presidential advisor kellyanne conway. this part of the conference begins with tony perkins and a panel of republican house members. ♪ everyone.rning, welcome to the 2017 values voters summit. are you ready to drain the swamp? [cheering and applause] >> i've got the equipment and the motivation and we are going to get it. done -- get it done. this is our moment. we must seize this moment and save our republic area we must save our republic from the dangers and destructive policies that we -- that were unleashed by the barack obama administration. today, as we begin the 12th annual values voter summit, we have folks from around the country and via the internet. we have like-minded swamp trainers from around the world. [laughter] and i want to thank you, in all seriousness. i want to thank you for having the courage to not be silent, but rather to stand up and speak out and contend with those who want to feed our freedoms to the strip -- the swamp monster we call government. this is our moment and we must seize it. at the conclusion of our time together, i hope you are better informed, more encouraged and motivated, with a fresh resolve to drain the swamp and save our republic. defend.ot just the time to defend is over, folks. it is time to advance faith, family and freedom to every corner of america. [cheers and applause] it is now my honor -- [laughter] 2017 gathering of the value voters of america to order. [gavel] welcome. lots have a great time. [applause] ♪ >> i thought i had seen it all. ok. we will get things kicked off with how we are winning the hill. we put together a pretty impressive panel. let me take time to introduce each one and you can show your appreciation. beginning with congresswoman vicky hartzler, a member of the u.s. house of representatives from the fourth district of my home state of missouri. there she is, ladies and gentlemen. [applause] served in the u.s. house of representatives, she served five years in the house of representatives from 1995 to 2000. she is an investor the pro-life movement and encourages others to get involved in politics through her new book. let's give her another round of applause. [applause] welcome, vicki. and now, number 42, playing left walker iso yard mark a congressman serving the sixth district of north carolina. he is an ordained baptist minister. he serves on the committee of homeland security, the comedy of oversight and government reform, and the cochair of the congressional prayer caucus. let's hear it for mark walker. [applause] and rounding out our panel this morning on winning the hill is mike johnson, who was elected to the u.s. house of representatives in 2016 by the largest margin of victory in his region in more than 50 years. house appointed to the judiciary committee and two subcommittees. the subcommittee on immigration and border security, and the house subcommittee on crime, terrorism, homeland security, and investigations. would you also welcome our third guest for our panel. [applause] right. tony is still in the swamp right now. we will just continue stalling while we wait for tony to get out of the swamp. [laughter] all right. how about those cubs game last night? wasn't that exciting? welcome back. frc president, tony perkins. [applause] >> somebody was using my phone booth. [laughter] with aexcited to begin panel of some of the swamp trainers that are here in washington. some of our leaders on the value issues that we care so deeply about. i will start in the center, ladies first, but also congresswoman vicky hartzler is the cochair -- she leaves the values team in the house of representatives. she has been here since 2010. she also serves on the important house armed services committee. making, i want to ask you about of undoing the has beengineering that put up on our nation's military, treating our men and women in uniform as if they were lab rats by the previous administration? >> it's just been devastating to watch over the last eight years under the obama administration the dismantling of our military readiness. with the policies that are implement, not only cutting defense and dollar-wise, but inflicting upon them the social engineering policies that are detrimental to our nation. one of the ones that i was very concerned to see and we took some action recently with the reversing, help, a was when president obama last summer, unilaterally, without checking with congress or anyone else, that we will now allow transgender's to serve openly in the military and giving them the full rights of medical treatments as welcoming putting sex change operations. well as sex-- as change operations. kim jong-un, isis, iran or putin in russia. withe same time, we are this policy using tax dollars to allow for sex change operations, which will make soldiers non-deployable. that doesn't make sense. i did offer the amendment during the national defense authorization act to say that no tax dollars can go to paying for sex change operations. [applause] and the reason that is bad is it is going to, by our estimation in the next 10 years, cost $10.5 billion just for surgeries alone. that does not take into account the ongoing hormone treatments. it makes you nondeployable for 267 days a year. so my question is why are we using precious defense dollars to make soldiers that cannot be deployed? [applause] >> absolutely. were, unfortunately, came a few votes short passing that, but very thankful that your next speaker, after our panel, the president of the united states, realized this is a tremendous rep -- tremendous detriment to our united states. he has changed that policy and it is being written