Washington Update

Man of Spiel
January 13, 2016 -

If there's one thing conservatives have been looking forward to since President Obama's first State of the Union address, it's his last. Last night, that moment finally arrived -- and with it, the overwhelming relief that this administration is writing its last chapter in America's history. In this seventh and final installment, the president seemed to take us into a parallel universe where his

Our Stake in the Union
January 12, 2016 -

When he took office, Barack Obama promised hope. And with his final term almost over, Americans finally have it. For most of the country, the last seven years have been a tragic departure from the values that made America a great nation. But as far as the White House is concerned, that isn't cause for concern -- but celebration. It means that this president has accomplished exactly what he said

Red Meet: GOP Huddles over 2016 Strategy
January 11, 2016 -

For once, the GOP isn't in retreat -- they're headed to one. After a few rocky years, the House's new leadership team is ready to kick off a new chapter at its planning and strategy meetings in Baltimore this week. Many would say the year is already off to a good start after Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) put the first-ever rebuke of ObamaCare and taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood on the

Congress's Role in Repeal: Won and Done
January 7, 2016 -

President Obama could never undo his pro-abortion legacy -- but this week, Congress is giving him an opportunity to try. In perhaps one of the single greatest accomplishments of the last seven years, Republicans managed their first-ever, dual-chamber rebuke of Planned Parenthood and ObamaCare. After more than 60 tries, Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) party celebrated the victory at a special

Obama's Gun Order Triggers Outrage
January 6, 2016 -

The media's focus may have been on the president's tears during his gun control speech, but it should have been on the cries of freedom-loving Americans. After seven years of watching the administration wipe its feet on the Constitution, this latest power grab epitomizes everything people have come to resent about the White House. This week, the president's impersonation of the legislative branch

Planned Parenthood and the Profits of Doom
January 5, 2016 -

If anyone's anxious to turn the page on 2015, it's Planned Parenthood. Rocked by more scandals than any organization not named the IRS, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Cecile Richards's group since David Daleiden pulled back the curtain on the organization's trafficking in baby organs. With videos of her sinister side business in the double digits, it's only by the Obama

Merry Christmas!
December 23, 2015 -

"Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." Luke 2:19 \rChristmas can be one of the busiest times of the year. Our many activities can be meaningful and fun but can also be exhausting and even distracting. \rHow much time do we spend reflecting upon what really happened that first Christmas? Hectic days work against quiet reflection. Additionally, we've heard the story of

Policy Riders in the Sky...
December 11, 2015 -

If there's anyone busier than Santa, it's Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.). As Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, it's up to him to make sure the government's stockings get stuffed for next year. That means another working weekend for he and the budget negotiators, who've been plodding through hundreds of pages of spending legislation before its release next week. \rAt $1.1 trillion, the bundle

How Do You Solve a Problem like Sharia?
December 9, 2015 -

The word "contentious" doesn't begin to describe the American immigration debate over the last two decades. But in recent days, the lines are being redrawn -- and with it, the national conversation. The focus is no longer being dominated by illegal immigration south of Texas but "legal" immigration coming from across the Atlantic, where a bold new enemy is exposing weaknesses in the West's

Do You Fear What I Fear?
December 8, 2015 -

The IRS isn't exactly topping conservatives' nice list this Christmas -- so the idea of handing over even more sensitive information to an agency caught leaking it doesn't exactly thrill most Americans. Unfortunately, that's exactly what the Obama administration is proposing under a little rule quietly announced this September. The IRS didn't make much noise about the idea, and considering the

No Margin for Terror
December 7, 2015 -

If Americans tuned in to the president's speech last night hoping for a substantive, long-term strategy to defeat ISIS, they're still waiting. In a rare talk on terrorism (from an even rarer setting), the president managed to talk for 13 minutes without saying anything new. Backed into a corner by tragedies his failed policies helped create, President Obama tried to answer his critics on the

A Not-So-Murray Christmas for Libs
December 4, 2015 -

The only package pro-lifers cared about this Christmas was the budget reconciliation one. And thanks to the hard work of conservatives in the House and Senate, they got it! In the early evening yesterday, Americans celebrated the first major victory against Planned Parenthood and ObamaCare since the GOP took control of Congress. \rAfter weeks of late nights and procedural gymnastics, the Senate

