Jenna. Ellis in the morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God because of truth and the biblical worldview. The U.S. constitution obligates our government preserve and protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God our creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you. And God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.
This is Jenna Ellis in the morning.
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. It is Wednesday, February 18th. And you know, the First Amendment, really should be alive and well in this country. And the freedom to broadcast, the freedom to talk about things from a conservative perspective, a biblical worldview without fear of censorship from platforms that programs even like this one, for example. Go on. I mean one of the reasons that American, ah, Family Radio Network, owns our own towers and the land that our towers are on is because at least for terrestrial radio, then we are un. Cancelable. And I know that that's a big deal to a lot of you who support us, and it's a very big deal to me. we talk about things that, to the left are very controversial on this program. But when we go into the podcast form, we take the live radio broadcast and then after the fact put it on, Spotify, itunes, you know, some of these other platforms, those platforms unfortunately can at times, try to circumvent the protections that our government is obligated to preserve and protect. And so when, even though they're not governments, but when private platforms try to censor you, for simply having conservative, biblically based ideas, something is wrong. And so 16 attorneys general have demanded answers to YouTube's censorship of one of our favorite conservative commentators, Steve Dace. So the letter demands an explanation of the viewpoint, viewpoint. Targeted censorship and shadow banning by the social media platform YouTube. And you know, this is YouTube. This is nothing new. This particular platform has had a really big problem with conservatives lately. And so they're demanding. These attorneys general are demanding answers regarding YouTube's treatment of politically conservative content creators and channels since January 1, 2019, including Steve Dace.
Steve and Jenna welcome you to the uncancellable program
So let's welcome in Steve and Steve, you know, welcome to the uncancellable program where at least for the time that we are live on air. You are now un. Cancelable. So, you know, have at it.
Steve Deace: I appreciate that. Jenna, good morning. How are you?
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. I'm good, but, you know, I'm kind of annoyed at YouTube, frankly.
Steve Deace: Well, I'm, I'm more than annoyed. I mean, just to give your audience, just a frame of reference here.
Since 2020, my show has grown over 400% on Apple
All right, so. So my podcast, Apple is about 55% of the podcast market in America. It was 80% three years ago. Spotify has really, eaten into it, but it is still the majority podcast market in America. Since 2020, my show has grown over 400% on Apple. Okay, over 400%. My, the podcast version of our show, our show is listed in the, religion and spirituality category. it's, I think, the second largest category in, all of podcasting. there's well over 30,000 podcasts in that category on Apple. Our show routinely ranks in the top 20 of, all the podcasts that are in that realm. and yet at the end, our show has billed seven figures in advertising in our show for the last four years in a row. Despite that, I am currently averaging about 3,700 views an episode on YouTube, the largest, video platform in the history, free use video platform in the history of this planet. And this has gone on really for years. This really began with COVID and the, information war that went on there. And obviously I was one of the people leading the charge against that, which is one of the reasons why my show has exploded since then. That's when I got on a lot of people's radar around the country, frankly. and, and so you just see when you line up Apple Podcasting, which does not have the reach, that YouTube does as a platform when you line up, but when you line them up side by side, and I think this is probably what, my representatives at First Liberty did to some of these, state attorney generals. when you line this up side by side, you just see a line of bifurcation that defies explanation. It just defies explanation. We, you know, either myself or the Blaze. This is, I think, our third different YouTube channel, that we've tried to reboot it. We've had so many strikes, so many shadow bans, we've tried to reboot it, start all over again. it doesn't seem to work. This has gone on now. It's clear now it's punitive. If you want to make the case that they were at that time. And, yeah, maybe I've been proven right on a lot of what I said at the time, but we didn't know. And that was medical information. It was potentially life or death, and that's why they did that. Okay, well, what's the explanation for why that is ongoing now in the year 2026? And just one other thing that, these state attorney generals noticed is I do this little, fun thing on the side with my son. just a fun Michigan video channel talking Michigan sports. him and I have a dual love for that we've had his whole life since he's been growing up. I can. Last night, last night, after my number one Wolverines beat Purdue, I just threw up an instant reaction from my basement recorded on my phone. 15 minute rant, right? It's sitting at about 5,000 views right now. Right. go look and see how many of my episodes at day show on YouTube. That's the current channel we just restarted last year for the third time. Right. To try to give this thing a clean sweep. Reboot. Go see how many episodes of my show with, with the promotion from the Blaze. Everything I write, I do the built in, audience that that show has, in the six figures. Go see how many episodes I have done on that, on that channel that have gotten over 5,000 views. You won't find many. And there's just, that's just inexplicable. And so that, that's not just thumb on the scale, that's every appendage on the scale. And frankly, this crap has to stop. If these people want to be publishers and decide, you know, and decide what gets seen and what doesn't, it is a free country. That's their intellectual property. They are welcome to do so, but then they must declare that and then, and then, you know, accrue all the various forms of liability that all other publishers go through. Right now though, they've been given this kind of in between realm where they get to both be a platform and declare what you get to see. And that is censorship by just another name. that's just censorship of a private oligarchy. that's. That I would argue is even more dangerous than censorship of a government because you can fight back against your government in ways you can't. The private oligarchy, I mean, getting someone on the phone from an entity like YouTube, an actual person to get answers, even for a company you, know, like the Blaze, one of the largest alternative media platforms in America, is darn near impossible to do. And so this crap, frankly has to end.
Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. And I could not agree with you more. And we've seen this over and over again from, the Facebook files, the Twitter files, you know, everything in, in, the post 20, 20 election controversy, the COVID controversy. I mean, I, I've been, banned from, you know, Twitter. When it was formerly Twitter. I was banned, one time for it was, I think a week or two, simply for posting, something about immigration under Biden. I mean, you know, these things that are just so that clearly Americans should be able to have opinions. But you're right, Steve, there. The key difference here is do these platforms want to be for content creators and just be a platform, or do they want to be a publisher? They're trying to, not have the liability, but get to prefer the content also. And they shouldn't be allowed to do that. And yet it seems like, okay, we're now six years post Covid. I mean, if this goes back to 2019, we're at almost seven years of this nonsense. And there doesn't really seem to be a ton of accountability other than, okay, you got to take this suspension. And you know, my ex account before Elon took it over, even though I got back on, I was so heavily, throttled. It was so obvious even when I got back on and there was no accountability, of course. And so this, this is the problem is that, you know, I hope that the, this letter from these attorneys general won't just be kind of this media splash. And hey, we're calling attention to it and that's all well and good, but there actually needs to be some accountability and consequence for, some of these platforms. And, and they should have to decide that, and they should have to incur, as you said, the consequences of either way, be a platform or be a publisher. But you got to decide and you got to stick to one lane. And you can't censor based on viewpoint if you are not a publisher.
Steve Day: First Liberty is suing Google over alleged anti-conservative bias
So what's the ultimate goal? And I know First Liberty, great organization. Kelly, ah, Shackelford is a good friend of mine and he's a good friend of yours. and so what. What is the ultimate goal that you and First Liberty are trying to achieve here? You know, beyond obviously, like, stop. But what's, what's the strategy?
Steve Deace: I've been working on this case with First Liberty for almost a year. We started working on this case last May. and you know, we were really strategizing about, where can we. Who has the power and authority, to get these people into A deposition and to get some questions answered. And, they went to work on that. And the answer was this pleasant surprise yesterday with this letter from these attorneys general. So it just so happened, completely coincidental, that I had scheduled on my show yesterday Austin Knudsen, who's the head of the Republican Attorney, General's association, he's the AG of Montana. He's one of the signatories on that, on that note. And so we got to talking about that and before I could even ask him that very question, he made it very clear he is fully prepared, on behalf of the Republican AG association, fully prepared to go to legal war against Google, which is. Who owns YouTube over this, to get some answers. So, I mean, listen, every time I come on here, there's usually something, some sector of the Republican Party that is disappointing us.
Steve Deace: But I will say this. The last few years, if there's anything close, to rock stars in this party, not name Donald Trump when he's at his best, it's the, it's the Republican ags. Most, most of the dam m. Much of the damage that's been inflicted, against the left, particularly the last few years when Trump was out of office, if it wasn't from your governor, most of the damage that's been inflicted on the left if it wasn't from your governor, were from the Republican AGs. So, that's one group of people I do have some faith that will at least attempt to land a punch here.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah.
Steve Deace: Just so your audience understands what this means, it's frankly a miracle. I mean, it's literally providence that the Blaze has been able to build seven figures of ads into my show without any assistance whatsoever from the largest video platform in the world. In fact, it would be a tremendous upgrade if we got no assistance. If they just forgot the channel was there and stopped striking it and punishing it. I don't even want their algorithm to promote it. Just if we, if they just let us naturally ebb and flow with what I could feed in there just with my own, you know, following an ecosystem. I mean, the. We're talking seven. Another seven figures of revenue on an annual basis that they have cost me and the Blaze by doing this. More important, and that matters too, because ultimately, if you want information like mine, you want companies like the Blaze to amplify it. Well, none of us are nonprofits, all right? There needs to. Needs to be shown that you can. That this thing is profitable, not funded by a bunch of Democrat NGOs on our side. The other thing to consider is this. I mean, when, I travel across the country and speak, I cannot tell you how many people come up to me and have said the last few years, hey, man, thank you so much. The work you did, the research you did, and you gave your sources. I double checked it myself. And you gave me the strength to not take that toxic, jab. And I really appreciate that. How many more people would we have reached? How many adverse events have occurred in this country because of what they had, what they did to censor people like me during that period of time? See, that's the real serious question. I mean, the Blaze is going to be okay without another million a year in advertising from the Steve Day Show. They're going to make it okay. They're going to be all right, even though that's money that they're owed. But the real consequence is that last point there. How many people that did not get a counter to do their own homework, to check our sources to see who's telling you the truth, us or cnn? And so they did what the corporate media told them to do, and them or someone they love suffered the consequences as a result. That's the real social cost of all of this.