Skip to content 2/13/2025 Conversations on Ending Wars and Overspending Dominate Washington Watch Today Feb 13 · 59 min ...more
2/13/2025 Conversations on Ending Wars and Overspending Dominate Washington Watch Today
February 13, 2025 · 59 min
Trump leads negotiations to end the Russia/Ukraine war, as others attempt to identify and reduce overspending in many areas of government.
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Global Tensions and Domestic Policies 0:06 Welcome to the Washington Watch News Desk. I'm Sarah Holiday and here are the latest stories making news. Tensions have been especially high in the Middle East with the ceasefire between Israel0:18 and the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza. Earlier in the week, Hamas had threatened to delay the Saturday release of 3 more hostages. They claimed Israel hadn't delivered0:30 enough tents and temporary houses to Gaza. After Hamas decided to switch course on Thursday, both president Trump and Israel sent stern warnings that the hostages must be0:42 released or the ceasefire was off. Hamas has now agreed to let the hostages go this weekend as originally planned. Israeli spokesman David Mentzer cautioned, however, that those words0:54 must be followed by action.0:56 So in light of Hamas's announcement regarding its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, the government has instructed our armed forces to amass1:08 forces inside and surrounding Gaza if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon. Not talking about announcements and and press announcements.1:21 We're talking about, these Israeli hostages arriving back in Israel. If that does not happen by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF1:33 will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas.1:38 A strong direct message from Israel. Well, they say money can't buy happiness. However, a court ruling yesterday said that for about 75000 federal workers, it can at1:50 least buy retirement. On Wednesday, US district judge George O'Toole cleared the way for federal employees to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration. The deal is that they can leave2:01 their jobs while still being paid salary and benefits through the month of September. Federal worker unions, however, had sued to stop the effort. They argued that the deal undermines the role of congress to2:13 both create and fund the federal workforce. They also claimed the deal could lead to mass firings of people who may resist the buyout. Ultimately, the unions are skeptical of whether the deal can even be2:25 trusted. But for now, the judge says the buyout can go forward. However, for federal workers who have not already accepted the buyout, the ship has sailed. The US office of personnel and2:36 management's website currently states that its deferred resignation program is now closed. Any resignations received after 7 20 PM eastern time February twelfth will not be accepted.2:49 Now, to close out today's news desk, it appears the Associated Press is still at odds with President Trump on the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico even though both Google Maps and Apple Maps are on board.3:01 The news association said this week that it refused to refer to the body of water as the Gulf of America. The AP argued that quote, the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The3:13 outlet said they would rather acknowledge the new name Trump has chosen while still referring to it by its original name. The AP said Wednesday that 1 of its reporters had been blocked from entry to an event at the3:24 Oval Office as a result. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt set the record straight.3:31 I was very upfront in my briefing on day 1, that if we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable. And it is a fact that the body3:43 of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America. And I'm not sure why news outlets don't want to call it that, but that is what it is. The secretary of interior has made that the official3:55 designation in the, geographical identification name server, and Apple has recognized that. Google has recognized that. Pretty much every other outlet in this room has recognized that body of water as the Gulf of4:06 America, and it's very important to this administration that we get that right, not just for people here at home, but also for the rest of the world.4:13 And from the northern border to the gulf of America, those are today's headlines. I'm Sarah Holliday reporting for the Washington Stand which you can read everyday at washington stand dot com. You can also follow us4:25 on social media for regular updates at FRCDC. Watch this program and other news in the Stand Firm mobile app which you can find in the app store. Up next is Washington Watch with Tony Perkins.4:37 We'll see you tomorrow with more news.Government Spending and Ideological Agendas 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 and5:02 newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.5:10 USAID spent 2000000 dollars for sex change surgeries in Guatemala. 520000000 to pay consultants to teach people in Africa about climate change. That's not medicine. 4 and a5:22 half million dollars to teach people in Kazakhstan how to fight back against Internet trolls. That's not lifesaving. 