Wise Men Still Seek Repeal
December 2, 2015 -

When Americans went around the table last Thursday to say what they were grateful for, ObamaCare probably wasn't one of them. Despite the millions spent in PR, the president's disaster of a health care law hasn't made it out of the basement of public opinion in months. The bottom-dwelling numbers continued in last week's polls, with barely 38 percent approval for a law that was supposed to usher

Grape Waste Leads to Fund Raisin
December 1, 2015 -

Who says Christmas only comes once a year? According to Senator James Lankford (R-Okla), taxpayers have been giving all year long. They just didn't know it! And now thanks to his new "Wastebook," Americans are finding out just how generous they were forced to be. Taking the handoff from long-time waste-watcher Senator Tom Coburn, Lankford's new "Federal Fumbles" tackles pricy projects that

The Darkest of Black Fridays
November 30, 2015 -

Planned Parenthood has always been a grim place, but last Friday, its Colorado clinic was the scene of different kind of tragedy. In a senseless shooting, one disgruntled man took the lives of three innocent people and wounded several more in a terrible atrocity that cast a somber shadow over the holiday. Regardless of what the gunman's motives may be (and the media has suggested several), we

Giving Thanks
November 25, 2015 -

Tomorrow many Americans will gather with family and friends around a dinner table that will contain a feast that would have been the envy of many kings and princes in ages past. Despite the political, economic, and cultural challenges we face under the failed and hostile policies of the Obama administration, we are still blessed to live in the United States of America. \rThe Apostle Paul reminded

Finding Riders for This Omnibus
November 24, 2015 -

When the House and Senate fly back from Thanksgiving, they'll get to work carving up something else: the federal budget. Although some of the heavy lifting is out of the way with last month's two-year budget deal, GOP leaders have a big job to do before having themselves a merry little Christmas. \rWith government spending set to expire on December 12, Congress is barreling through the

Haven Forbid? U.S. Debates Refugee Crisis
November 19, 2015 -

If President Obama thinks a religious test is shameful for refugees, then he has a lot to be ashamed of. His own administration has been discriminating at an amazingly fast clip over the past two months -- and against the population posing the smallest threat to American safety: Christians. \rAfter its jaw-dropping findings earlier this week, CNSNews also crunched the numbers from the last month

Tolerance: Now UC It, Now You Don't
November 18, 2015 -

America’s universities used to care about critical thinking. Now they’re just critical -- toward conservative thinking. Last week, we talked about Carol Swain, the African-American professor under fire for suggesting that radical Islam was a threat to security. (A theory the French would now certainly support.) Turns out, she isn’t the only one making waves on college

Refugees Are Syria's Business for U.S.
November 17, 2015 -

More than four million Syrian refugees have poured into Europe since the start of the country’s war five years ago. But it only took one of them to change Paris forever. Three days after the tragedy in France rocked the world, officials have confirmed that at least one of the terrorists snuck into the country posing as a Syrian refugee. That revelation, combined with fresh fears that

Swain's World
November 13, 2015 -

Universities are supposed to be a place to exchange ideas -- not silence them. Tell that to Vanderbilt, where a hypersensitive student body is demanding the head of a conservative black professor for daring to challenge their opinion on politics. For Dr. Carol Swain, this institutionalized prejudice is nothing new. As an African American woman, she's been threatened, protested, and verbally

Byrd Watching: GOP Eyes Rule on Planned Parenthood
November 10, 2015 -

The most important vote on the bill to defund Planned Parenthood isn't a senator's -- it's the parliamentarian's! Until now, most Americans had probably never heard of Elizabeth MacDonough, who, for all practical purposes, is the Senate's referee. The first-ever woman to hold the job, parliamentarian MacDonough will have the weight of the House's budget reconciliation bill on her shoulders when

Holy Land Wholly Enlightening
November 9, 2015 -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama met today in the Oval office for a meeting that onlookers called "cordial." The public side of the meeting seemed uneventful, as Netanyahu reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution with conditions, and Obama said he was committed to expanded military aid to Israel. \rDespite what happened today, the participants on FRC's