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, and, and, and both of those things matter, I mean, obviously from a moral perspective. And because, you know, you and I are in this not just to earn money. I mean, obviously, you know, the Bible says a worker is worth his wages and and obviously we need to make a living and that's all completely fine. But you and I are in this arena and in this space because we actually care about reaching people with the biblical message, with the truth and, with alternatives to the Democrats, philosophies with their answers, with their solutions. We say we have better ones and that should be the free marketplace of ideas so that people can listen. I mean, we're not suggesting that, you know, CNN can't spout their nonsense and people have the opportunity to listen to them or to shut them off. And we can say, you know what we think that the biblical worldview is actually more internally consistent and that you should believe the truth over that nonsense. And, and then in a truly free society, people can look at the two alternatives. They can look at truth and they can look at something that's not truth and they can decide for themselves. But this was the coercive effect that all of us saw during the COVID era and that we're seeing from all of these platforms. It's not that they don't want to Pay out the money. I mean, this isn't. To them, you know, a million dollars in advertising for YouTube is absolutely nothing. that's a big deal to, you know, people who are, content creators, but to them it's a lot more about the message and the censorship and you not reaching people via their platform. That's how you know what actually matters to them. Because it's not about the bottom line. If it really was for them a business enterprise, then it wouldn't matter who is saying what. And if conservatives were the most lucrative, business clients, they would be amplifying you. They wouldn't care. Right, because they would actually be a business. But they are a propaganda publisher platform. And that's the problem is that they are operating under the auspices of being a business and being a free marketplace of, hey, put your stuff up here, and you have the same playing field as everybody else with your content. But then they don't treat you the same based on what you're saying. And that is, wholly, not just unfair, but it strikes at the heart of the problem with the left not wanting good ideas to then go up against bad ideas and have individuals decide for themselves what are good ideas and bad ideas and have that kind of fair fight. And And so I appreciate, Steve, that you're doing this, and and I think it's a, It's a really important goal. And I was happy to see, my attorney General here in Florida, James Uthmeyer, and then also, Catherine Hanaway, who we have frequently on the program, the AG of Missouri. Both of them are signatories, you know, some other really great, ags. And I think you're right that the attorneys general seem to have more spine overall than a lot of the legislative branch. So I hope that we see, at least a movement here.
Steve King: Next step is largely up to Silicon Valley and how they respond
So in just the last couple minutes we have with you, what are kind of the next steps that, Because this has gone on, as you said, for about a year. What, what's the next step in terms of what we should anticipate, from now this letter and, you know, kind of some movement?
Steve Deace: Well, I think the next step is largely up to Silicon Valley and how they respond. All right, so, I mean, we have a plurality of Republican AGs in America signing on to this letter. The Republican AGs have demonstrated, whether it's Anthony Fauci or others, they are willing to take on these fights. So I will be very fascinated to see how, Google decides to respond to this. And during this era where I'm averaging about 3,700 views on YouTube, which is, you know, a nice sized suburban megachurch in America. Could get that on their own, their own channel on YouTube. I've produced a film that was profitable, had mass theatrical distribution, wrote four bestsellers, and yet that's all I'm averaging. If they can do this to me, they can do this to absolutely anybody.
Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. Well, Steve, we'll be praying for you. we will be pulling for you. And you know, listen to Steve on other platforms besides YouTube. totally worth it. You're one of my favorite, creators and speakers of truth, which is why I love that you join us so frequently. So, thank you for being the tip of the spear in this fight. follow Steve on social media as well, and we will be right back with more.
Steve Deace: The AFR app is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. You can't use it to change the oil in your vehicle or get rid of carpet stains. It won't walk the dog, won't pick up the dry cleaning or take the kids to practice. But while you're doing those things, you can listen to your favorite AFR content through the app on your phone, smart device, or Roku. Just go to your app store or visit afr.net Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app.
Jenna Ellis thanks American Family Radio for being a nonprofit
Welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the.
Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. And you know, for those of you you're just tuning in, go, back and listen to the interview with Steve, Dase, and the, the comments about, you know, censorship and why it's so important to have the conservative perspective out in the free marketplace of ideas. And I just want to take a moment briefly, to say thank you so much to our American Family Radio. family, because, you know, unlike the Blaze and some of the these others, we are a nonprofit. And what that means is that we don't have to rely on advertising dollars. We, we don't have to worry about the bottom line. I mean, obviously it takes money to make all of this happen. I'm very thankful that I'm gainfully employed at afa and I know that everyone else who works at this incredible organization is so thankful that we can be in full time ministry, but we could not do this and be a nonprofit and have the benefits of owning our terrestrial radio towers and land and not being cancelable in some of these other ways or even relying on, you know, advertisers who may pull their sponsorships based on what we say, you know, all of these things that other networks have to deal with. I mean, I used to work for Salem Media for example, and and that was a, ah, revenue generating, you know, base, a rev share split when I was there and that heavily relied on advertisers. And that's just a whole different ball game. And that's, that's fine. I mean it's great that we have the, the free marketplace of, of business and all of that, but it's actually a really wonderful thing here at afa, that we can be a nonprofit and rely on your donations to keep us on the airwaves. And we get to express biblical content, comments, on news of the day culture without fear of cancellation and you make that happen. And so I love getting up every morning and being on this program and speaking without fear of that censorship and it's because of you. So thank you so much for your support for AFR and overall the American Family Association.
