Skip to content 1/14/2025 Wrapping Up Under Biden Before Trump Arrives Jan 14 · 59 min ...more
1/14/2025 Wrapping Up Under Biden Before Trump Arrives
January 14, 2025 · 59 min
The House prepares to protect women's sports while the Senate holds Cabinet confirmation hearings. Meanwhile, conversations surround the DEI infection and solutions at various government levels.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
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.
January 14, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
The House prepares to protect women's sports while the Senate holds Cabinet confirmation hearings. Meanwhile, conversations surround the DEI infection and solutions at various government levels. ...more Show the full description Show less The House prepares to protect women's sports while the Senate holds Cabinet confirmation hearings. Meanwhile, conversations surround the DEI infection and solutions at various government levels.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
In this video 0:05 News Highlights and Political Updates4:50 Debate on Women's Sports and Gender Issues18:18 Pro-Life Advocacy and Political Strategy29:51 California's Wildfire Crisis and Policy Failures38:58 Military Readiness and National Security ConcernsComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
1:27 the ground. Hegseth can only afford 3 GOP no votes to be confirmed as secretary of defense. And in other domestic news, firefighters in California are bracing
1:39 for strong winds expected over the next 24 hours, which could cause new fires to develop as they work on containing the old fires. Over 20000 homes are without power in anticipation
1:51 of the winds. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department still continues to conduct search and rescue operations in the areas of the Palisades and Eaton fires. 24 people remain missing. The
2:03 Palisades fire, the largest fire, is now at 23000 acres with 17 percent containment. FEMA assistance is now available to those impacted by the wildfires. Yesterday,
2:15 president Joe Biden said it would take a lot of money to rebuild.
2:20 It's gonna cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles back to where it was. So we're gonna need congress to step up to provide funding to get this done. Yeah. We're
2:32 gonna get that done. God bless.
2:34 House speaker Mike Johnson has said he'd like to see conditions tied to any additional federal aid sent to California.
2:41 The Americans there that are affected, you know, desperately need and deserve help. But you've also heard us talk about our concerns with the governance of the state of California, state and local. And to the extent that
2:53 there is complicity involved in the scope of the disaster, then we think that's something that needs to be, carefully regarded. You've heard the word conditions on aid. We're not we're not
3:05 projecting in advance what this will be. We have to make sure there are safeguards on the precious treasure of the American people. There are, natural disasters, of course. But if they are made much worse
3:17 by human error and deliberative policy choices that were unwise and were stated as such at the time, then I think that that's something that, that needs to be carefully regarded.
3:28 House Democrats have warned Johnson that making the aid conditional would set a new precedent that would come back to bite Republicans. And in international news, a ceasefire deal between
3:39 Israel and Hamas is imminent. Negotiators, including president-elect Trump's designated Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, along with officials from the US, Israel, and Arab countries,
3:51 met today in Qatar to draft a deal. Hamas has said the deal is in its final stages, and Israeli officials have said this is the most serious round of negotiations they've seen since
4:03 November of 20 23. Secretary of state Anthony Blinken has developed a plan for a post Hamas governance structure in Gaza, which he believes is crucial to ensure a permanent
4:15 ceasefire and end of the war. He plans to hand it over to the incoming Trump administration. And those are today's headlines. I'm Victoria Marshall. For mornings and commentary, be
4:27 sure to check out the Washington stand at washington stand dot com. And follow us on social media for updates at f r c d c. Up next is Washington Watch with Tony
4:38 Perkins. We'll see you tomorrow with more news.
Debate on Women's Sports and Gender Issues
4:50 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.
5:10 It's a sad day in our country when radical leftists are willing to erase the rights that women have fought decades to obtain, all to elevate biological males to the top of women's platforms.
5:21 That was Florida congressman Greg Stubbe on the house floor earlier today at the opening of debate over his bill, protection of women and girls in sports act. Welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning
5:32 in and making us part of your day. While fairness in women's sports is the driving issue, the underlying debate is about recognizing the design of the creator, male and female, which may explain why
5:44 the bill narrowly passed earlier today, 218 to 2 0 6 with only 2. Count them. 2 Democrats voting for the common sense measure. Congressman Stubbe joins us in just a moment.
5:56 We'll also get an update from the senate as the confirmation hearings began today for president Trump's cabinet picks. Montana senator Steve Daines, a part of the senate leadership, joins us later. And unfortunately,
6:09 Los Angeles continues to burn. The historic fire will cost billions. Should federal aid be conditioned upon the state changing their foolish policies that foster the disaster?