out, the guidance, right now. i am so glad that our commander in chief is prioritizing our military once again. [applause] by the way, just to that the cost in perspective, that is the it will dublin navy destroyer, that five fighter jets -- navye equivalent of one destroyer, maybe five fighter jets. our next speaker was well-equipped to work in congress and to bring people together after working as a baptist minister and he knows how to deal with contentious situations. >> survive a wednesday night baptist is this meeting, you are in good shape. [laughter] congressmank you, walker, how you see the role -- now, coming from the faith community as a pastor -- what role does the church /evangelical/social conservatives/catholics have in the future of our country? >> i think you see it playing out in our present day. i want to thank you all the great work you are doing. and certainly the gray army that is here even today. we saw this play out last week. the amount of influence that the church and the people who follow christ are really pushing back on some of the social engineering and the social culture. we are seeing it. the vote last week on the house floor, where we were voted to end all abortions after 20 weeks is due to all the people fighting this fight. yes, give yourself a hand for the great work. [applause] even a pointecome of contention in our country that we would even consider -- we are one of only seven countries, out of 198 nations, including north korea, that even allowed abortions after 20 weeks. it boggles my mind sometimes that we drifted this far. but it doesn't mean that we don't have plenty of work and plenty of fight left in us to push back on some of the culture. i think we do it, obviously, to answer your question specifically. there is an evangelical thread that works in all components and all aspects of our life. we have to understand that there is a relationship component. for 50 have been 60 years, some of our communities have been impacted, even indoctrinated, with a less ideal that the government is the end-all for everything you can encounter, physically, but initially, or spiritually. we have to reach into all of these communities, and sure the psalms 139,, out of that every individual is created uniquely, fearfully, and uniquely made for the wonder of god. [applause] >> our third panelist from my home state of louisiana, congressman mike johnson from shreveport. we have a couple of people from louisiana here. i've known mike since he was a mere lad in law school. you are a constitutional lawyer. you ended up defending religious freedom, working with the alliance defending freedom and others. did you ever envisioned, back when you are a law school, that we would be condensing desk contending for the very right to exercise our -- contending for the very right to exercise our freedom of religion? onwe would go into churches sunday, to pulpit service and expect to the church all around the country that this day was coming. 20 years ago, people would go, i don't know, guys, it seems like a bit too much. now, everything that we saw coming down the pipeline is here, right before our eyes. we are in an all-out fight for our most fundamental freedoms. and everyone in this room recognizes that. that's why you are here and we are so grateful that you do what you do and you support frc and everybody that is on this front line. because we are in the fight of our lifetime. unborn childd the protection act. when we are in battles like that, we go to the house and gives us in a cart -- an opportunity to be with warriors like these, who will go to the floor and articulate these truths. we were all cosponsors of that bill and we went to the floor and we explain, you know, let's remember -- acres we are in a generation of americans who does not understand these fundamental freedoms and why it's important. it is easy to take away from people if they do not know what their freedoms are. who we are is articulated well in the declaration of independence. jefferson writes in the second these truthshold to be self evident, that all men are created equal, endowed by their creator by certain inalienable rights, though rights of life and the pursuit of happiness. do you know why that was listed first? why did the founders list life first, for example? they understood that we are all god,in the image of a holy a creator, and that he is the one who gives us those rights. [applause] tony, on the floor, and i know you are watching this, they were arguing for the convenience. they actually argued on the floor that we cannot pass this abortion ban after 20 weeks because some children may be born with disabilities and we should have the right to terminate the pregnancy. founders, recognizing that we are given life by our creator, they understand that is essential to the we are and that every single person has an estimable dignity and value and it is not related in any way to how good-looking you are, where you would to school, what you do for a living, or whether or not you have a disability. it is given us to -- it is given to us by god. [applause] i want to throw this question out for any of you, all of you to address as you feel led. look at the landscape of america and what is before us, the challenges that we have, the window of opportunity we the value voters of the country make the greatest difference? what can they do? what are some of the practical steps we can take? the waycould go first, that i have assessed this for 18 years as a pastor and now in her third year, in the united states congress, i believe, without that you can trace every issuer symptomatically