Congressman Marlon Stutzman discusses working families tax cut
All right, well, let's turn to another, you know, kind of financial topic actually, which is the working families tax cut. Yes. this is kind of, you know, a hard turn into April that is coming up. So just a little over, or a little under two months away is unfortunately tax day that happens annually. It's, it's it's one of my least favorite holidays. In fact, I've four cousins, girl cousins, and they're all born on holidays. But my one cousin who was born on tax day, I'm not really sure that qualifies comparatively to to Halloween or Reformation Day, you know, NewSong Year's Day and then Memorial Day or the other, the other three cousins. So I think she kind of got a little bit, you know, the, the short end of the. Stick with that one. But we love, we love celebrating her birthday. But, but the working families tax cut aims to provide tax relief for working Americans families, and seniors through a higher standard deduction and increased child tax credit and specialized deduction. So this was signed into law as part of the 2025, one big beautiful bill. And that also includes the Trump accounts that have you know, kind of been not necessarily controversial, I mean, certainly to the left. But let's welcome in Congressman Marlon Stutzman from the great state of Indiana to tell us more about what this actually might mean for the holiday that is tax day this year.
what motivates you in tough times
So. Good morning Congressman, and how are you doing this morning?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Oh, good morning. Great to call you from the heartland in Indiana this morning. And I appreciate just your voice as you were sharing there about the nonprofit status and the, the ministry at afa, just all that you do and the voices that, you know, share with Americans, across the country, just biblical truths. And, I was talking to my wife and boys over the weekend in one of our devotionals. It was talking about, what Paul was writing to Timothy about how, you know, the Christian life is not easy and that it's hard work and that we should lean into it. And so I know that's what you do every day is just lean in. And we just have to do it with a smile because there's some days that it would be easy to be cranky. But I appreciate you and AFA and the ministry you guys have.
Jenna Ellis: Thank you so much for that. And, you know, it isn't easy to stand up and speak, truth. And that's true in Congress as well. And, I know that that's. That can be difficult in the face of, you know, your colleagues on the other side of the aisle that are often, just lunatics. I'll say it that way, because we're un. Cancelable. their ideology is just so beyond, ah, rationality and, So what. And before we get to the tax, issue, which I definitely want your comment on, but what, what drives you as a Christian to be able to stand up for truth in that kind of environment? I mean, it is difficult, as a public figure, you know, for me at times, but I always go back to, my audience of one is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And as long as I get up every day and do what he has for me, that's my obligation. what encourages you in the midst of, you know, the insanity that sometimes is Congress?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yeah, no, that's a great question because I think it's important for us as Christians to know what, what has Christ called us to do in our lives? I mean, I grew up in a farm family in Indiana. my mom and my dad, they just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this last weekend. And, you know, the family, I think, is such a critical part of our society. God created three institutions. He created the family, which is the foundation of our society. He created the church, and that is the spiritual foundation, should be the spiritual thermostat, for our society. And then he created government. God, you know, he sets up kings and sets them down. And so, you know, what motivates me is the love of Christ and showing not only the love of Christ, but then also following God's word. Because if you follow God's word, life, it's not perfect. It's never going to be easy, but it can be better. And you can handle the hard things in life much easier knowing that we're not alone and that Christ is here with us and that we have each other as Christians. And you know, one of the things that I think if your audience members haven't listened to the speech that Marco Rubio gave over in Munich this past weekend, I think that that's, it was such an inspirational speech because it took President Trump to come in and call out ah, the wrong headed ideas that were being forced on the American people. Whether it was through wokeism, whether it's through bad economic policy, whether it was through the border and open borders and this mass migration, it took President Trump to call it out and everybody's like, oh no, this is not, you know, we're better than this. We're, you know, we're going to go a new direction. We know better, how to, you know, make things better for society and for people. And it's like, no, it goes back to the very core Judeo Christian foundation that our country was built on that made America great. And so seeing Secretary of State Rubio to Munich and stand there in front of the European Union and in the world and say, look to the Europe we came from, you this, our roots are from Europe, predominantly in America. But we're not going to be a part of a managed decline of Western society in western the Western hemisphere. We're going to stick to the principles that made America great, which ultimately had made Europe great at one point. But Europe is very different today than what it used to be. And so those are the things that really drive me is to protect and to not just to protect but to actually go on offense and show God's way is the best way. And I'll tell you after just working in international policy, foreign policy, you know, where Christians are at, there is an attempt for peace. that's not the case, you know, with other religions. And we have to you know, stand for truth, we have to stand for life. And that's what really gets me up and going in the morning. And of course when I can spend some time on my farm and how, and just get back to nature, that's always a great relief, which I'm enjoying this week.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. I mean I, I love getting out of D.C. and I haven't been back actually since I moved to the great state of Florida. so you know, it's always great to get outside of the Beltway. Yeah, absolutely. we will be there though for the the 250th anniversary of America and for the America Reads the Bible. that is going to be a great thing at the Museum of the Bible. we'll talk about that more in coming episodes. But you know, I really love that explanation of you know, wanting not just to protect but go on the offense as well to ensure that we have a moral and upright society and to to use the power, limited but legitimate power of the civil government to to ultimately make not only life better in a biblical sense, but more free. And part of this, you turning back to this, this tax issue, is the understanding that as workers we deserve our wages and the government should not be taking nearly so much. I mean I was a huge advocate, Congressman of a win. Trump initially went into office and he was talking about eliminating the federal income tax. I mean I think that's kind of been a, you know, sort of maybe a bygone ah, campaign era, thought. But you know, at least there's some potential relief in the one big beautiful bill. And I know that especially with the rising prices, the affordability issues, so many things, Americans really want to keep more of their hard earned money.