6:20 Our politicians have obsessed over things like banning lawnmowers, banning leaf blowers, all the while neglecting our
6:32 forests and leaving our communities vulnerable.
6:35 That was California congressman Kevin Kiley. He joins us later on this edition of Washington Watch. And those same DEI woke policies that the Biden administration pushed in the Secret
6:47 Service that nearly caused president Trump to be killed and that Gavin Newsom has advanced in California, they all failed on the day of testing. What does that say about our nation's
6:58 military, which has been captive to the same ideology for the last 4 years? Is our military prepared for the future? Retired lieutenant general Jerry Boykin, a founding member of the army's Delta Force,
7:10 joins me for that conversation here in studio and from a parallel universe.
7:17 Compared to 4 years ago, America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger. Our adversaries and competitors are weaker. We have not gone to war to make these things
7:28 happen. During my presidency, I've increased America's power in every dimension.
7:35 That was president Joe Biden yesterday at his farewell foreign policy address at the state department. The world is more dangerous than it's ever been, and
7:47 we're gonna talk about it. Alright. Coming up this Sunday, inauguration praise and prayer convocation ceremony here in Washington DC. It'll be at 2 PM. If you're in the area and you'd like to join us, go
7:59 to f r c dot o r g slash prayer. There are a few seats still available. It's a free event, but you have to register because seating is limited. If you're not coming to DC, you can join us on the Stand
8:11 Firm app. We'll be broadcasting the event on the Stand Firm app. Go to the App Store, download the Stand Firm app, or simply text app a p p to 6 7 7 4 2. Well, as I mentioned earlier today,
8:23 the House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act by a vote of 218 to 2 0 6 with only 2 Democrats joining the Republicans. The bill reintroduced by Florida
8:35 congressman Greg Stuebbe seeks to amend title 9 of the education amendments of 19 72 to keep female sports in school athletic programs exclusively for
8:47 biological females. Now given how the trans issue hurt Democrats during the election, what does today's vote tell us about how well they were listening? Joining me
8:59 now to discuss the latest is the author of the bill, congressman Greg Stube. He represents the seventeenth congressional district of Florida. Congressman Stube, welcome back to Washington Watch. Great to see you, and
9:09 happy New Year.
9:10 Yeah. Hey, Tony. Thanks for having me.
9:12 Alright. Are you surprised by how the Democrats in the house voted today?
9:18 Yeah. I was surprised 2 years ago when not a single Democrat voted for this common sense piece of legislation, and today only 2. This is going to be an election issue for them in 2 years. Maybe they think that
9:30 it's 2 years is a long time from now, but we saw this as an election issue just a couple of months ago during the presidential race. It's like 72 percent of Americans believe that,
9:41 boys shouldn't be in girls sports. This is a overwhelmingly supported issue across America, so it it is very shocking. And then you had 1 Democrat vote present. That Democrat is in a
9:53 district that he only won by, like, a point and a half, 2 points. Points. So you can guarantee that that's gonna be an issue he's gonna have to deal with going into the next election cycle. But it just shows you how out
10:04 of touch Democrats are with the majority of America.
10:09 I mean, this has been building, really, over the last 10 years, we've seen this. And then you you had this legislation, several years ago, and it's been moving toward this point. And as you mentioned, it was a big
10:20 issue in this past fall's election. And there are 13 congressional districts which Democrats hold today that Donald Trump won in the election. And the Trump the Trump campaign
10:32 made a big deal out of women's sports and the transgender issue. It's not gonna go away, as you said. What is keeping them from again, this is a very common sense piece
10:44 of legislation. It's about fairness. It's Yeah. You don't really have to get into the biology and and and the whole issue. Although, I do think it's ideologically the underpinning here is
10:56 about creation, male, female. They reject the idea that there's absolute truth. But on the surface, this is about fairness. What don't they get?
11:05 Yeah. I I don't know because it is gonna be an issue for them, as you as you move into this next cycle. And you're right. I started out my speech, talking about the word and truth and that there is men
11:16 and women and that that, God created us independently and separately. And, so, yeah, I I I don't understand what they're getting, but they're afraid of their left flank. They're afraid that a
11:28 progressive Democrat's gonna come along and that's pro trans or whatever the case may be. They call it the the Democrats call this discriminating against trans women and trans boys and all that kind of stuff, made up
11:40 terminology that 10 years ago, nobody would even know what that word means. But apparently now, that's a a very used term in democratic circles. So the bottom line is politically, they're afraid of their left flank.
11:52 And if a progressive Democrat comes along and fights them on this issue, the far left of their party will root out any any type of reason on these issues.