20000 dollars to help LGBT individuals vote in Honduran elections. That's not5:34 medicine.5:35 That was congressman Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, opening a hearing on Capitol Hill earlier today entitled USAID Betrayal. Welcome to this Thursday edition of Washington5:47 Watch. Thanks for making us part of your day. Well, the hearing was, briefly halted today when protesters demanded continued funding for PEPFAR, a global aids program.5:58 Mister chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify before this committee. My name is Max Primerack. I am a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. I previously served at the USA Agency for Internet6:09 Pepper saves lives. Lives. Restore gains lives now. Pepper saves lives.6:19 Well, Max Primerack, former USAID deputy administrator, testified at the hearing after the demonstration, and he'll join us later to discuss it. Also, this afternoon, a federal judge in6:31 Maryland temporarily blocked president Trump's executive order, which was designed to protect children from experimental drugs and surgeries being used to promote transgender ideology. We'll get the details from6:42 FRC's Meg Kilgannon. And president Trump making this announcement yesterday.6:47 I'll be dealing with president Putin largely on the phone, and we're gonna meet also probably in Saudi Arabia. The first time we'll meet in Saudi Arabia, see if we can get something done. But we wanna end that6:59 war. That war is a disaster. It's a really bloody horrible war.7:04 President talking about the war between Russia and Ukraine. Could an end to the war be near? We're gonna talk about that with Pennsylvania congressman Scott Perry. Well, I'm really excited about what I'm7:16 about to announce. It is the launch of our new 13 week series God and Government. It's an online Bible centered course on government. It's designed for those wanting to know more about how government works or should7:27 work, and those wanting to have an impact on the world around them. It launches this coming Monday, and a new episode will release on the Stand Firm app each Monday up until May. So7:39 while you wait, you can still go ahead this weekend and you can watch the course introduction and take the pretext the pretest, to prepare for episode 1, which will come out this Monday, February the7:51 seventeenth. So to access it, just to stand text the word rather course to 6 7 7 4 2. That's course to 6 7 7 4 2. Or if you have the Stand Firm app, you'll find8:03 it there on the app. President Trump's recent comments on Russia and Ukraine have European leaders scrambling to respond. Yesterday, president Trump spoke8:15 by phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin, breaking the 3 year period of silence between leaders of Russia and the United States. Now later in the day, president Trump spoke with Ukrainian8:27 president, Zelensky, who afterwards said, together with the US, we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting8:39 reliable peace. This is a major breakthrough, and we're gonna talk about this in just a moment with, congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who is on the, serves on8:51 the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the permanent select committee on intelligence. We're trying to connect with them. In the meanwhile, meantime, I wanna go to Meg Kilgannon to get the latest on this ruling,9:02 today out of Baltimore, Maryland regarding president Trump's executive order regarding the protection of children from transgender surgeries. Meg, thanks so much for, for joining us.9:14 Thanks for having me.9:15 So give us the latest, on what this judge ruled and its effect upon the president's executive order.9:23 Well, they are trying to ensure with this ruling that that funding will still continue and not be threatened for, hospitals and research9:34 agencies that are doing work on so called gender affirming care. And so, some individuals who are who identify as transgender have sued the federal government9:46 and, it's this is something that the administration expected to be litigated for a long time and it's why they put these executive orders out so quickly we can get this9:58 going in the court and and start this process moving.10:02 So will this have, implications beyond the jurisdiction there of the courts in in Maryland? Does this does this stay the president's executive order nationwide?10:13 That that is is, I think, something that that we will come to understand in the coming days. The the executive the executive order is makes it clear10:25 that America is not going to fund the transit this this, gender ideology in the government in any place and, they've made that clear with the Department of Defense.10:37 They've made that clear that they're not going certainly not going to pay for minor transitions. And so this court case is dealing with minor transitions and the, the the hospitals that have paused10:49 temporarily, making appointments for these procedures and things, and they're trying to get those started again.10:55 Alright. Hold that for just hold that thought. I've got, congressman Perry. I wanna go back to that that story. We're gonna come back, to this breaking news story out of11:07 Baltimore. I'm gonna go now to, congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. He, as I mentioned, serves on 4 house committees, including the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He11:18 represents the tenth congressional