and we are having to the breakdown of the family in this country. if we first have to know what the baseline issue is to be able to bring about solutions and resolve, if you look across our board and go back 50 years ago, we saw the family in all of our areas and communities, 80% intact, moms, dads and stability. now we see that completely inverted, a less than 20%. the timeurden you with ago. until we are linked to address those -- here is the positive. data of 50 years of left policies and what it has done to our families, to our communities. it's not like this is 1965 again and lbj introduced all these programs. we so what those programs would do specifically to the family. to turn this back am i believe we need to be addressing specifically those areas that have negatively impacted the mom and dad culture, the family culture. we see it coming out of hollywood. in fact, we see a lot of things coming out of hollywood's these days. but we have seen post turn a blind eye. even target the family that god have children,to moms and death, boys and girls to have the opportunistic seed. until we are willing to address those issues, we will not bring our -- bring about the solutions to it. [applause] three things come to mind here in first and most importantly, is to pray. people would humble themselves and pray and humble themselves and i will hear from heaven will forgive their sins and heal their land. most importantly, that is what we need to do. secondly, i would encourage you to think about and pray about running for office yourself. if not you, then who do i know -- say to yourself, who do i know to serve on the school board or the city council? we need to be strategic, proactive, encouraging people to be there who share our views and values. that is really important. most importantly, we need to tell people about jesus. because he is the only answer. [applause] until people's hearts are changed and they start viewing the world the way jesus wants us to view the world and view others, then we will just be fighting upstream. that is the most important thing. [applause] >> that's right. i'm finishing my first book right now. i was writing last night. it -- it is entitled "fight like a christian." the idea that the title is even provocative is telling for why the book is necessary. lessons we learned on the frontlines alas couple of decades. what i tried to articulate and emphasize all the time is our approach. with no america is even more divided now, maybe more than it has ever been, definitely in the modern era. gospel,we approach the the public policy is more important. we need to be witnesses to the truth and love our enemies and remember that our battles are not against flesh and blood but against one's abilities. -- against principalities. we have to be bold about that witness, gentle as does and wise townrpents and go into halls -- a lot of our colleagues are not doing town halls anymore. these guys are engaged, but our colleagues or not. why are you not going out to the people? you know the mainstream people will not deliver our message. no one will deliver our concern of core principles. they pay protesters to nicholas at these events. what you do is stand your ground -- they pay protesters to come and heckle us at these events. what you do is stand your ground. after that, they stop coming to your town hall and they can't rattle you. right? [applause] that's the approach we have to take as the church and as conservatives in the public square to articulate our principles, without apology do it, in a gentle way, and hopefully we can win others to our cause. [applause] mike, i want to ask you a question based on something that big he said about her third recommendation that we share the gospel. i think we get that in the church. that is our primary role, to be evangelists, to share with others, to go therefore and tell. but that ties into the issue of religious freedom. many say i don't want to get involved in politics. that is not my ideal. but the ability to literally share the gospel in the marketplace and in the realm of education, that is at risk today. >> i'm sure my colleagues want to jump in. mike end i are in an amicus brief. jack phillips owns masterpiece cake shop. he is an artistic genius. he creates masterpieces. that's not a cake. creates it specifically for that event. he was asked a couple of years ago to make a cake, create a cake for a same-sex wedding ceremony. and he says i can't do that due to my faith. but here are some other ways you can get a cake. i am not going to create an express and use my talents in that way. they took it to the colorado civil rights commission, which ruled against him and has ordered him to go through reeducation program, he and his staff. he has to file quarterly compliance reports now with them to verify that he is not letting his religious beliefs get in the way of his business. thankfully, adf has helped him and he is all the way now to the supreme court. on december 5, they will hear this case. but this is a tremendously important case. ,nd as there are others ordinary people trying to live out their faith according to the constitutional rights of the first amendment and being told by their governor -- government that they have to behave a certain way. now if our government can't force people to do things against their deeply held religious beliefs, where are we as a country? so this is imperative that we pray for this court decision and it we continue to fight this and stand up for our beliefs. mike, you did this for many years. you want to jump in? >> it is difficult to overstate the importance