12:02 Yeah. I mean, you're speaking of the terminology. I'm still struggling to keep up with it because it doesn't make sense trans man, trans woman, what, you know, exactly does that mean? But you now have a trans member of a
12:13 transgendered member of Congress in the Democratic Party that is in the house for the first time. Is that going to lock the Democratic Party into this view
12:25 that you can choose your own gender?
12:28 Yeah. No. I I think absolutely it does. I believe you're reject you're rejecting the truth when you do those type of things. And as I said on my speech on the house floor, they believe there are 74
12:40 different genders. And they're probably in 5 years, they'll probably be more than that. 1 of it is astral gender that you believe that you're a gender related to outer space. I mean, that's how absurd these things
12:52 are, but they they can define that. They can define what astral gender is, but they can't define what a woman is. And they're so afraid of their left flank, that I believe that they're just gonna vote no,
13:04 and they'll try to give you all these reasons as to why. And all the arguments on the floor were all outright lies. Okay. There's no gonna there's not gonna be anybody checking the gender of I I went all based on the
13:15 birth certificate on this.
13:16 I wanna play I wanna play 1 of the clips of 1 of those, from the left flank of the Democratic Party. Ayanna Pressley had this to say about the bill, and I want you to respond to a clip number
13:27 9.
13:28 Imagine, you are 8 years old trying off for the soccer team, and your coach demands that you show them your genitals. That is abuse. That is exploitation. That is egregious. But it is
13:40 exactly what this Republican bill does.
13:44 An absolute complete outright lie.
13:47 I mean, how do they stand there and say this with a straight face?
13:52 Well, because they believe their own lies, and then the mainstream media is gonna perpetuate that lie. It's just like, what the mainstream media has been doing when Trump collusion and all these other kind of things. The
14:03 bill says it is the gender you were assigned biologically at birth. So none of this, that they're arguing is ever gonna happen. It's a lie. It's to try to to
14:15 to enrage people. Oh, that's horrible, and Republicans are bad. And and it's just it's an outright lie, and the mainstream media is gonna perpetuate that lie. It's just unfortunate. All you gotta do the bill is very
14:27 short. It's like a page and a half or 2 pages or whatever it is. Read it for yourself if you don't believe me, but that's exactly what it is. Is it's the gender you were assigned biologically at birth will determine,
14:38 what sport you play.
14:39 Greg, let me just ask you this because, I mean, look, this is very straightforward. It it you're right. It's not a it's not a lengthy bill. It's not complicated. It it's something that 10 years ago, we would have
14:50 thought, why are you even talking about this? But it is reality today. But when you see that a major political party, the other major political party, the Democratic party, only
15:02 2 members of that party were able to vote for this piece of legislation. Where are we headed as a country?
15:11 Well, we've we've seen just evil perpetuated during the Biden administration, the complete removal of truth. We've seen that for the last 4 years. Thankfully, we got president Trump coming in, but I don't think that
15:23 this party is gonna move to the center in any way because, again, they're afraid of their left flank. They're afraid of, the trans movement, and they're afraid of, they're afraid of progressives.
15:35 And so that's dictating their determinations on issues despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of their districts like, those 13 districts that Trump won that are currently, has a
15:47 Democratic member of Congress, I can guarantee you if you pull that district, the majority of that district believes that women's sports should be just that and that biological men shouldn't be allowed to compete in
15:58 those women's sports. But they're so afraid of their left flank, they're gonna continue to act in this manner.
16:03 And if we have the pattern that we've seen over the you know, I've been here over 20 years, we we see kind of 4 years of conservative governance, You know, it's it's
16:15 an almost back and forth. As you pointed out in your speech on the floor about this today, you talked about the fact that we're created by God, male and female. And
16:27 you've done that before. You don't hide that fact. You're a Christian. The way forward, is it not recognizing that this is also a spiritual battle that we're going to A hundred percent. We're gonna have to
16:39 engage in it not just politically, but spiritually with boldness and courage and appealing to heaven.
16:46 And and more people being willing to go to the floor and talk about that. More people being willing to go to the floor and talk about their faith, to talk about the word, to talk about truth. And that's what we have to
16:56 do to to compete against evil in this country. And you're right. A hundred percent, this is a spiritual battle, and we should wage it that way as we're told in Ephesians.
17:06 Is the Republican party moving on that? Because I I I recall the last few years, there's been some timidity, among Republicans of advancing on this issue
17:18 and speaking as you just described openly about the fact that there is truth. Are are we making progress?