district of Pennsylvania. He's also a combat veteran who retired at the rank of brigadier general. Congressman, Perry, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for, joining11:30 us.11:31 Well, it's great to be with you, Tony. And, of course, look, rapid rapid pace, right, as you know in Washington DC. You know, we are hearing today on USAID and, you know,11:43 it's amazing that that, the I hate to say it, but my my colleagues, friends on the other side of the aisle, there's just no no limit to the waste and abusive spending11:55 that they won't support. And that's just if if Trump is, for cleaning it up, therefore keeping it going, that's just kind of where we are, unfortunately, at this point.12:06 When you talk about the rapid pace, I mean, 3 weeks into the Trump administration and, I mean, the fur is flying. There's there's just so much going on. You know, after years of this12:18 conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it now appears that a light at the end of the tunnel could be seen that we could see peace between those 2 countries. Your12:30 take on the president's comments yesterday after having a conversation with Vladimir Putin?12:35 Well, I think the president was, he was serious during the campaign when he said he was gonna end this. I think he was serious when he said it was never going to start. Obviously, if he were the it would have been the12:46 president. Obviously, he has a relationship with both of these, the the leaders of these 2 countries, and he knows what makes them tick. He probably knows what the motivation was. And I think that12:58 always in his mind, there was a solution available, but he was unable to affect it from outside. And, of course, Joe Biden projected weakness, and and that13:10 was taken advantage of. And, look, you know, let's face it. President Biden really didn't have any meaningful conversations to resolve the circumstance at all during his entire presidency. He just assumed13:22 that the American people were fine with spending billions and billions of dollars into this endless, killing machine in Ukraine. And and so it's amazing what you can get done if you're willing to have a conversation13:34 even if you don't agree with the person. Listen, I I don't think that that Russia has any valid claim whatsoever to be in Ukraine and to have started a war there, but it's not gonna end just by sitting on your hands13:46 and and and and not have a conversation at least.13:49 I mean, we have spent billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. Thousands of lives have been lost on both sides. What does the what does the end look like? I mean, is it just go14:01 Russia going back to to where they were prior to the start of this war? What are the boundaries look like?14:08 Well, I think, unfortunately, that Ukraine, at least in the near term, is gonna have to accept some loss of its territory. I I don't like that, but I think that that's probably at least a14:20 partial outcome. And I think I hope that over time, part of the deal is is that Russia has walked back out of it, but it might also mean a commitment for Ukraine not to not14:32 to, formally join NATO. And, you know, quite honestly, I don't really know what NATO's done in my lifetime to to, to stem the tide of Russian interference.14:44 And and, you know, NATO hasn't generally, in my mind, been completely or really successful at much of anything. So I know that that's a big loss.14:53 They've spent US money.14:56 Oh, yeah. But, of course, everybody's happy to spend the money of the United States of America, but that's not what NATO was set up for. And, again, you know, I think that most people, while they support NATO, would15:08 be hard pressed to list any any number of successes that NATO has had over the course of their lifetime. So if that's the concession that that has to be made to get Russia out of Ukraine,15:20 I think that that's worth 1 1 worth considering.15:23 I mean, when you consider who else is in NATO, I e Turkey, you know, I'm wondering the effectiveness of NATO as a as an entity as well.15:35 That that's exactly right. I mean, Turkey is a is a NATO partner and a NATO ally, but we continually find ourselves at odds with them, whether it's in Syria with the15:47 Kurds or whether it's with purchasing of military equipment and Russia, any relationship whatsoever with China. We constantly find ourselves, on a tight rope with Turkey, and that's not15:58 how this is supposed to be. Obviously, there are strategic, of of great strategic importance to the United States and to the world, but we shouldn't have to, you know, play this dance with them. And that's16:10 why I say that in this case, NATO hasn't been very effective, and I'm not sure that that's a great loss if that's the concession that Ukraine and the world has to give to end the war and get,16:22 Russia out of Ukraine.16:24 Congressman Perry, I wanna switch gears a little bit. You mentioned that USAID here you hearing you were a part of that, this morning. I'm gonna talk more about that later. Also gonna talk about the, budget committee16:35 meeting that is ongoing today. You were the former chair of the House Freedom Caucus. When you look at what's happening with USAID, the exposure of the wasteful spending, but not16:47 just wasteful spending, intentionally spending US dollars, taxpayer dollars to advance radical ideologies. But that's not just