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yes, absolutely. And that's you know, where it's a great lead in from, you know, going from freedom in Christ, you know, our freedom in our country. And that comes back to taxes. I mean that was really what drove you know, the colonists to revolt I guess, against England, and it was over taxation and the fact that they were, it was a hardship and that, you know, when you think about it, if you take the 50% of your paycheck and you just give it to the federal government, think about how much of a hardship that would be because you're, you know, for every $100 you just, you're giving $50 to taxes and think how much more each person can do. And that's why America is the wealthiest nation in the world, is because it's not just one person that controls all the money in a king or a monarchy, it's all of us that we have the ability take personal responsibility, go out and build a business, go out and you know, whether it was farming in the Midwest or whether it was you know, fishing along the Gulf coast in the south or you know, of course timber in the northern parts of the country and mining. I mean, we have so many great natural resources that Americans, you know, took the time to innovate and find a way to make life better, not only for themselves, but for, for their fellow countrymen. And that's why America is such a wealthy nation. It's not wealthy because of the government. It's wealthy because of the, the individual and the people and the communities that built communities and. And the rest of the world is jealous of America. I mean, it's so. I find it fascinating as I travel to hear other countries talk about how they just have this awe of America. And President Trump gets that and understands what made America great. And so when you take more in taxes to Washington D.C. it leaves fewer dollars throughout the country for the American people to decide what to do with those dollars to build a community, to build. Maybe it's a bigger school, maybe it's a nicer church, maybe it's a new business. those are the things that really make America a unique place in the world. And this whole thing with the Trump accounts, you mentioned those earlier. I love the Trump account concept. It is, I think it's going to be one of the most effective transfers of wealth from the people in this country who have been very successful, who want to give it to the next generation, not be taxed to give it to the next generation, but actually give it, out of their own, you know, the incentive and the heart they want to do to give, to help the next generation. I think the Trump accounts is going to be the impetus for the, the biggest transfer of wealth from those who made a lot of money to those who are just starting out. And it's going to have a huge impact on American families across the country in the next 10, 20, 30 years.
Jenna Ellis: That's amazing. And that actually goes right alongside, this whole worldview of the Trump administration that is focused on families, and you heard the music there. We do have to take a break, but I'm going to hold you over to the next segment, Congressman Marlon Stutzman to, continue talking about this because we, I, didn't quite have, enough time in this segment. So Adam, we can go to break now, but I want to talk more when we come back, about this whole idea of, being focused on the priorities that the civil government can, can, can really accomplish for families. Because the Trump administration, has not only through this tax relief, but then through, you know, some of the executive orders and some of these priorities have really made it a point to Say that families, marriage, obviously biblical marriage, having children, and having that part of the American dream, which is of course a part and parcel to the life that God tells us to live is a priority for this administration and it's so wonderful. So, we will be right back with more with Congress right after this.
Preborn Network helps women choose life through a free ultrasound
Afr welcome back to Jenna Ellis.
In the Morning on American Family Radio.
Marlon Stutzman: Government should incentivize families to have children
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back and I'm talking with my special guest this morning, Congressman Marlon Stutzman. Thank you so much for holding with us through the break, because you know, this is just such a great conversation talking about, not just, you know, the, the tax issue itself and the one big beautiful bill, but kind of the broader context of what is the legitimate, power of government. Because you know, government obviously is a non revenue generating institution. It has to have some, taxpayer funds, at some stage, in the process in order to operate for at least legitimate purposes. And this is where, you know, we kind of got off the rails, in America's history when you know, in my opinion, when the 16th Amendment was ratified, that was literally the worst, point in American history to actually constitutionally infringe upon private property rights which include our hard earned dollars. I mean that's my property that now the government through the power of the Constitution can simply take away. And so, so, but you were mentioning before the break, ah, Congressman, that you Know, this aspect of the one big beautiful bill is going to hopefully over the next couple, of decades, you know, be something that really revitalizes the American family. And I think we need a lot more of that because especially through the, you know, the sexual revolution, the left telling people that, you know, you can just date without consequence, kind of the breakdown of the nuclear family. One of the consequences of that was this reliance on dual income. And that means that not as many mothers can stay home. And I think we need to purposefully, the government needs to incentivize families to actually raise children.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. I think that's a critical piece. you know, not only for, you know, just from a biblical perspective and what God has called us to do to have families and to raise our children to follow after Christ. But also there's an economic argument, about having children and raising families. you look at China. China had this terrible policy for years of a one child per family policy. And they're going to pay a heavy price over the next several decades because that's now coming home to roost. And their population is going to decline rapidly which is going to diminish their, the size of their economy. And that's why it's important for us as Americans to be having families, have children for the next generation. you know, that way we have this ability and especially it's all about carrying the gospel forward, and making sure that we continue to stand strong on Judeo Christian values. And we are so blessed in America to have this opportunity to do so. And that's why when you, you know, seeing this transfer of wealth with the Trump accounts going from one, generation of tremendous wealth to the next generation and it's given to families to newborns over the next several years and it's going to start these accounts that are going to grow, these accounts can have the ability, if matched correctly, to be worth a million dollars in 20 years, which is a tremendous amount of freedom if used properly and correctly for families. And we were talking about this with our boys just recently about the importance of transferring what God has given us from one generation to the next generation in our families coming back to the family structure. You know, having that wealth to give from one family generation to the next can be an incredible tool to do good and to do, to serve the Lord in whatever opportunity he gives us.