17:25 Well, I hope so. I I'm honored to have the opportunity to do it, and I try to do it on a regular basis. Anytime I have the opportunity to address issues like that, I obviously bring up my faith. I bring up the truth. I
17:36 bring up the word. But, yeah, more members need to be comfortable in doing that. I think we're we've elected. I haven't gotten to know some of the freshmen very well, but most of the people I talk to are obviously
17:47 Christians. And, hopefully, they'll allow that to dictate how they act up here and also be faithful about putting that out there to the American people that this is why we're doing what we're
17:59 doing.
17:59 Well, congressman Greg Stube, I wanna commend you for your steadfastness and and for your boldness, and your compassion as well and for being a a a good representative, not just for the
18:11 folks in Florida, but, for all of us believers across the country. Thanks for joining us today.
18:16 Yeah. Thanks for having me.
Pro-Life Advocacy and Political Strategy
18:18 Alright. After the break, senator Steve Daines will join me to talk about what's happening over in the senate. Few things happening over there. We had a confirmation hearing today. The first for, Pete Hegseth, who's
18:30 been tapped by president-elect Donald Trump as secretary of defense. And, there's some other things that congress senator Steve Daines is working on to advance the sanctity of human life. There's still some
18:41 fighters fighting for life. Senator Daines is 1 of them. He joins us next, so don't go anywhere.
18:51 During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family, and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we're making an
19:03 eternal impact. 20 24 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington DC. Last fall, over 1000 spiritually active governance engaged conservatives
19:15 gathered for the pray vote stand summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington watch with Tony Perkins
19:27 marked a major milestone this year, its 9 hundredth episode, and added the Washington Watch news desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview.
19:39 The Washington stand published 2000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 20 24, garnering over 5000000 views. FRC's outlet for news and
19:51 commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our
20:03 content in 1 simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 20
20:14 24, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the national gathering for prayer and repentance, where members of congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God's intervention in
20:26 America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel's peace,
20:37 prosperity, and protection. With pray vote stand decision 20 24, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and
20:49 pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and government. Launching early this year in January 20 25, this series will explore the
21:01 biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us, and
21:13 we look forward to 20 25 in standing for faith, family, and freedom.
21:20 Looking to grow closer to God in the new year? FRC's Stand on the Word spiral bound journal is here to help. Dive deeper into scripture with thought provoking questions, note taking space, and context for
21:32 each book and author. This second edition covering Isaiah 2 Revelation will guide you in tracking your journey through God's word while deepening your faith in Christ. Order now at frc dot org
21:43 slash store or text journal to 6 7 7 4 2. Perfect for you and your loved ones.
21:55 Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us. The website tony perkins dot com. Better yet, download the Stand Firm app, and you can have Washington Watch with you wherever you go. You can find it in the
22:06 App Store, Stand Firm, so that you can stand firm. Alright. With the inauguration just 6 days away, senate committees will be holding hearings this week on president-elect Trump's cabinet nominees starting today with his
22:17 pick for defense secretary Pete Hegseth. And last week in previewing the senate agenda and key priorities, senate majority leader John Thune said senators will work to ensure each nominee, quote, has a fair process
22:29 without unnecessary delays or obstruction, end quote. I wonder if he, told that to, the senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. He also said that they will confirm those nominees swiftly
22:41 so that the Trump Vance administration can hit the ground running. But leader Thune himself has put together his own unofficial cabinet, which was rounded out by the recent selection of 4 GOP senators as
22:53 informal advisers, his kitchen cabinet. And among them is senator Steve Daines of Montana who joins us now. Senator Daines, welcome back to Washington Watch, and, happy New Year.
23:04 Glad to join you, Tony.
23:06 Well, first, congratulations on, being selected by the majority leader to, to be at his side to help navigate. I I I'm sure that has a lot to do with all of the work you did going into this election cycle. You did
23:18 a great job expanding the Republican, majority there in the senate. Tell us a little bit about what you'll be doing in that role.
23:27 Well, first of all, I'm I'm thankful that we have 2 men of faith, As you look at the house and the senate with speaker Johnson, a man of faith, as well as leader Thune in the senate, a man of
23:39 faith, both very committed, to pro life policies. So it was an honor to serve now in, senator Thune, leader Thune's kinda inner circle. The way that works is there you have the
23:51 elected leaders, which I served in that capacity as chairman of the NRC elected by my peers in the last congress. But then the leader typically asks 2, 3, or 4 senators to join
24:03 his leadership team, not elected, but appointed by by the leader. And, senator Thune appointed me to that role. I had my first leadership meeting yesterday. I'm thankful for that. Give me a chance to continue to work
24:14 with, leader Thune as well as work with the entire Republican conferences. We look at strategies, setting priorities, and getting policies through the senate and onto the president's desk.