Bumper Drive Leads to Repeat O-fenders
November 6, 2015 -

The buzz is usually about who’s in police cars – not what’s on them. But that’s all changed after the explosion of the national motto bumper stickers cropping up on vehicles across the country. No one knows exactly how it started, but since mid-summer, it’s become a national phenomenon. In Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Missouri, Texas, Florida, and other

A Proposition We Could Refuse...
November 5, 2015 -

The city that launched a hundred missions pulled off one of its biggest Tuesday, when Houston downed anti-freedom Proposition 1. The measure that sparked millions of dollars in ads, rallies, and public outcry was soundly rejected, blindsiding liberals who wrongly believed the country was on board with their social extremism. Now, barely 48 hours after the 61-39% drubbing, the mainstream media

Space City Eclipses Expectations!
November 4, 2015 -

Almost a year to the day after FRC’s “I Stand Sunday” event, Houston stood all right! With one voice, voters banded together, overpowered the mayor’s agenda, and took their city back. Proposition 1, the ordinance that would have punished free speech and forced a radical definition of sexuality on Houston’s most innocent, went down in flames last night, shocking the

Mail Bonding? Richards Writes Ryan for Help
November 3, 2015 -

The House Speaker may have changed, but Planned Parenthood’s tactics have not. In an odd sort of congratulatory letter, President Cecile Richards reached out to Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) for the first time since his election. In hopes of veering him off his predecessor’s course, Richards spends four pages defending her organization’s baby parts-for-profits ring before asking the new

ObamaScare: More Americans Spooked by Health Costs
November 2, 2015 -

The president promised that his health care law would grow on us. Well, something’s growing all right -- but it isn’t support. Costs and frustrations are at all-time highs just two days into the new enrollment period that kicked off Sunday. According to insiders, even the cheapest plans on the not-so Affordable Care Act are soaring 13% above last year’s prices. With

A Near-Debt Experience
October 30, 2015 -

America's debt problems are enough to keep people up at night -- and yesterday, they did! While the rest of the country was counting sheep, Congress was counting votes on a controversial budget deal that finally passed in the wee hours of Friday morning. At 3:12 a.m., with the government's credit completely maxed out, the Senate gave its approval to a deal that John Boehner hatched as one of his

Planned Parenthood's Hearts of Darkness
October 28, 2015 -

Who needs horror movies when the Center for Medical Progress is producing such frightening footage from Planned Parenthood? One after another, the videos of the group's organ harvesting scheme sound like something out of a Halloween script. \rIf only it were. Instead, the gory trade -- often joked about by the workers involved -- is putting an exclamation point on taxpayers' insistence that

Intentional Grounding of Coach's Rights
October 27, 2015 -

Joe Kennedy is a veteran of two wars -- but now he's fighting a new enemy: political correctness. The Bremerton football coach didn't spend 20 years defending freedom only to have his stolen, but that's exactly what the school district is threatening. A week and a half after the revered coach put his job on the line by resuming his midfield prayer, the Washington State Education Superintendent is

Generous to a Default?
October 26, 2015 -

If you thought your credit was a mess, you should see the government's! With daily payments as high as $60 billion, America has been testing the brakes at the brink of spending crisis after spending crisis. Now, days away from maxing out the government's virtual credit cards, the House and Senate are in a mad scramble to put another financial fire out: the prospect of defaulting on America's

Obama Plays Veto Games with American Lives
October 23, 2015 -

For the first time ever, a President has vetoed funding for our military because of his desire to increase funding for domestic social program. Yesterday, for only the fifth time in his presidency, President Obama used his veto pen, vetoing the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The measure provides funding and limited policy direction for the military. The NDAA was passed with

Back to the Future of Planned Parenthood
October 22, 2015 -

To most people, the word "reconciliation" means settling a fight. In Congress, it means starting one! This seldom-used budget process has become the center of attention for week, as GOP leaders seek to use it to tackle two of the most controversial uses of government money: Planned Parenthood and ObamaCare. Although reconciliation isn't used often, it is a powerful tool for the majority party to

