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5/20/2025 Tony and Guests Review Current Events and a Great Resource for Those Struggling with Trans Identity
May 20, 2025 · 59 min
Trump visits Capitol Hill to work on budget reconciliation, understanding the Russia-Ukraine war, preparation for massive baptisms, and understanding the psychological crisis behind trans identity.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video May 20, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
Trump visits Capitol Hill to work on budget reconciliation, understanding the Russia-Ukraine war, preparation for massive baptisms, and understanding the psychological crisis behind trans identity. ...more Show the full description Show less Trump visits Capitol Hill to work on budget reconciliation, understanding the Russia-Ukraine war, preparation for massive baptisms, and understanding the psychological crisis behind trans identity.
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In this video 0:00 Global and National Headlines4:40 Political Maneuvering and Legislative Challenges18:48 International Relations and Energy Policy29:50 Spiritual Movements and Cultural Engagement38:35 Addressing Transgender Ideology
1:39 Let's create new institutions or revisit existing institutions that are lean, efficient, transparent, and accountable.
1:48 Turning to other issues, the Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a victory on immigration. In a near unanimous ruling, the court allowed the president to terminate legal protections for roughly
2:00 350000 Venezuelan migrants. They were shielded under temporary protected status or TPS granted by the Biden administration. The program's ultimate effect was to keep these
2:11 migrants from being deported. It was set to expire in April, but a California judge chose to extend it. However, the justices ruled 8 to 1 that Trump's team can now end that amnesty.
2:23 This is separate from the president's mission to deport the country's illegal gang members. Constitutional attorney Jonathan Turley called this a win for the administration.
2:32 This is a considerable win for the Trump administration. We're talking about not a small number of people, talking about over half a million people. And what was curious is that the federal law itself says that you can
2:43 use this special parole provision on a case by case basis. That is not what the Biden administration did. For the administration, this is a huge issue because if these individuals stay past 2
2:55 years, other protections kick in. It'd be they become as difficult to deport as all the other millions that were allowed into the country.
3:05 Switching gears slightly, conservatives are cheering another win. This time for Grand Canyon University, the nation's largest Christian college. Back in 20 23, the Biden administration slapped GCU with
3:17 a jaw dropping 37700000.0 dollar fine. This came after they accused GCU of misleading doctoral students about program costs. Fast forward to now, and Trump's
3:29 Department of Education just wiped that fine off the books clearing GCU of any wrongdoing. This development has been celebrated as a stand against political targeting in education. As an education department
3:41 spokesman said, the Trump administration will continue to ensure every institution of higher education is held accountable based on facts, not political bias. Now, from education battles to
3:52 debates over life and death, assisted suicide is increasingly taking the limelight. 10 states have legalized the practice with proponents claiming it's compassionate care. Opponents warn of its
4:04 risks and the ethical dilemma. And Nevada just became the latest state to reject the agenda. Bill 3 46 would have legalized physician assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, but it
4:16 crashed and burned in the state senate committee. That's the sixth time since 20 17, Nevada said no way to euthanasia. The bill's Democratic sponsor vowed to keep pushing, but state Republicans are
4:28 standing firm to keep this fight an uphill battle. And those are today's headlines. I'm Sarah Holliday. Up next is Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, and we're back tomorrow with more stories that matter.
Political Maneuvering and Legislative Challenges
4:53 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
5:04 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
5:11 We're on the verge of making history here, and everybody feels it. In that room today with president Trump, it was filled with standing ovations and high energy and high excitement because everybody senses what's
5:20 happening here. It was a great esprit de corps, and we're blessed to serve under and with the president, who who understands the necessity of these relationships and and is willing to roll his sleeves up and and come
5:31 stand in the trenches, to be a part of this excitement of what's happening.
5:35 House speaker Mike Johnson earlier today after president Trump made a trip to Capitol Hill this morning to meet with Republicans and rally support for his 1 big beautiful bill. Did it work? We'll find
5:47 out. Welcome to this May twentieth edition of Washington Watch. I'm Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Well, following the president's visit to the Hill, there still does not appear to be the votes to pass the measure.
5:59 House Freedom Caucus chairman Andy Harris told The Wall Street Journal that the president still had not won over enough supporters for the current legislation. He said, quote, we can get there, but maybe not by
6:10 tomorrow, end quote. We'll talk about it with Georgia congressman Andrew Clyde, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Meanwhile, president Trump held a 2 hour call yesterday with Russian president Vladimir
6:22 Putin.
