciliation bill that will provide the funding for immigration
6:12 enforcement and border security. Give us the latest.
6:16 Yeah. We we just completed a vote here that begin that begins the 50 hours of debate on a budget reconciliation bill that will fund the Department of Homeland Security. If you recall, the Democrats wanted to stop,
6:29 us from funding, homeland security, particularly border control and immigrations and custom enforce enforcement. They wanted a bunch of reforms. So instead of getting those reforms,
6:41 they're actually gonna get, 3 years of funding for the entire, the those targeted, components of the agency. So, let's this is the other thing
6:52 that I think really sticks out to me is that Democrats had a strategy. They wanted to open up the borders during the Biden administration, let tens plus million people
7:05 come into the country, then they were gonna house them in sanctuary cities and sanctuary states, and then they were gonna defund, ICE and border control so that you couldn't deport the people that came in that
7:16 came into this country illegally. We are forwarding that with the passage, when we get this done, the passage of funding for DHS, Department of Homeland Security, under,
7:28 ICE and and, and border patrol border customs enforcement. Really, really something that forced their efforts to essentially defund the police. So we're making progress on
7:40 this, and we just, had a unanimous Republican vote on clearing it to end debate, and so we're moving forward.
7:48 So the process here, senate majority leader John Thune says he's hopeful that this will move forward quickly, but it sets up, what's known as a, this marathon,
8:00 Vote O Rama, for later in the week. That's when all of these amendments can be offered. It just it goes through the night. Do you see the bill possibly broadening beyond the funding for immigration enforcement and border
8:12 security?
8:13 Well, the instructions are focused on just 2 committees, the Homeland Security Committee and judiciary. And so there's a limit to what kinds of amendments you can actually put forward under the rules.
8:25 And so I think it will will remain, pretty narrow. And the reason that it needs to is because we gotta get this done. We have a we have the a a great contrast here. Democrats wanted to defund the police,
8:38 allow for people in this country to, legally to stay here and continue to commit crimes. And we're putting an end to that and we're gonna stand for law and order, the rule of law, and and
8:49 we need to stick together and get this done and get it done quickly. The more you put into it, the harder that becomes to get accomplished.
8:55 What what's the time frame here? When do you think the senate will finish its work and bounce it over to the house?
9:02 I'm hopeful that we'll have this done by Thursday. I I'm I'm not a great predictor of timing around this place. Sometimes things can can linger on, but the fact that we just completed the vote, that we started the 50
9:13 hours debate gives us gives us chance to get this done sooner rather than later.
9:17 I wanna turn to, another topic, the Save America Act. Leader Thune said yesterday that the senate might return to that legislation after reconciliation, FISA, and other Trump
9:29 nominations. Where do you see that going? I mean, this is a pretty big issue, especially to, to conservatives to make sure that our elections are protected.
9:39 Yeah. I'm I'm a former secretary of state in Ohio where we made it easy to vote and hard to cheat, and I actually offered amendment when I heard Chuck Schumer say that Democrats oppose the Save America Act, but not the
9:51 photo ID provision. So I produced legislation, gave them an amendment to try to do a strict photo ID provision, like we have in 36 other states. And every single Democrat
10:02 including Chuck Schumer who told the media that he was with the American people on photo ID when they actually had the chance to put their actions in the word into words refused to do so. So as far
10:14 as getting it done with democrat democrat cooperation, I think it's highly unlikely that that can happen. But there may be a a third reconciliation process that we could go through
10:26 that would, allow perhaps and this is this is I'm just thinking, you know, this is the stuff I'm working on, It is to put some funding in there that would fund photo IDs for the
10:38 entire nation, and and that way nobody could complain that they didn't have an ID. We'll fund them for the people that don't have them and then try to get a a provision in there that says and with the funding of that, we
10:49 will require that they be used in American elections and all federal elections. So that's an example of something that we can try going forward. I'm I you know, there's no reason to give up on something that's that
11:01 important.
11:01 I mean, do do you are are you surprised that, Chuck Schumer would say 1 thing and do another? I mean, look.
11:10 I mean, I'm not surprised, but look. I I try to be I try to be somebody who listens to what True. People across the aisle say.
11:20 Right.
11:20 And if for opportunities to find common ground. And so when he said that they don't oppose the photo ID provision, just all the other things. I was like, okay. Well, let's give it a chance. I know all
11:32 about this. We have we have I just really mirrored it on the Ohio law that said, driver's license, state ID, passport, military or veteran's ID, or a or tribal ID. Just use 1
11:44 of those those 5 different types of ID. I mean
11:47 and that's the biggest part. Country. That's the biggest part of the Save America Act. I know there are other provisions of it, but that's the most significant. And, I mean, what can you do in America without an ID
11:58 today? You can't cash a check. You can't get on an airplane. I mean, you have to have an ID. So, I mean, unless you're living, you know, I don't know, in a cave somewhere, you you're gonna have some kind of ID.