USAID. It's throughout the16:59 government. We're looking at, you know, running a 2000000000000 dollar deficit each year. Are we close to to to bringing fiscal sanity given what president Trump is committed17:10 to?17:12 Well, we're closer than we have been in a long time, Tony, but we've got a lot of work to do. That's what's happening in the budget committee, right now as we speak, but they're doing what's called the markup.17:24 It's probably not, really gonna be as much as I would like to see in in in reining in this, this just overcharged out of control spending. But, you know, you gotta work with17:36 434 other members, and there's a senate involved too. I think the senate, believe it or not, is gonna come out with a lower number, than the houses when it's all said and done, so we're gonna have to negotiate.17:49 Now I say that the senate's gonna come out with a lower all a lower overall number, but they they still haven't talked about how they would reach that in the details. And so even though they might have that number18:00 getting to it, it might be something they can't even really commit to. So, but I think the great news is is that while somebody like me who's been on the foreign affairs committee for for years now18:12 screaming from the mountaintops about all this waste, whether it was USAID or state in general or just, you know, general government wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars, no 1 seemed to hear. And, of course,18:24 legacy media would never report it. Elon Musk has, you know, a unique, position being in charge of a major social media platform, platform,18:36 and the microphone has been turned into a megaphone. And so, you know, the proof is is that when people hear about this waste, they want something done about18:43 it, and then And and hopefully this waste. It will get done. We gotta leave it there. Congressman, thanks for joining us. Folks, stick with18:51 us. 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 making19:03 an 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 conservatives19:15 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 Perkins19:27 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 and19:51 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 our20:03 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 2020:14 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 in20:26 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,20:38 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 and20:49 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 the21:01 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, and21:13 we look forward to 20 25 and 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 for21:32 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 f r c dot org21:43 slash store or text journal to 6 7 7 4 2. Perfect for you and your loved ones.21:54 Alright. Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. If you've not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, I encourage you to do so. You can find it in the App Store, Stand Firm, or you can text the word app a p22:05 p to 6 7 7 4 2. Alright. As we were talking about earlier, a federal judge this afternoon, 1 nominated by former president Biden, temporarily blocked president Donald Trump's recent executive22:17 order protecting children under the age of 19 from chemical and surgical mutilation or what's called what the left likes are called gender affirming care. It's experimental. I22:29 mean, it's it really is. It's experimental. And it's, you know, there there there's gonna be a time we look back on this, and and people are gonna be22:42 if the Lord tarries, they're gonna look back on this just like we're looking back on World War 2 and what the Nazis did in the experimentation and and others. I mean, it's it's grotesque. It22:54 is evil. Pure evil. Alright. We're gonna finish talking about this, Meg Kilganen joining me, senior fellow for education studies here at the Family Research Council. Meg. Hi. Alright. Thanks for joining me today.23:05 Alright. So we we we touched on this. This affects, 323:10 3 states.23:11 3 states.23:11 Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York. And, actually, no no funds have been denied anyone at this point. It's just that they are in question.23:22 So it's interesting. The judge says they have standing, but yet nobody's been affected by it.23:26 No one's been harmed.23:27 Right? Usually usually when this happens, like, when a conservative goes to the court and the judge says, well, you you well, actually, it went all the way to the I think, it was the Supreme Court on the issue of the23:38 abortion pill, mifepristone, that the pro life doctors23:42 Yes.23:43 Were told they didn't have standing because they hadn't impacted them.23:46 Right. Right. So we see a very different, application of that doctrine here with this particular judgment. The the there have been no no denial23:58 of funding. There but the the hospitals are looking at this, and they're saying, well, we could we could lose this money. And so to avoid losing the money, maybe we need to,24:10 deny these treatments.24:12 So this this ruling, as I understand, is in effect for 14 days. It's a temporary stay.24:17 Temporary stay.24:17 They'll, you know, argue their cases. But the the the Trump administration realized that they were gonna have a lot of legal challenges to these executive