6:23 I think something's going to happen. It's a very, got Very big egos involved, I tell you. Big egos involved, but I think something's gonna happen. And if it doesn't, I'd
6:35 just back away, and they're gonna have to keep going.
6:38 The president did describe the conversation as productive, but Vladimir Putin was more reserved, stating only that Russia is, quote, ready to begin work on a memorandum toward a
6:49 potential future peace treaty, end quote. Is Putin stalling while pursuing further territorial gains? North Carolina congressman Greg Murphy joins us to assess the implications.
7:02 And on the spiritual front, could June eighth be the largest 1 day baptism event in history? Pastor Mark Franci of Oceans Church in California believes it could be, and he's praying and working to make it happen.
7:13 He joins us later with the exciting details. Also, tomorrow, Family Research Council releases a new and timely resource, Embracing God's Design, Addressing the Spiritual and
7:25 Psychological Crisis Behind Transgender Identity, coauthored by doctor Jennifer Bowens, FRC's center for director for the Center for Family Studies, and FRC senior fellow, Walt
7:37 Heyer. Now this book will be a vital tool for parents, pastors, and policymakers alike. You won't wanna miss my conversation later with Walt and Jennifer. All of that is ahead on
7:49 this Tuesday edition of Washington Watch. But before we dive in, mark your calendars. Better yet, text me. Text Matthew to 6 7 7 4 2, and
8:01 join FRC's 21 day family Bible challenge through the gospel of Matthew kicking off June the eleventh. For several years now, I've led families through the Bible every 2 years, and the impact
8:13 has been powerful. I've received letters, emails, and calls from people aged 90 to 90 sharing how God's word has transformed their lives, their marriages, and their families.
8:25 So why not start with just 1 book? Take the challenge. Read the gospel of Matthew together as a family for 21 days. And pastors, you can invite your church to join you. Start the summer
8:37 with scripture. Text Matthew to 6 7 7 4 2 to get all the information. That's Matthew to 6 7 7 4 2. Well, as I mentioned, president Trump went to
8:49 Capitol Hill this morning to rally Republicans behind the current version of his big beautiful bill. He addressed some of the issues that conservatives are raising with the measure, namely the failure to aggressively
9:01 pursue spending reductions being pushed by pushing the cost savings into the second half of the 10 year window that history tells us are unlikely to be realized. Is behind the
9:12 scenes progress being made? Well, here to discuss this by phone, stepping off the house floor, congressman Andrew Clyde, who serves on 2 house committees including the budget committee. He's he represents the ninth
9:24 congressional district of Georgia, and he's also a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Congressman Clyde, thanks for, joining us.
9:31 Tony, it's great to be with you on Washington Watch.
9:34 Alright. Your thoughts on the president's appearance at the House GOP conference meeting this morning?
9:40 Well, I tell you what, it was a a great event. He had a great speech. He had 1 written, and he basically set it to the side and said, I'm just gonna talk to you from the heart. And, and that's exactly
9:51 what he did. And literally for over an hour, he spoke to us, and and we talked about, or he talked about many of the issues. You know, he talked about salt. He talked about, Medicaid
10:03 and and Medicare, and Social Security and and how we are going to strengthen those issues, those, programs, and and how but we're gonna deal with the waste, fraud, and abuse in
10:15 those programs. And I I couldn't agree with them more on that. We just have to get this big beautiful bill to a point where it actually does that. It deals with the waste, fraud and abuse
10:28 in Medicaid. And, also, we need to deal with the the Green New Deal subsidies. You know, the president has said many times he wants to completely eliminate those subsidies, and
10:39 we're this this bill goes about halfway, but it needs to go farther to do that. And so we're working on that too. We still have time. But, but that's those are 2 really important issues
10:51 there.
10:52 Let's talk about that, Andrew, because the the the way the the budgeting works is you have a 10 year window. So all your costs and reductions have to appear in the window to balance that budget.
11:04 But as I understand it, the concern has been with conservatives, and and by the way, I'm in agreement, that these like, the reductions in Medicare, the work requirements, that those are pushed
11:16 past the first window kind of into the second part of this 10 year window. Has that been corrected?