of this case. i said at our press conference when we unveiled our amicus this onereally believe could be for all the marbles, tony. if it goes the wrong way, we will set back religious freedom for generations. if it goes the right way, we will be advancing what the founders' ideals were. it reminds me of another development just a week ago, the rollback of the obamacare, the where we were forcing employers to provide contraceptives and sterilization techniques and dita -- and even abortifacients as law. and the left went crazy. there was this massive overreaction. we are seeing a trend around the country in state laws and lawsuits. they are trying to force the catholic hospitals and christian health care providers to not engage inrt, but themselves, use their own skills in support of things that violate their sincere religious believes, their deepest moral convictions. that is an anathema to who we are as americans. we have to the right of conscience, the right of religious freedom and we will have to die on every one of those hills very part of the point. >> i agree. [applause] two decades ago, the attacks on our religious liberty were much more subtle. through the obama administration, these attacks never -- no longer have to be behind closed doors. they were in your face through intimidation or whatever tactics they could override to push back. if i could speak back to -- speak to one thing, i think of second timothy, when it talks about studying, to show yourself. being competent enough to know, when those attacks come after us or for you or our religious to have ao be able baseline of understanding of how we are constitution-wise, to be able to protect ourselves. sometimes that is the only tool we have in the arsenal to push back. we have to be informed. we have to be willing to engage. of yous exactly why many are hearing washington, d.c., to be able to push back. with a coachorked here in washington who lost his job for praying after a football game. this israel. it is in her face right now. unless we are willing to fight on behalf of christians, [indiscernible] the whole armor of god. those are both offensive and defensive weapons. if you look at that passage through ephesians six, i don't think there is a greater time in our life to event that calls right now. [applause] shift to a specific policy initiative, one that is probably most symbolic of the swamp. that is the issue of obamacare. in the house, he passed a measure. it went over and drowned in the senate. wethere still a chance that will see -- i know the president will talk about some of the executive orders that he did to address it on the margins -- but is there a chance we will see congress repeal and replace this policy that is causing our health care system to implode? i'll start. let the raqqa go first. this is a tough one. -- let the rookie go first. this is a tough one. we sent our house health care bill to the senate and we were as heartbroken as every other american when it failed by a couple of votes. the battle is not over because it cannot be. obamacare is in the process of imploding right now. i'm sure everybody in this room understands the reality of this. in louisiana, three mins risen a list 150% since 2013 -- a louisiana, premiums have risen almost 150% since 2013. the duck doubles have skyrocketed as well. people are losing coverage because insurance companies are running for the exits because they are operating in the red and they are not charities. the whole system is about to collapse on itself. andnow, as we sit here right now, in january, if something doesn't change, you will have large swaths of the country that will have only one insurance provider or none at all. there's about 49 counties at last count that will have no insurance providers at all on the obamacare exchanges. it is not a sustainable situation. we will have to go back and address it again. the house, as you know, is committed to it. certainly the republicans in our conference. we will have to do it on our own. and everyone in this room should help us encourage those in the senate to step up. [applause] >> there is hope to your question, tony. there is a lot of hope. but we cannot rest. we cannot relent. we need to continue to fight on this issue. and, you were very nice using the word to encourage our friends in the senate. there may be other action verbs we are thinking in the room today to do that. but we will continue to push through legislation. we have 157 members, 17 of the 20 chairman. we went on record last week, laying out three promises for the next three months. one is to continue to work to repeal and replace obamacare, if we have to do it piece by piece, frame by frame. we will not rest until this burden is off the backs of american citizens. [applause] in north carolina, 94 of where -- 94 of our 100 counties are already down to one insurer. annot give people opportunity to go out and purchase health care insurance that is customized for their family is an atrocity. i will tell you this. we are putting together, marsha blackburn has a wonderful bill that we are try to get to the floor right now. we are also going to make sure that we continue to put the pressure -- as is really where you guys can help -- continuing to engage our friends in the other chamber of the united states senate to make sure they understand the urgency of why this is important. we only have a small window of time to get these things done. in fact, only three times in the last 100 years has congress been able to keep its republican majority when you have had a republican in the white house. that is why this time in a last forever. i would dare to think what the democrats would do, continue to do to our health care system, tony. a little bitst add of the nuts and bolts of the frustration of it is how the senate rules work. thought, well, we have a majority as far as republicans in the senate, but we have to be to -- we have 52 and they have a rule that says you have to have 60. we have passed a record number of bills in the house. we have been working hard and passing important legislation. but before they can take that bill and debate it, they have to have a motion to proceed. that takes 60 votes. that's why 276 are sitting there. unless they can get a democrats on board, they do not even debated. 