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, so well said. And you know, that is the point overall. I think that a lot of m, the populace and you know, some of the Some of the thinkers on the right kind of miss that. The whole goal of, the Christian life and of life in general is to know God and to love him and to worship Him. And then part of that is to belong to these, institutions that he has ordained. The family and the church and the government is supposed to, incentivize and create the best environment for the family to flourish. And often we've gotten off of that ideology, when we focus too hard on the right, on just things like capitalism and free markets and some of, these in the weeds policy things. I'm really grateful that you're kind of bringing this back to the 30,000 foot perspective of saying, well, why do we care about these certain things? Well, it's because the government was ordained by God. And the purpose of the government is to promote human flourishing, which from a truthful perspective is being able to raise a family according, to the will of God and to raise up and train up children, to know and love him as well. And this is why, you know, education policy matters. I mean, all of these different things actually matter to that primary goal. And so how do you see, the Trump administration with their policy? Because I see their policy, even if it's not quite articulated, you know, in the, in the way that maybe the Christians would prefer. And, you know, and that's just Trump. I mean, I think that the way that he's articulating this though, really does come from a place of loving families. And, and his family, knowing him personally, I mean, his family is the most important thing to him. I mean, he loves his children, he loves his grandkids, and he gets that, I think. And so how do you see that policy just, expanding and hopefully blossoming over the next three years?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yeah, no, I think that that's one of the things that, he just intuitively and instinctively knows. You know, he talks very fondly about his father and the start that his father gave to him. And look what, he and his children have done. It's remarkable. And not that every family is going to have that same sort of success, but you know what? Success is measured in different ways. And ultimately, you know, the greatest thing, success is to pass down, you know, God's word from one generation to the next. And following God's word, that's one thing. I'm so blessed. As I look back to my family heritage, it's Christian family after Christian family from generation to generation. Now, there have been some that have fallen away from the faith throughout that period of time. But, we should all be challenged to look at that little dot or that period of time that God's given us on this earth to make sure that we build for the God's kingdom. And, but also by building here on this earth, we allow the next generation to have influence, to have the ability to pass on God's word from not just our community, where we live, but maybe, you know, the work in Haiti. I tell you, the work in Haiti is there's such a need in Haiti and there's obviously a lot of issues that's a whole other topic on what, the Haitian government has committed themselves to that has kept them in poverty and despair in the country of Haiti. But you know, we love to give to the mission work, in all around the world. Well, when the government takes more dollars out of our pocket, we can't help other people and we can do it much more efficiently. And so this whole talk of taxes and tariffs and Trump accounts and reforming government, it's all critical and going back to the family. And as you mentioned, the income tax. I agree.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: I just, I do. I don't know if hate's the right word, but I despise the income tax because it takes directly away from families. And so I like consumption based taxes.
M. M. Stutzman: Regarding tariffs, I'm not advocating tariffs
And this is where I think the tariff discussion is important because, you know, I know a lot of our friends on the right and especially in the business community, hate the word tariffs as well. Well, I think that President Trump's reuse of tariffs is leveling the playing field around the world, but it's also, it spreads the cost not just to one family that's getting a direct income tax put on them every year, but it pushes the cost around to businesses and overseas and then the cost coming in. So I'd really like to see some studies done on the tariff effects because we haven't seen this collapse in the economy that many people said that President Trump's going to do to our economy. Regarding tariffs, I'm not sitting here saying I want tariffs and income taxes. I'd love to see income taxes go down on the American people and offset those by another source of tax or tariff, to be studied. Because I think that ultimately would be better for the American people to be able to build their own wealth, to support their family, to do good.
Jenna Ellis: M. Yeah, absolutely. And I agree with that. And I'm speaking with, Congressman Marlon Stutzman from the great state of Indiana. And, you know, with this whole conversation, yeah, I think there was As I mentioned previously, kind of this, this thought that maybe in the first few months of the Trump administration, when there's a bigger focus on Doge and some other things, that we might actually get some kind of income tax reform. Is that that, or, you know, some of these solutions that you're proposing, is that actually on the table for legislation, in the coming term?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Well, I think definitely that would be my long term goals. And that's why reform of government needs to happen. I mean, what we're seeing with the abuse of taxpayer dollars in Minneapolis and Minnesota of these welfare programs, and I think that's what is the biggest story here, the big story that we should all be realizing in America is how a group of people took up, you know, figured out how to milk the system out of Washington through all these programs. You know, when Elon Musk came in and spoke to, a big group of us as Republicans during the Doge era, he, talked about how a billion dollars an hour goes out of the US Treasury. Imagine that, a billion dollars an hour. And he said so much of it had no explanation of where it was going, what it was being used for, no coding. And he said that was one of the changes that they made. And I think that that's what's. So it's just vital for our country to get back to fiscal solvency because we're in debt. So bad is that we have to actually know where our money's going and where it's being used. And when, when a couple of the states and this gets back even into voter id, it's like when some of the states take advantage of our federal government, they're ultimately taking advantage of Florida for taking advantage of Indiana. They're taking advantage of people that are living an, honest life and don't want to take advantage of the government. When you're taking advantage of the government, you're taking advantage of your fellow taxpayer. And that's how we should look at every tax dollar. We have more responsibility for a tax dollar than my own dollar. That's how I look at it when I go to Washington. Because that dollar is somebody else's money. And to waste it is, is wrong. And that's why I think every member of Congress should look at it from that perspective. And that's why we have to root out these, these bad actors who are abusing welfare programs in Minneapolis and very likely other states as well.