11:23 No. That has not been corrected, and that's 1 of the issues that we have is that you have a increase in the deficit, you know, by 3 and 400000000000 dollars a year up through year
11:34 4, year 5, actually, where the first year there's a little bit of deficit reduction and then year 2, 3, 4, and 5, you have significant deficit increase up
11:46 to about 1300000000000.0 dollars of the increase. And then after that, year you're 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, you have a a decrease. So there's overall roughly, you
11:58 know, just a little bit better than balance. But all that savings, all those cost reductions, those spending cuts come in the last 5 years, which typically never
12:10 happens, and that's the problem right there. So let let let
12:14 let me let you explain that a little bit. But the work requirements are what we're talking about with Medicaid. That means if you're able-bodied, you know, you're you're sitting at home on the couch watching TV as
12:26 opposed to working, and you're just getting Medicaid, that's what we're talking about here in terms of reduction. Why are we gonna wait 5 years to start that? Why not start it now?
12:37 That's a great question. And that's 1 of the things that we brought up and said, hey. Why aren't we starting this? Why are we starting this, you know, in 20 29? We should be starting this as soon as possible. You know?
12:49 It yes. I granted it takes a bit of time to write the regulations for it. It takes a little bit of time for the states to approve it because it's a state run program, but this should be implemented no later than 20 26.
13:01 Alright? Not 20 29. And and, you know, so there's an issue there that we need to to negotiate through. Work requirements is very important because, you know, able-bodied adults
13:13 do not need to be on Medicaid. They can be working, and they should be working. And that's the point right there.
13:19 Alright. The next item you brought up, a similar situation, it's the green new scam. This was all the the green energy stuff that was put in the, Inflation Reduction Act.
13:31 And this too is not being curtailed until the kind of the tail end of this 10 year window. Why don't we why aren't we more aggressive with that?
13:41 Well, again, that's something that we've been working on to move up the cutoff dates for these, green new green new deal subsidies or green new scam subsidies. If we can if we
13:53 can accomplish that and move up the cutoff date, and then for those, you know, those energy products or projects rather that have, you know, this 10 year window of subsidies attached to them,
14:05 We need to reduce those subsidies even if we have to do, like, a a step down of 10 percent per year. You know, that needs to happen. There's no way that that our hard earned
14:16 tax dollars should be going to subsidize, you know, wind and solar, which is unreliable, and it makes our grid unreliable when we have wind and solar being, you know, the 2 types of energy
14:28 production that are are the most type that are are are going into our grid right now. You know, the most type that are being currently built, and and it's not natural gas and it's not
14:39 coal. It's unreliable wind and solar.
14:43 Well and also it's being subsidized. I mean, if there's money to be made in that industry, the industry will be it'll drive itself. I mean, that's kind of a free market principle, that we keep forgetting.
14:53 2 feet. That's what should happen.
14:56 Right. Alright. So tell me, how are the negotiations going on behind the scenes? I mean, the the conservatives have been pretty forthright about this all along. You, I think,
15:09 in the committee, there were about 4 or 5 Republicans that voted present but didn't vote for this to allow it to go to the next step, but to allow conversations to continue. Are those continuing are those conversations
15:21 continuing, and are they leading to anything?
15:24 Yes. There were 4 of us that voted present to allow the bill to move forward. Alright? And I was 1 of those 4 that voted present. You know, it was just the negotiations that happened over the weekend. I was here Friday,
15:36 Saturday, and Sunday working into the night, with the leadership and with the White House. And we made a little bit of progress there, but I think we need a little more time to make more progress, because this
15:48 bill, as it sits right now, does not do what the president's agenda is actually, you know, what the president has told the American people that he wants to do, especially when it comes to the spending
15:59 cut side of it.
16:00 Yeah. Well, I think you're right to, to hold the line on that and and do actually make sure this bill does what people say it's going to do. Next step is the rules
16:12 committee tomorrow. Is this going to make it through the rules committee as it is?
16:18 Well, the manager's amendment is the next step. We have not seen the manager's amendment. My guess is it probably will make it through the rules committee. You know, that is the committee, for the speaker, really. That's
16:30 his committee. So, it will probably make it through the rules committee, but I don't know if it's gonna make it, on the on the rule on the floor. You know, if if the rule on the floor goes down, that the bill's not dead.