60debate, it takes another votes. some of us in the house are advocating for the senate to change their rules. [applause] >> nowhere in the constitution does it say in the senate it takes 60 votes. most people think it should be like the constitution says and majority should rule. it is a crazy idea, but i think majority should rule. that would make things a lot easier, because obamacare, we are trying to pass it under reconciliation. and only takes 50% of the vote. but we can only undo part of obamacare through that mechanism. that is part of what is complicated. the senate needs to change the rules and go majority rule. [applause] on to the next big ticket item before congress -- tax reform. that is the discussion now shifting, to tax reform. will we get a profamily, pro-growth tax structure coming out of this congress? >> i am convinced that we will. kevin brady, chairman of the ways and means, has worked on this nearly for the entire we're -- entire year to make sure we are going to take care of the american people when it comes to tax reform. we were in discussion last night. we had another member calling for some chumming around the edges. this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. not since 1986, 31 years, the year that "top gun was quote out,out -- "top gun" came that we have even touched tax reform. we have to deliver on this. we also want to make sure -- this is a key component that impacts everyone in the room -- that those in the lower and impactedcome are not by their charitable giving. america is the most philanthropic country in the world. it is organizations like this and our local communities and shelters -- we don't want to do anything to diminish the great work done by our nonprofits, specifically our religious organizations. we want to make sure that tax reform is done but also protect these institutions. [applause] i, too, and very optimistic that we will get a framework of what will be in the tax policy a couple of weeks ago. it is family friendly. i was glad to see not only are we increasing the child tax credit, but also making it equal. if you are a stay-at-home mom, like i was for several years, you also get equal amount. we are taking out the marriage penalty, which is a wonderful idea. [applause] that is part of it. taxability the there. it is a good plan. we are just fine-tuning it and hoping to get it across the finish line. >> the reason we have optimism this will get down is even the reiners -- the rhinos in the congress realize that it is their scalp that is at issue here. if this does not get done, there will be a reckoning and small -- next fall. [applause] i spent a lot of time in my district act in north and west louisiana, talking to small business owners. the economy has been on a great run this year. we have had 49 consecutive -- more than that -- over 50 consecutive dow jones records since january. but i think a lot of that is in anticipation that we will get this job done with tax reform. so we have to do it. and when we do, it will have everybody. all those will rise. and all the small business owners who -- all boats will rise. and all the small business owners who say if i just had a little more, i could add new jobs and do this. i believe we will double our gdp, and our economic growth rate. i think we will get it back to 7%, 7.5%, like we were in the 1980's. strong america is good for the whole world. we know that. this is important. [applause] >> we spoke a little bit on the individual side. there is a business rate component as well. just yesterday, i was sitting down with the cfo of pfizer company. spirit for every dollar we make in ireland, we keep $.87. for every -- he said this. make iny dollar we ireland, we keep $.87. for every dollar we make in the united states, we get $.35. we have the highest industrial rate in the world. think we are getting it to 20%. it is important to bring those billions and billions of dollars , as well as jobs, back to the united states. and repeal the death tax as well. [cheers and applause] >> and there is also another aspect of the tax reform that will be in there that has been addressed. the president addressed it in the campaign. my, you are part of the cosponsoring of the johnson amendment repeal. >> yes. we need to unshackle the voice of the church again. [cheers and applause] something time, it is that we all lamented, that the internal revenue code has been censoring and silencing the pulpit. that is an unconstitutional prospect. we have been trying to challenge that incorporate years. we have had public freedom sunday. we have had thousands of pastors say why yout and arv.t vote for candidate that is the way pastors used to lead their flock until the 1950's. lbj putson amendment, it in as a vendetta against churches in houston. there was no debate in the house or anything. it silenced and censored the church. we have legislation now that is pending that will change that