12:10 Yeah. I I think that that we're all accustomed to using IDs for everything that we do. I mean, you can't apply for public assistance without some form of identification.
12:22 Everything that you you do, you have to have some form of identification. And so the fact that we would vote look. The American people are for this. 80 percent of American people, including,
12:34 including, you know, Hispanics and Blacks and Democrats and everybody who they they say that we're trying to suppress. No. Like, they they're they're all you you see the public
12:46 opinion in polls, they're all for it because it's pretty reasonable. I I love the video of of 1 of the the the members of of Congress who went to a a church and said, well, you know, how many of you don't how
12:57 many of you don't have an ID? And no 1 raised their hands. And it was just like, yeah. Well, it's because everybody does. This is free. This is common sense.
13:06 Right. And I think as you said, as we started this conversation out, easy to vote, hard to cheat. That's what we should be after, and I think that's what the American people, the vast majority of Americans want. Senator
13:17 Houston, thanks so much for joining us. Always great to have a conversation with you.
13:22 Great to be with you. Thank you.
13:23 Alright. Senator John Houston of Ohio. I mean, it is it's common sense stuff. I mean, we shouldn't even be debating it. I mean, you got you you can't get on an airplane. You can't cash a check. You can't you can't do
13:35 hardly anything without an ID. In fact, members of congress can't vote without an ID. They have a they have a little card that has their name and picture on it they have to use to vote. Alright. Coming up,
13:46 president Trump has ordered the FDA to fast track a review of psychedelic drugs. We're gonna discuss that next, so don't go away. More Washington Watch straight ahead.
14:03 250 years ago, ago, our founding fathers signed a death warrant, pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
14:15 honor to the idea that our rights do not come from men, but from God. Protected by providence, they brought forth
14:27 a new nation, 1 nation under God, whose word rings beneath every law and liberty. Family
14:38 Research Council believes in preserving this rich history, the grounds of our freedom, our undeniable foundation of faith.
15:01 I think all people really need to have this type of education.
15:04 Well, I can tell you that it's been an amazing course period.
15:07 I think this course is a reminder that a biblical worldview should really impact everything. It impacts our government from the federal to the state to the local. It should impact what we're doing with our families and
15:18 with our work.
15:20 God and government is a video driven bible based training course from Family Research Council
15:38 understanding of civil government from a biblical worldview.
15:42 I would encourage all people to take it. I almost wish I would have took it earlier that I could have taught my kids this.
15:48 I wish I had known these things when we were homeschooling because I think children and my adults now would just greatly be influenced by that information.
15:55 So I'm an attorney and for me it gives me some direct practical knowledge of what I can do to try to impact my legal community to make better legislation, to try try
16:07 to encourage legislators to make choices that have a biblical worldview, which is what we really want.
16:13 Any pastor would benefit from taking this course because we are dual citizens. Right? We are citizens of the kingdom of God, but
16:19 we're also seated citizens of this great land and that that comes with responsibility. Even as someone who has been involved in these types of issues for a while, you're learning little bits and pieces of new stuff all
16:29 the time. But it's also approachable enough that newer people, younger people, high school, college students, they can really glean something from this. So I would encourage everybody to take this course, whether it's
16:40 the videos, whether it's doing it in person, bring your bible study group through it, bring your homeschool group through it, and equip equip yourself for these challenging days ahead.
16:49 View the course at f r c dot o r g slash god and government or on the stand firm app.
Dangers of Fast-Tracking Psychedelics
17:03 Alright. Welcome back to Washington Watch, the website tony perkins dot com. Alright. Over the weekend, president Trump signed an executive order directing the FDA to fast track the review of psychedelic drugs,
17:15 which is, it's being studied. Some of these drugs are being studied to treat mental health conditions such as PTSD, addiction, and depression. The initiative is backed by, 50000000 dollars
17:27 in federal funding. It's intended to, at least they say it is, to help Americans struggling with mental health issues. But how safe are psychedelic drugs? And is this a move in the right direction
17:39 or the wrong direction? Joining me now to discuss this is doctor Bertha Madras. She is professor of psych psychobiology at Harvard Medical School. She also is the director
17:51 of the laboratory of addiction neurobiology at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts, McLean Hospital. Doctor Madras, thanks so much for joining us. Welcome to Washington Watch.
18:02 Thank you very much for having me. Good afternoon.
18:05 Let let's begin with just a definition. What are psychedelic drugs, and are they safe?
18:12 Psychedelics are a class of hallucinogens. Hallucinogens are drugs that make you see things that you don't that aren't real. They make you hear things that aren't real.
18:24 They make all your senses distorted, and so the perception that you have is not reality. But psychedelics are a subset of these hallucinogens that
18:36 also apparently expand your mind, expand your introspection, your sense of self. So they are somewhat, more more of a, an experience
18:48 that includes hallucinations, but also an in-depth examination of your own life.
18:54 Now the the drug, Ibogaine that is, being researched here is, is a schedule 1 substance, which Yes. A a a schedule
19:05 1 has no medical use.