16:41 You know, it just means that it needs to go back to rules, to have a little more negotiating time. That's all that means. And, you know, so I firmly, believe that we will get this bill across the
16:53 floor, but I think it just may take a little more time.
16:56 Meaning a little more time. What do you mean by that? How long?
16:59 A little more to negotiate. A little more time to negotiate to get, to get the conservative policy and the fiscal policy that is so important in this bill.
17:09 So do you think you'll be working through the weekend?
17:13 It could be. Very well could be. That depends on leadership and on the White House.
17:18 So let's talk about we just have about a minute and a half left here. Let's talk about the moderates who are demanding. You mentioned SALT. This is the state and local tax, which basically is a subsidy of blue states.
17:30 Where does that stand in the mix?
17:33 Well, the president was pretty forceful this morning, and he said, no more salt. He said, you know, that salt by California and Illinois and New
17:45 York is so unfair to the rest of the country, and he's right. Hundred percent right. Yeah. You know, the the the the folks from those states are simply trying to use their leverage to, to get more deductions
17:57 for state and and local tax. But the president, I think, laid the hammer down pretty hard this morning. So we'll see what, you know, what kind of reactions they have on it.
18:07 Do you do you think they got the message?
18:09 I think they got the message, but, but whether it does any good or not, I I I can't tell you that.
18:16 Alright. Congressman Andrew Clyde, always great to talk with you. Thanks so much for, giving us the latest there from the house floor.
18:23 Thank you very much, Tony. Great to be with you on Washington Watch.
18:26 Alright. Congressman Andrew Clyde of, of Georgia. So there's still time to weigh in on this because there's still a lot of give and take. I would encourage you to text congress to 6 7 7 4
18:38 2, and you can weigh in. We'll give you a link, and you can go directly to your member of congress. We wanna make sure planned parenthood, the defunding stays in, and also the funding of transgenderism, that needs to be
International Relations and Energy Policy
18:49 out. Alright. We're back after this.
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20:28 Jennifer, it's so exciting to be here with you today talking about our new book, Embracing God's Design. Who is actually gonna benefit from reading this book in your view?
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21:45 Text app to 6 7 7 4 2. That's app to 6 7 7 4 2.
21:54 Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us on this Tuesday. And, hey, let me remind you, join us for FRC's 21 day family bible challenge through the book of Matthew.
22:06 To join us, simply text the word Matthew to 6 7 7 4 2. Lots of resources for the entire family. Text Matthew to 6 7 7 4 2. President Trump on Monday said his
22:18 2 hour phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin went very well, saying that both Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations on ending the war. He informed Ukrainian president Zelensky
22:30 and other European allies of this immediate immediately after the talk with Putin. But Putin's messaging seemed to conflict with that a bit saying that, well, he will,
22:42 start they they said they're ready to work on a memorandum, meaning, you know, we'll start working on talking about talking about stuff. Doesn't seem that,
22:54 Putin's too eager to end this war. Joining me now to discuss this, congressman Greg Murphy, who serves as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. He represents the third congressional district of North Carolina.
23:05 Doctor Murphy, welcome back to Washington Watch. I know you're on the house floor. Thanks for stepping off to talk to us.
23:10 Absolutely. Good afternoon, Tony.
23:13 So what do you make of president Trump's announcement? How optimistic are you that peace between Russia and Ukraine is, imminent and attainable?
23:23 I think it's obtainable. Tony, whether it's imminent or not, remains to be seen. You're dealing with a bloodthirsty despot who really feels no
23:34 remorse in sending his countrymen into, a sawmill to kill them for what gain is beyond me. But also on the other side, you have a leader of a country formerly
23:46 really corrupt. Hopefully, really has turned the turn the corner that doesn't want to see his country dismantled by a foreign invader. I think,
23:58 Zelensky is a lot more amenable to trying to get the war done with the war finished than Putin has, you know, has reasons to to wanna end the war. There's really no reason for Putin wanna end the
24:10 war. He's isolated his economy, enough. And, sadly enough, I don't think he values human life whatsoever.
24:19 President Zelensky says Putin is only trying to buy time with these negotiations to continue the war in Ukraine. I I tend to agree with that. Yeah. And and I think I mean, my
24:31 take, Putin really get kinda gets a bounce by having a conversation with president Trump. I mean, I I I I think that raises his stature as he's been a kind of a pariah out there.