Coach's Challenge: Pray under Pressure
October 16, 2015 -

When the Bremerton High School football team takes the field tonight, the loudest cheers will be for the coach. After a public spat over game day prayer, Joe Kennedy has picked up plenty of fans -- and not just from conservatives. The former Marine has become a statewide hero after refusing to back down from his seven-year tradition of thanking God at every game. And while he never asked his

Southern Poverty a Poor Choice
October 15, 2015 -

Don't look for justice to roll down like a river (Amos 5:24) at the DOJ here in Washington. Yesterday, the department created for justice showed the drought of it in another display of poor judgment. Fueled by a radical agenda that heeds neither the law nor common sense, the Obama DOJ will stop at nothing to marginalize and silence the Americans it disagrees with -- a goal it shares with the

Army Petitions Sarge Ahead!
October 9, 2015 -

The Pentagon may not have Sergeant First Class Charles Martland's back, but more than 130,000 Americans do! Since the Bronze Star winner came under fire for roughing up a child rapist in Afghanistan, Martland is building his own army of support. More than 130,000 Americans are standing up and demanding the Green Beret's reinstatement for doing what most of them would have done in his place:

Foxx and Friends Debut New Panel
October 8, 2015 -

There's plenty of uncertainty about who will be leading the House -- but not quite as much on where they'll lead. One of the biggest priorities of the new Speaker has already been decided, thanks in part to yesterday's vote to turn up the heat on Planned Parenthood. Now five investigations into the ghoulish organ harvesting business, members say the only thing they're left with is more questions.

Army Puts Charles in Discharge
October 7, 2015 -

In the Obama military, you can celebrate immorality -- but you can't confront it. That's the lesson the Army is trying to teach the Green Beret's Charles Martland. A hero by both record and reputation, Sergeant First Class Martland is about to lose his career over something that any parent or decent American would have done: intervene in the violent rape of an innocent boy. When Martland

Houston Still Has a Problem
October 6, 2015 -

Houston Mayor Annise Parker (D) promised not to make homosexuality an issue in her administration. Instead, she's made it the issue -- around which everything else revolves. As the leader of the fourth largest city in America, Parker jumped at the chance to use her power in support of her own personal LGBT agenda. An open lesbian, the Mayor has tried to bypass the laws on marriage, declared

A Pope-pourri of Distortion
October 5, 2015 -

In the largest security detail in American history, there's no such thing as a "chance" meeting. But that's exactly what the media is claiming took place between Pope Francis and Kentucky's Kim Davis. Frustrated by the Pope's obvious support for the jailed clerk, the press is stirring up speculation about whether the conversation even took place. \rPouncing on the private nature of the meeting,

Something We Should Politicize...
October 2, 2015 -

Last night as our family gathered for our evening prayers, we prayed for the injured and the families of those killed yesterday at Umpqua Community College in Oregon by an anti-Christian gunman. We didn't know the names or all the details at the time only that Christians were specifically targeted. According to witnesses the gunman asked his victims what their religion was. If they responded they

Iran away without Paying
October 1, 2015 -

The President's Iran deal came at great expense to U.S. security -- and it may come at even greater expense to the regime's victims. About 43 billion dollars' worth. Until recently, most people probably didn't know that the Iranian government owed a bundle of money to American and Israeli terrorism victims. Since the late 1990s, U.S. courts have awarded billions of dollars to these families for

For Whom the Bill Tolls...
September 30, 2015 -

Can Republicans keep the government open -- and taxpayer wallets to Planned Parenthood shut? That's the question on everyone's minds as the GOP catapults into another last-minute budget frenzy. With the hot seat barely cold after yesterday's Cecile Richards hearing, Republicans are moving quickly into phase two of defunding the abortion giant. \rYesterday, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) zeroed in on

Planned Parenthood's Cecile the Lyin'
September 29, 2015 -

While businesses start closing the books on another fiscal year, Congress is fighting to close the books on taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood -- permanently. Caught in a scandal with an unprecedented "ick" factor, organization President Cecile Richards took the stand for the first time to try to justify the grisly baby harvesting ring her group has been hiding. \rRelying on tired talking