restriction and unleash the pulpits of this country again. that's the moral leadership that we need for america at this very pivotal time. i think it will be a game changer. . [applause] the voices on the left were never shackled. now it's time to unshackle the voices on the right. [applause] >> all right, lightning round. we are just about out of time. very quickly, as you think about the values voters, those across the country who are watching, literally around the world, how can they must effectively pray for congress at this moment? wisdom.nk certainly for but if you look at one version solomon, he said give me a heart that i might have a discerning heart. i think wisdom starts with the heart. pray that we all have the heart of jesus and that we have the heart of god for the people that we serve. because it is out of that for their- caring constituents, there hurts and needs and how government can play a role in unchecked like some of the restrictions on them to help them live to the fullest of that god has given them, it is that part of caring for them that comes the policy changes and the motivation for us to fight. discerning heart and a caring heart for the people we serve and the wisdom to translate that into policy that will be been issued -- beneficial for them and bring glory to the world -- glory to the lord. [applause] >> i would issue two prayer requests. when in the congress that there would be new conviction for our core principles among those who would waver a bit, that they understand these are what we are fighting for and it is what the american people deserve. and also for unity. it is an important thing for us right now. we have to keep our cap together and moving in the right direction. sometimes that is the most difficult battle, not overcoming democrat objections, by keeping her family together. paul ryan once said it was like keeping frogs in a wheelbarrow. it's about right. we could use that unity. i'm so grateful for the leadership of market vicki and people like them in the congress to our leading the way. we are grateful for your prayers because that is what makes a difference. >> ladies and gentlemen, let's thank our panel further tremendous job and their leadership. ♪ ♪ >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen for that great ovation. our next speakers the chairman of the house freedom caucus, a group of roughly 40 conservative members of congress dedicated to giving -- for giving a voice to those feel forgotten by congress. pro family and pro-life initiatives and a strong national defense. from the great tar heel state of north carolina, please welcome representative mark meadows. ♪ >> morning. good morning. say hello, deplorables! i love it. there wasonths ago, someone on this stage -- donald j. trump as candidate, 13 months ago -- who was bring it to you -- who was bringing it to you, all of you, what it would be like if we put a conservative in the white house. i also want to say, at that particular time -- i will give you a stat. the polls said there was an 83% chance that hillary clinton would win by 47 electoral votes at that particular time. i can tell you -- i will give you another stat. they were 100% wrong. [laughter] [cheers] it was 13 months ago when he was that really we were going to campaign and said it would be worth it for just one thing. if we could get a conservative on the supreme court, like neil gorsuch, it would have been worth it and, indeed, we have done that. [applause] that supreme think court justice gorsuch is better than supreme court justice bill clinton? wouldn't you agree with that. but it was 13 months. i can tell you, at that particular time, there was not that same enthusiasm in this group. and fact, there was not even the believability because the polls were all suggesting that it was all over with. yet somehow, we as people of still knew that our god reigns over the affairs of nations, doesn't he? he still reigns. [applause] so it is not just with that federal supreme court nominee that has been confirmed. it is the 150 other federal conservative federal court nominees that will ultimately make sure that we turn back this country to its roots, to make sure that we, the people, and the constitution will still rain. -- reign. it is that that we can apply this morning. [applause] but i also, since we are looking back at september, i want us to look back even further to a september that happened some time ago and it was a september during the battle of 1812. actually, it happened in 1840. and many of you might have known that it was the battle of baltimore. for mchenry was off. hours of was 25 bombardment, bond after bomb, cannonball after cannibal, going into not only make -- cannonball after cannonball, going into not englande sure that would take over a fledgling country like the united states. i share that because, at that particular time, they had anticipated the battle that would come. and i share the today with you because we need to anticipate the battle that is still raging on the streets of washington, d.c., in this place they call the swamp. i understand tony came out and it is time that we -- what? drain the swamp, right? well, that includes every single member of the house and senate if they are not willing to do what they promised on their campaign trail. it is time to send them home. it is time. [applause] battle,g back to that there was the bombardment for 25 hours. yet there was a flag that had been specially made to fly over that particular fort. it was a large flag, 30 by 42 at the cost of some, $405 and $.90. you can initially see remnants of that flag in the