19:09 Correct.
19:10 And so now we're talking about starting to use these to treat various, issues such as post traumatic stress syndrome. Is let me first, let me get your reaction to the president's directive to
19:22 fast track the review of these psychedelic drugs based upon what you just said.
19:27 Yes. Well, my feeling is that fast tracking a review is very different than pressuring the FDA to approve the drugs. So that if you fast
19:39 track a review that has adequate clinical trials, adequate safety evaluation, adequate trial methods, that's fine.
19:51 If you then say that because there are promising data, but they're not really done, by FDA standards, but nevertheless, we've got to approve
20:03 these drugs, that's very, very worrisome. Because the FDA must not compromise their rigorous rigorous criteria for drug approval. And the reason I say
20:15 that is the these are a very dangerous class of drugs that could really be hazardous to the general use in the population.
20:26 But this is not the first time that the the government has dealt with, psychedelic drugs. I mean, these this is not like something new. So being that they have been a schedule 1,
20:38 what new information do we have that would suggest that they have a a positive use?
20:45 Yes. Well, I I'll just preface this by saying that the the Food and Drug Administration in 20 24 denied approval of MDMA, which is ecstasy,
20:57 for the treatment of PTSD. And they denied it by criteria that should be applied to the current, roster of psychedelic drugs, which
21:08 includes psilocybin, LSD, ibogaine, and a few others. So that's number 1. And the reason they denied the the the, approval is for
21:20 very simple criteria. The studies were unblinded. The outcome measures were not, critically evaluated. Safety concerns were not
21:32 necessarily, adequately assessed and so on. So they had very rigid criteria, and they applied them. I want the president the
21:43 present FDA to use the same rigorous standards for these drugs. What has what has happened that's new? Psychedelic drugs, for example, psilocybin and
21:55 ibogaine have gone through a few trials, a few clinical trials, especially for with regard to psilocybin for treatment resistant depression. And
22:07 they have shown outcomes that look interesting, but big but. As the clinical trials get better, as you recruit more subjects,
22:20 as you as you deny the, inclusion of people who have previous previously used psychedelics, as you
22:31 improve this placebo effects, all these outcome measures get weaker and weaker. And so I don't think we're ready yet to
22:43 approve or to even fast track these drugs. I think there is a much longer period ahead of time that should be exercised in order to make sure that these
22:55 are safe and effective.
22:57 So so, doctor Madras, let me ask you this question. What will the review process that the FDA is going to do look like? We got about a minute and a half left.
23:06 Yeah. Well, it it will simply, the FDA process in terms of approving a drug takes quite a long time because, generally, most drugs generate
23:18 about 100000 to 200000 pages of data. And so it that that's quite a daunting task to do in a in in a short period of time. My feeling is that
23:30 what they will do is put a lot more people, a lot more statisticians onto the onto the data in order to see whether or not they fulfill FDA criteria. But at
23:42 this point, I have to say unequivocally that the current trials have weaknesses, and those weaknesses make me think quite strongly that we're not ready for prime
23:53 time with these drugs. And we're not ready, especially, with regard to safety for general use in the population.
24:01 30 seconds left. Do these psychedelic drugs have long term side effects and, addictive natures to them?
24:09 Psychedelic drugs generally are not addictive, but the long term effects are clear in people who have vulnerabilities or even if you don't have vulnerabilities, but they get
24:21 declared by using the drugs. And that's 1 of the problems with the current clinic clinical trials. They exclude high risk people. They take they they maximize the
24:33 benefit. They minimize the risk in order to prevent adverse effects.
24:38 I know.
24:39 But in general population, it's not going. Most clinics, average clinics are not gonna screen as carefully as these clinical trials.
24:48 Doctor Madras, we gotta leave it there. I thank you for joining us. Very insightful. Thank you so much.
24:53 You're very welcome. Bye bye.
24:54 Alright, folks. Stick with us. We're back with more.
25:01 Proverbs 22 6 says, train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
25:36 Because it was impossible for death to keep hold on him. Acts 2 24.
25:45 Join Family Research Council in standing on the word. Visit frc dot org bible for free resources to help your family follow the way. Jesus, the risen savior of
25:57 the world.
26:02 When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for 1 people To dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.
26:09 And to assume among the powers of the earth
26:12 The separate and equal station to which the laws of nature
26:15 And of nature's god entitle them.
26:18 A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self evident
26:28 that all men are created equal
26:30 that they're endowed by their creator.
26:32 With certain unalienable rights.
26:34 That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.
26:42 Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Happy 200 and fiftieth.
26:48 Happy 200 and fiftieth.
26:50 Happy 200 and fiftieth.
26:52 Happy 200 and fiftieth birthday, America.
26:54 May god bless America. This is Washington Watch. I'm Tony Perkins. Thanks for joining us. Check out
27:06 the website tony perkins dot com, or get the Stand Firm app. At the App Store, you'll have access to Washington Watch. Watch. You'll have access to the Washington Stand, our news and commentary from a biblical
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