Keeping Faith at Army's Length?
September 21, 2015 -

How serious is President Obama about addressing the crises in his military? Not very, if his latest nomination is any indication. With the troops already fighting an internal war over recruitment and retention, the President wants to raise the stakes by appointing openly gay Eric Fanning as Army Secretary. \rFanning, who conservatives remember from the Phillip Monk controversy, has spent his last

Hearing Impaired
September 18, 2015 -

Today, in a loud and chilling statement, every Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives but five voted against a measure that protects babies born alive after a failed abortion. Thankfully, Rep. Trent Franks's Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act passed the House anyway, with unanimous Republican support. The bill makes it a criminal offense for an abortionist to allow a

Kim Davis Makes the VVS Honor Roll!
September 14, 2015 -

The President's party never met a law it didn't want to ignore -- until Kim Davis came along. Now, after years of swatting away legal statutes like political gnats, liberals are suddenly demanding that Christians respect the process they've spent the last several years dismissing. Keep in mind this is the administration that gave us Attorney General Eric "In contempt of Congress" Holder and Lois

Markets Take Stock of Capitol Clash
September 11, 2015 -

If you think GOP leaders are catching flak from inside the Capitol, you should hear what the rest of the city is saying! Congress isn't the only one jittery over a potential budget showdown over Planned Parenthood. K Street, the major thoroughfare in D.C. for corporate lobbing, is a nervous wreck over the possibility that the government's money could dry up by September 30. \rAlready, the

All Lies on Planned Parenthood
September 10, 2015 -

As revealing as David Daleiden's undercover videos are, they're exposing a lot more than Planned Parenthood. The summer scandal is also pulling back the curtain on where several politicians stand. As the first House hearing proved, a number of Democrats seem perfectly content -- if not proud -- to support a group nonchalantly carving up tiny humans for dollars. \rYesterday, their allegiance was

Show Vote Showdown
September 9, 2015 -

It may not be a comfortable positon for Republican leaders, but it's certainly a familiar one. Caught between Planned Parenthood and a hard place, the GOP has to decide whether to continue the funding of an organization that's been exposed for trafficking in baby body parts or stand up to a President who has vowed to defend the nation's largest abortion provider no matter what. \rWhile Democrats

Voters Tired of a Halfway House
September 8, 2015 -

Let's hope Congress got plenty of rest in August, because it looks like they're going to need it! With just 12 legislative days to handle a bushel basket of crises, members won't have the luxury of easing back into their routines. Tomorrow's first GOP conference of September will likely be a long one, as conservatives try to hash out their strategies over two critical issues. \rOn the foreign

Houston Mayor: Whatever Floats Your Vote
August 6, 2015 -

Jesus said, "Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no.'" Unfortunately, that'll be a lot harder for Houston voters in the next election. Thanks to an administration that apparently sees people as a nuisance in their advance of an anti-religious freedom agenda, voters will have to pay extra close attention this November, when the Houston bathroom bill is finally on the ballot. Mayor Annise

Bodies of Evidence Don't Deter Abortion Allies
August 5, 2015 -

It didn't take long for a federal judge to block some of the Planned Parenthood footage -- and now we may know why. According to records, federal Judge William Orrick has an interesting political connection to the man who once said, "God bless Planned Parenthood." Not only was he appointed by this President but, as documents show, raised $200,000 for Obama's campaign. \rThe Federalist's Mollie

Life Is Not a 'Line Item'
August 4, 2015 -

It's bound to be an uncomfortable day for 45 senators, now that another Planned Parenthood video is reminding voters who the politicians are standing with. Hours after they voted to protect the abortion giant's half-billion dollars in taxpayer funding, the Center for Medical Services showed the world another instance of Cecile Richards's group selling off intact babies like cattle at auction.

Will Senate Wish Planned Parenthood a Fund Farewell?
August 3, 2015 -

The summer weather is no match for the heat on Planned Parenthood. Two weeks and four incriminating videos later, the stress on Cecile Richards's group is starting to show. With some of the most shocking footage tied up in court, Planned Parenthood and its baby part buyers are desperately trying to keep the lid on the latest bombshell -- that the abortion giant sometimes ships out fully intact