smithsonian today. i share that because, indeed, they were preparing for battle. is that thenow know flag that was still waving after that bombardment was the flag that francis scott key actually which we nowm call our national anthem about. and yet, here we are today, in preparation for that battle, and , weing that it was there somehow think that that flag and what it represents is not worth standing for. you, there are times when you don't make political statements. there are times at a funeral where you don't make a political statement. there are times when we are sending troops and welcoming them home that you don't make political statements. and i would suggest that you don't make a statement by taking a knee when we have the flag out there as well. that is what i would suggest. [cheers and applause] it is time that we stand in honor of what it represents. it is time. but perhaps you don't know the story that is told a little bit around that time, that is not commonly known, like the national anthem. it is a story that talked about 22 patriots that were finished -- that were fishermen that actually came in and sunk their boats in the harbor to make sure the enemy could not get close enough for those cannibals to take full effect. it was 22 patriots that sunk their boat in the harbor. it was their livelihood. they were fishermen. they were willing to sacrifice it all for what many at that time were calling a lost cause. you have been criticized by your friends for fighting for a lost cause. perhaps the times that you stood up and said, you know what, we are going to pray and continue to go to the polls and pretend like we are in the lead, even though the polls were suggesting that we were far behind. but you know what? we knew that we had somebody on our side that perhaps others didn't. because we knew, on our knee, praying before our heavenly father, he would deliver --imately the victory area victory. today.k you are you willing to still be one of those 22 patriots? are you willing to be someone who is willing to fight for a lost cause? when all of the media says that your voice doesn't matter, will you join me in making sure that they know your voice matters and ?t is not to be denied [applause] let me tell you something else the pollsters got wrong. we were in north carolina. that was a little bit of a battleground state. we got to see up close and personal our president campaigning from one end of the but when ie other knew, that the pollsters were day,ng it wrong was, one we were going to campaign across the state. we were going along the interstate. all of a sudden, on the interstate, i started to see handmade signs that said "donald makep for president" " america great again," "make sure we vote on november 8." give were handmade signs they were not coordinated by the republican party. i saw the russians nowhere. they weren't anywhere around. [applause] but i can tell you that it was real. you could feel it. you could see it. all of the sudden, what happens is this organic desire to make america great again, to believe that america is exceptional, and to quit apologizing for our greatness with something that we needed to do once again. is time thatst it we continue on that journey to make america great again. [applause] as we look at that particular day, i want to tell a little bit more. we were going to a place in north carolina that i didn't even know. i didn't know it existed. it was selma, north carolina. it was in the east. i was in the west. yet it was a small place. as we were going there to actually campaign on behalf of this president, that time candidate, miles out, we started to see pickup trucks that had pulled over to the side of the road. cars.rted to see we saw people on the side of the road waving american flags as the motorcade was coming through. we are talking about four or five miles out in the middle of nowhere. well, my apology to selma, north carolina. [laughter] in the middle of nowhere. outdoor, openthis pasture. there are 20,000 people who had been standing there for hours just to wait to hear president donald j. trump address them. if that is not an organic movement not organized by anybody else, i don't know what is. [cheers and applause] so here is my challenge and encouragement to you. theeed to continue to show same type of energy that is there, the same type of energy that was there before november 8. and we need to understand that this president is serious about doing business. he out works everybody. i know it would not be hard to out were congress. [laughter] but he works until 1:00 in the morning. he goes to sleep for a few hours. he gets up at 5:30 or six a clock in the morning. when you see this, he is willing to work harder than anybody else, we should do the same. it is time we help this president out. [applause] he has rolled back all kinds of regulations. in fact, more regulations have been rolled back, substantial regulations have been rolled back in the first nine months of his presidency then any in modern times. [applause] but we need to help them, don't you think? don't you take it's time congress quits talking and they start doing? isn't it time? [applause] if we don't get behind this agenda, un-america first agenda, if we do not get behind it, it is time that you send us home. i look to shoot. i love to go out with my son and shoot. when you go out to shoot, you can shoot a lot of shells. all the shells look exactly the same. in fact, you can put the men, and as you should -- well, occasionally, you come across one where you put trigger and it is a dud. you have two options. you can leave that in the