Jenna Ellis: And I so wish that every member of Congress, had that same perspective on, the stewardship of the taxpayer dollar. I mean it seems like the, the prevailing view in Washington is, well, this isn't my money, so I can go spend it however. And there are so many different earmarks and priorities and people don't want, you know, their budgets to be reduced. There isn't this mentality that, you know, we actually took this from someone and we're responsible, to spend this wisely and to also be, be truly conservative in terms of actual spending. And and I wish that, that more people recognized that. And in just the last few minutes we have with you, and you know, I mean this conversation could go on long. I so appreciate that you're bringing all of the, the other elements like voter ID and you know, some of this. I mean this is why the conservative worldview of government is comprehensive. It's not just, you know, we have this view in this area and that view in that area. so overall, how would you advise, people who are looking at Congress right now to actually make a difference? I mean, calling their members, you know, I mean what's, what's the best way to actually help the solution?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yeah, calling members. But you know, the way Christy and I first got started, we just started showing up at Republican events or party events in our local community, going to school board meetings, going to county council meetings, just getting involved. And you know what, sometimes it's hard because you're facing your neighbor that may have a disagreement. But you know what? Approach it in the, that we want to make America a better place. We want to make our communities a better place to live. And if we all do our part, we can all have a big impact together.
Jenna Ellis: So well said. Well, Congressman Marlon Stutzman, thank you so much for sticking around with us a little longer and you know, talking about all of these things, especially from a biblical worldview perspective. I so appreciate and we're praying for you to continue to fight for truth on Capitol Hill. And you can reach me and my team jennafr.net
Jenna. Ellis in the morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God because of truth and the biblical worldview. The U.S. constitution obligates our government preserve and protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God our creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you. And God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.
This is Jenna Ellis in the morning.
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. It is Wednesday, February 18th. And you know, the First Amendment, really should be alive and well in this country. And the freedom to broadcast, the freedom to talk about things from a conservative perspective, a biblical worldview without fear of censorship from platforms that programs even like this one, for example. Go on. I mean one of the reasons that American, ah, Family Radio Network, owns our own towers and the land that our towers are on is because at least for terrestrial radio, then we are un. Cancelable. And I know that that's a big deal to a lot of you who support us, and it's a very big deal to me. we talk about things that, to the left are very controversial on this program. But when we go into the podcast form, we take the live radio broadcast and then after the fact put it on, Spotify, itunes, you know, some of these other platforms, those platforms unfortunately can at times, try to circumvent the protections that our government is obligated to preserve and protect. And so when, even though they're not governments, but when private platforms try to censor you, for simply having conservative, biblically based ideas, something is wrong. And so 16 attorneys general have demanded answers to YouTube's censorship of one of our favorite conservative commentators, Steve Dace. So the letter demands an explanation of the viewpoint, viewpoint. Targeted censorship and shadow banning by the social media platform YouTube. And you know, this is YouTube. This is nothing new. This particular platform has had a really big problem with conservatives lately. And so they're demanding. These attorneys general are demanding answers regarding YouTube's treatment of politically conservative content creators and channels since January 1, 2019, including Steve Dace.
Steve and Jenna welcome you to the uncancellable program
So let's welcome in Steve and Steve, you know, welcome to the uncancellable program where at least for the time that we are live on air. You are now un. Cancelable. So, you know, have at it.
Steve Deace: I appreciate that. Jenna, good morning. How are you?
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. I'm good, but, you know, I'm kind of annoyed at YouTube, frankly.
Steve Deace: Well, I'm, I'm more than annoyed. I mean, just to give your audience, just a frame of reference here.
Since 2020, my show has grown over 400% on Apple
All right, so. So my podcast, Apple is about 55% of the podcast market in America. It was 80% three years ago. Spotify has really, eaten into it, but it is still the majority podcast market in America. Since 2020, my show has grown over 400% on Apple. Okay, over 400%. My, the podcast version of our show, our show is listed in the, religion and spirituality category. it's, I think, the second largest category in, all of podcasting. there's well over 30,000 podcasts in that category on Apple. Our show routinely ranks in the top 20 of, all the podcasts that are in that realm. and yet at the end, our show has billed seven figures in advertising in our show for the last four years in a row. Despite that, I am currently averaging about 3,700 views an episode on YouTube, the largest, video platform in the history, free use video platform in the history of this planet. And this has gone on really for years. This really began with COVID and the, information war that went on there. And obviously I was one of the people leading the charge against that, which is one of the reasons why my show has exploded since then. That's when I got on a lot of people's radar around the country, frankly. and, and so you just see when you line up Apple Podcasting, which does not have the reach, that YouTube does as a platform when you line up, but when you line them up side by side, and I think this is probably what, my representatives at First Liberty did to some of these, state attorney generals. when you line this up side by side, you just see a line of bifurcation that defies explanation. It just defies explanation. We, you know, either myself or the Blaze. This is, I think, our third different YouTube channel, that we've tried to reboot it. We've had so many strikes, so many shadow bans, we've tried to reboot it, start all over again. it doesn't seem to work. This has gone on now. It's clear now it's punitive. If you want to make the case that they were at that time. And, yeah, maybe I've been proven right on a lot of what I said at the time, but we didn't know. And that was medical information. It was potentially life or death, and that's why they did that. Okay, well, what's the explanation for why that is ongoing now in the year 2026? And just one other thing that, these state attorney generals noticed is I do this little, fun thing on the side with my son. just a fun Michigan video channel talking Michigan sports. him and I have a dual love for that we've had his whole life since he's been growing up. I can. Last night, last night, after my number one Wolverines beat Purdue, I just threw up an instant reaction from my basement recorded on my phone. 