orders.24:26 Absolutely. It's 1 of the reasons that it was so great to see them issued so quickly.24:30 Yeah. Because24:30 Because they're going to network work their way through the courts, and there are many, many factors here.24:35 Shock and awe. They couldn't keep up with them. Alright. I wanna switch gears to another topic, that's near and dear to your heart. Today, the president's, selection nominee for the Department of24:47 Education, secretary of Department of Education, Linda McMahon, was in the senate committee Right. For her confirmation. I wanna play a clip of, her opening statement. Clip 1, please.24:58 I am confirmed the25:12 moral education of their children. The opportunity before us these next 4 years is momentous.25:18 I mean, I hear that, and it's like, where's common sense been all this time? It's like it it really is. It's it's it's like a revival of common sense. Now all we need now is a25:30 spiritual revival to follow through with this, but, I mean, this really is encouraging.25:35 She she did a really great job today at the hearing. The the the senators the the Democrat senators asked a few tough questions, but they were they were very,25:47 very subdued from their normal antics, especially on this topic. Right.25:52 This is 1 of their big topics.25:54 This is 1 of their big topics. And the way that USAID funding funds a lot of the radical left in international affairs and some domestic affairs, the spending at the Department of26:06 Education funds the radical left in the United States.26:09 They're talking about the the, indoctrination industrial complex.26:14 Absolutely.26:14 This is where all the kids are indoctrinated. This is this is how they keep a tether on on the country and the culture. But what I like about what she said is she she didn't pull any punches.26:26 She didn't dance around it. She just was very open, very clear as to stated goals and objectives. Now I I do believe she was asked about shutting down the Department of Education and what that would require.26:38 And she didn't shy away from doing that either. She explained various scenarios in ways that you could wind it down, and she acknowledged that it will take an act of Congress to shut the Department of Education26:49 down, which, you know, I I guess these people on the education committee on the Democrat side are assuming that there won't be 60 votes for that. But I think there are some creative ways that we could potentially get to27:00 60 votes for that if they are, generous with funding for for particular programs.27:07 Even if the president can't shut it down, I mean, he can empty it out.27:11 Absolutely can empty it out. You absolutely can can move functions from 1 place to another. There there are lots of ways that you can27:20 manage this.27:21 Would the executive branch have the the the authority to block grant educational funds or would that require congressional action?27:28 I think that there are pieces of it that you can block grant, to the to the states. Mhmm. And I think they're certainly open to doing that. I mean, if someone wants to sue to27:40 stop money from coming from Washington to the states, I'd like to see that.27:45 Well, the the the interesting thing, and we've talked about this before, that it's not when you look at the overall amount of funding for education, it ranges somewhere from 7 to 10 percent of the educational27:57 funds come from the federal government. But, you know, 80 percent of the regulations and guidance comes from the federal government.28:04 Right. And that that moral stance that comes from from Washington, that bully pulpit, that is the sort of influence that comes from the government that has a profound impact on our schools.28:15 You know, I what I think this is gonna do, Meg, is we see this with the recent, decision on Roe v Wade where you had the states very quickly lining up either being pro life or pro pro abortion.28:27 As states have the ability to set the policies because the federal government gets out, there's gonna be a clear line of distinction between the states, and I think it's gonna28:39 have economic implications for those states. Those that choose conservative policies, pro life policies, biblical policies, I think they're gonna prosper. And the others are gonna watch28:51 people they're gonna see taillights because people are gonna head out of there.28:54 Yeah. I think that's right, and I think we're already seeing that. I mean, companies that are moving back to America to invest in in building building things here, we see this there's a lot of car manufacturing, for29:05 example, in Georgia and in South Carolina. Right? So we we see this already.29:10 Low taxes29:11 Yeah.29:12 And, mild winters. Yeah. Alright. Meg Kilgannon, thanks for joining us.29:16 Thanks for having me.29:17 Alright. Good news. I mean, it really is. We could see the good things. We just need to keep praying that, the Trump administration would continue heading in the right29:29 direction. I think they will, but we need to be supportive. Alright. On the other side of the break, we're gonna get an update from the House Budget Committee. Congressman Ben Klein of Virginia joins us to talk aboutShow more In this video 0:00 Global Tensions and Domestic Policies4:40 Government Spending and Ideological Agendas29:32 Budget Challenges and Spiritual ReflectionsTony Perkins
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