chamber and pull the trigger again and again and see if it fires. or you can eject it and put in another show. [applause] -- i wouldgest suggest we have some members that are duds that have been left in the chamber to long and it is time we ejected them. [cheers and applause] it is time. we are trying to make them perfect. eject them. start over with a fresh shell. that, it is with great humility that i come before you today. caucus, whoseof a motto really is to stand for the forgotten man and woman, to make sure that there is a voice here sure -- hereo make in washington, d.c., we need to make sure that we are diligent in what we promised the american people. it is time that we actually produced some results. here is where i would ask you to help. comes undernt attack every morning that he rolls out of bed, regardless of what he does, with what he says or what he tweets. he comes under attack each and every morning. i would ask you to be prayerfully on your knees, praying for this country, this president, and, yes, even this congress as we tried to do the people's business and, i would say, ultimately represent the people that are here in this room today. because the values that we hold dear are not uniquely ours. they are actually god-given. we see that from the constitution because we know that, indeed, even in the declaration of independence that we recognize who the ultimate authority is. and yet, sometimes, we happen to forget that. we muste forget that, come back over and over and over that, notemind others only does our god reighn. but the voice of value voters will not be stomped out ever, ever again in this country. [applause] commitare willing to that, the other part of that that we must do is not be afraid to stand up. because so many times what happens is you getting your own and when it is comfortable to stand up and speak up, you normally shut up. and i'm talking to myself here. because sometimes, it is a whole lot easier to just be quiet, instead of actually speaking out on what you know to be the truth. and so are you willing to stand up and speak up so that others will now -- will not drag you out? are you willing to do that -- will not drown you out? are you willing to do that? [applause] i also want you to know this, that as we start to see things back to, we can come where we started. we can come back to our this-christian roots that president has not only promised he would uphold, but he has demonstrated he would uphold. he has demonstrated it over and over again. [applause] that our bestre ally in the middle east, israel, is defended and we are unflinching in that event. [applause] we need to make sure that we do not yield there. i see gary bauer here in the front row. anyone a not been stronger advocate for israel than you, gary. thank you for being here. god bless you. so here we are. nine months into a new administration. we have eight democrats in the senate that often will believe that they are going to run things. but i tell you it is time that we get rid of the 60-vote cloture role in the senate and start ruling like a majority. the heck with tradition. it is time. it is time that we do that. [applause] no more excuses. it is time to get rid of the excuses. so let me close with this story. when so many of us went to the polls on november 8, we were voting for a president that we really didn't know much about, other than what we had learned in the media. we were voting for someone that truly had come from a number of other competitive and quality candidates. and yet here he was, our nominee going in, and most of us knew that we wanted to change the supreme court. we wanted to roll at regulations. we wanted to make america great again. we wanted to make sure that religious liberty was protected again. we had one choice. and that choice was donald j. trump. but i also want to tell you a personal story about the backside of a president that i have come to know very well. and it is important that you hear this because, what happens is so often we miss who the person is in all the headlines that are out there. shortly after he was sworn in, i get a phone call from the president of the united states. my executive assistant came in and said you have to come with me quickly. i thought there was an accident or something terrible had happened. .er face was all white she said the president of the united states is on the phone for you. then my face turned white. so i get on the phone and i talked to the president. he goes into not only thanked me for campaigning with him on the campaign trail. but more importantly, he came in to say, mark, i wanted to check and see how you are doing. how are people treating you on capitol hill? i wanted you to know, mark, that you got a friend in the president of the united states. so i kept waiting for the punchline, because i figured, if those nice things were happening, he would ask me for something. that's the art of the deal. you have to figure that out. and yet, there was no deal. in fact, it's the thing that i remember most about that phone call, therefore are five minutes into the phone call, he said i just wanted to check with you, mark, and see if you were ok. and if you ever need anything, just give me a call. there was no request. there was no demand. there was not even a hint of encouragement of where he wanted me to be. that is the man that we have at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. that's the man that you elected on november 8. that is the man that will make america great again. god bless you. thank you so much. it is great to have been with you. thank you. god bless you. ♪ ♪ >>