24:43 Yeah. It does. Because, you know, look, people some people don't like Trump, but my gosh, he's on top of the world right now. He's just in Saudi Arabia. He got trillions of dollars in a trade deal with him. The
24:55 world understands strength, you know, in comp in contrast to the the absolute just failure of the last administration. So him having any relation whatsoever with,
25:07 with president Trump sure does elevate his status compared to anything with Biden. So
25:12 Right. Well, we also have to I mean, history matters when we look at these things, when we Putin is trying to rebuild the Russian empire like Stalin did in in post World War 2 Russia. I
25:24 mean, they they are looking at this as an opportunity in their future. They're looking at it much differently than we are. They have a different system. And and and oftentimes, our foreign policy seems to miss that.
25:36 Yep. I agree. You know, they're much more of a dictatorship, monolithic, czarist if you will society and that 1 person has central control and mother Russia should dominate.
25:48 But you know that's not the world view, that's not what happened, that's not why the United States is the leader of the free world. We have other countries such as China that there's this really essentially a single
26:00 leader although there's a party that that leads the country. This is not what democracy is all about and sadly enough I think the average Russian doesn't know the difference and just suffers every day in
26:12 a very miserable dreary life. But that's okay with it. He really doesn't care. This is a personal thing with him. It's about glory and, trying to as you point out trying to get Russia
26:24 back to the status of the of the great, Lenin and and, and and Zalem.
26:30 1 of the very practical things we could do on the domestic front that will have implications here, and it's being done, and I like to get an update from you on where it stands, is reviving our own
26:42 energy production. Because as we go back to being an exporter of energy, we, we're gonna drive down Russia's revenue stream that they're getting through selling their oil.
26:54 Sure. And if you look at what, Tony, the the the 1, issue, the 1 article, the the 1, program that controls pretty much everything, it's energy these days. You know, how can
27:06 you run your mills? How can you go out and, put your crops in the field? How can you harvest them? How can you make anything? How can you get from a to b? It's all about energy. And with the Biden administration, they
27:17 just wanted to float these insane ideas, and and destroy American energy dominance. Look at, you know, Biden, even though he didn't remember it, wanted to just destroy, American liquid
27:29 natural gas, giving it all to Russia to let them become the preeminent. But, you know, finally, it's great to have president Trump back on on top, really reasserting American dominance for this. And by definition,
27:41 when we do this, we weaken some of the other countries. Unfortunately, Russia is 1 of them.
27:46 Right. Not not to get too deeply into this, but I was just talking with 1 of your colleagues, Andrew Clyde, about the the the Green New Deal that was, that's in the reconciliation to pull out that
27:57 subsidies for, these, you know, green energy projects, which runs counter to becoming a energy excess producer where we're actually exporting, which we were
28:09 doing at the end of the last Trump administration.
28:12 Well, 1 thing, Tony, I think you have to be a little careful at this. I'm a huge fan of nuclear. That is the future of this country. And if we pull the rug out under helping nuclear get started,
28:24 we cut our throats, to do this. We cut our nose to spite our face. So I think I'm a little bit more, I wanna put a little more scrutiny in this, than really just flashing,
28:36 flashing, flashing.
28:37 How how much funding how much funding is in for nuclear in the new deal and the green deal?
28:43 Well, Tony, I can't give you an exact number. The runway that we've allowed is through 30 31. But it takes a decade for nuclear to do these things. It doesn't take as long for solar or anything else like that.
28:55 So we have to actually be a little bit judicious, in what we're doing. You know, I think a few people have decided they just wanna be naysayers and pick little pieces out of the the BBB as it were, but we gotta be smart.
29:07 And we actually have to use our
29:08 brains when doing this.
29:09 I I don't disagree with nuclear. I I think the wind and solar, that's having to be subsidized to get people into that industry, I think, is is proven to be kind of a loser. Not that I'm
29:21 against some of it, but I I just think what we know what works and what we need right now is energy production.
29:29 Right.
29:29 Doctor Murphy, out of time. Thanks for stepping off the floor to, to talk with us, and, always good to to talk with you.
29:37 Alright. Thank you, Tony. God bless.
29:38 Alright. Doctor Greg Murphy of North Carolina. Do agree. Nuclear I'm not sure there's a whole lot in that new green deal that, relates to that. Alright, folks. Don't go away. We're back with more after this.Show more
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