24:24 Well, I'm thankful, that you're there as your history on pro life. You headed up the pro life caucus there in in the senate, and so I'm glad you're gonna be there in the inner circle because I think we're at a point
24:36 where we need a little agitation on the life issue because some have kinda moved away from that. The party platform moved away from it, and we cannot abandon the unborn. And I think you share that view.
24:48 Absolutely, Tony. There's gotta be a voice here for those who do not have a voice, and that's the unborn. I like using the word preborn. In fact, we have 6 grandchildren now, Tony,
24:59 believe it or not, my grandpa. Our youngest daughter, Caroline, is pregnant with our seventh grandbaby. We're very thankful. And I think every time you go through a pregnancy, if you look at the technology we have, the
25:10 insights we have into the womb, the amazing, amazing miracle of life from the point of conception. And that we've gotta be the voice for those little babies that do not have a voice in
25:22 Right. Congress. That's our
25:24 job. And you're not just being a voice. You're also taking steps to do that. Yesterday, you led a resolution supporting the Geneva consensus declaration. That goes back to the previous
25:36 Trump administration, that secretary Pompeo and others worked on. Talk a little bit about that and why that's important.
25:44 Really important, Tony. It's I think it's 1 of the more under reported stories and policy items we have here in Washington. And I credit Mike Pompeo when he was secretary of state in president Trump's
25:56 first term for leading the charge there to get countries around the world, the Geneva consensus declaration that basically affirms life and marriage. The irony
26:08 is that we've seen this movement grow. We're up to now 39 countries. We were once upon a time a signatory on the Geneva census declaration until president
26:20 Biden took office. He removed the United States while at the same time, more countries around the world were added to it. Frankly, it's an embarrassment to our country to think that president Biden took us off
26:31 that important group of 39 countries, under president Trump's leadership. I've already talked this with soon to be confirmed senator Marco Rubio to be secretary of state Marco
26:43 Rubio. I've chatted with Marco about that, that we would get the United States back on the Geneva consensus declaration and be 1 of the early acts of president Trump. Makes make us the fortieth country.
26:54 Now that was also led by the Department of Health and Human Services, the 2 together working, with the secretary of state and the secretary of health and human services. Are are we gonna have that same type of support
27:06 within domestically within our, department of health and human services?
27:11 You know, I had that conversation directly with, the nominee, you know, RFK Junior. He was here in my office literally about 25 feet from where I'm speaking to you, Tony. And and and we
27:22 had a, a very robust discussion. In fact, talking about the importance of of protecting the pro life policies, in terms of regulations coming out of HHS,
27:34 but importantly, restoring any policies that the Biden administration has stripped. And to make sure that as you said, working with the secretary of state, the secretary of HHS, we are doing all we can with the executive
27:46 branch to make sure these protections are in place and, frankly, expanded. And he's told me that he'll have 7 direct reports, 7 reports to HHS. They would be pro life type of leaders,
27:58 and I I appreciate that honesty and frankness from RFK Junior.
28:02 Is it your expectation, senator, that where the last Trump administration left off when it came to the life issue, religious freedom issue, and that involves several departments, not just
28:14 the White House itself proper, but the entire, federal government at a execution level. Do you anticipate them returning to that being that where they
28:26 left off kinda being a benchmark of where they start going forward?
28:30 Well, I think I I do, and it's something that we we need to continue engage as members of Congress. And as you know, Tony, our success that we had in 2024 in the United States Senate by
28:42 going from just 49 Republican senators and now 53 reclaiming that majority is so important. That was the fruit of our labor of working closely with president Trump as a candidate.
28:54 Very popular. Of course, his success led to our success of making sure we had senators running in these races that were pro life, could work with president Trump, president Trump supported, and could win. That's exactly
29:06 what we saw happen. And now we have this new majority that puts us in a strong position to keep working within the Trump administration to make sure life protections are not only protected but also advanced.
29:18 Well and we're gonna have that conversation with you and others, and we'll make sure that that issue does not get lost in the, the shuffle of the many issues and challenges that, lie before us. Senator Steve Daines,
29:29 always great to see you, my friend. Thanks for joining us today.
29:32 Thanks, Tony.
29:33 Alright. Have a great day. Senator Steve Daines of Montana. Alright. Coming up next, we're going to dive in once again to the woke policies that set the stage for what's happening in California. That's
29:45 next. Don't go away.
29:51 So, if you like to think andShow more
Tony Perkins94K followers
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.