15 minute rant, right? It's sitting at about 5,000 views right now. Right. go look and see how many of my episodes at day show on YouTube. That's the current channel we just restarted last year for the third time. Right. To try to give this thing a clean sweep. Reboot. Go see how many episodes of my show with, with the promotion from the Blaze. Everything I write, I do the built in, audience that that show has, in the six figures. Go see how many episodes I have done on that, on that channel that have gotten over 5,000 views. You won't find many. And there's just, that's just inexplicable. And so that, that's not just thumb on the scale, that's every appendage on the scale. And frankly, this crap has to stop. If these people want to be publishers and decide, you know, and decide what gets seen and what doesn't, it is a free country. That's their intellectual property. They are welcome to do so, but then they must declare that and then, and then, you know, accrue all the various forms of liability that all other publishers go through. Right now though, they've been given this kind of in between realm where they get to both be a platform and declare what you get to see. And that is censorship by just another name. that's just censorship of a private oligarchy. that's. That I would argue is even more dangerous than censorship of a government because you can fight back against your government in ways you can't. The private oligarchy, I mean, getting someone on the phone from an entity like YouTube, an actual person to get answers, even for a company you, know, like the Blaze, one of the largest alternative media platforms in America, is darn near impossible to do. And so this crap, frankly has to end.
Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. And I could not agree with you more. And we've seen this over and over again from, the Facebook files, the Twitter files, you know, everything in, in, the post 20, 20 election controversy, the COVID controversy. I mean, I, I've been, banned from, you know, Twitter. When it was formerly Twitter. I was banned, one time for it was, I think a week or two, simply for posting, something about immigration under Biden. I mean, you know, these things that are just so that clearly Americans should be able to have opinions. But you're right, Steve, there. The key difference here is do these platforms want to be for content creators and just be a platform, or do they want to be a publisher? They're trying to, not have the liability, but get to prefer the content also. And they shouldn't be allowed to do that. And yet it seems like, okay, we're now six years post Covid. I mean, if this goes back to 2019, we're at almost seven years of this nonsense. And there doesn't really seem to be a ton of accountability other than, okay, you got to take this suspension. And you know, my ex account before Elon took it over, even though I got back on, I was so heavily, throttled. It was so obvious even when I got back on and there was no accountability, of course. And so this, this is the problem is that, you know, I hope that the, this letter from these attorneys general won't just be kind of this media splash. And hey, we're calling attention to it and that's all well and good, but there actually needs to be some accountability and consequence for, some of these platforms. And, and they should have to decide that, and they should have to incur, as you said, the consequences of either way, be a platform or be a publisher. But you got to decide and you got to stick to one lane. And you can't censor based on viewpoint if you are not a publisher.
Steve Day: First Liberty is suing Google over alleged anti-conservative bias
So what's the ultimate goal? And I know First Liberty, great organization. Kelly, ah, Shackelford is a good friend of mine and he's a good friend of yours. and so what. What is the ultimate goal that you and First Liberty are trying to achieve here? You know, beyond obviously, like, stop. But what's, what's the strategy?
Steve Deace: I've been working on this case with First Liberty for almost a year. We started working on this case last May. and you know, we were really strategizing about, where can we. Who has the power and authority, to get these people into A deposition and to get some questions answered. And, they went to work on that. And the answer was this pleasant surprise yesterday with this letter from these attorneys general. So it just so happened, completely coincidental, that I had scheduled on my show yesterday Austin Knudsen, who's the head of the Republican Attorney, General's association, he's the AG of Montana. He's one of the signatories on that, on that note. And so we got to talking about that and before I could even ask him that very question, he made it very clear he is fully prepared, on behalf of the Republican AG association, fully prepared to go to legal war against Google, which is. Who owns YouTube over this, to get some answers. So, I mean, listen, every time I come on here, there's usually something, some sector of the Republican Party that is disappointing us.
Steve Deace: But I will say this. The last few years, if there's anything close, to rock stars in this party, not name Donald Trump when he's at his best, it's the, it's the Republican ags. Most, most of the dam m. Much of the damage that's been inflicted, against the left, particularly the last few years when Trump was out of office, if it wasn't from your governor, most of the damage that's been inflicted on the left if it wasn't from your governor, were from the Republican AGs. So, that's one group of people I do have some faith that will at least attempt to land a punch here.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah.
Steve Deace: Just so your audience understands what this means, it's frankly a miracle. I mean, it's literally providence that the Blaze has been able to build seven figures of ads into my show without any assistance whatsoever from the largest video platform in the world. In fact, it would be a tremendous upgrade if we got no assistance. If they just forgot the channel was there and stopped striking it and punishing it. I don't even want their algorithm to promote it. Just if we, if they just let us naturally ebb and flow with what I could feed in there just with my own, you know, following an ecosystem. I mean, the. We're talking seven. Another seven figures of revenue on an annual basis that they have cost me and the Blaze by doing this. More important, and that matters too, because ultimately, if you want information like mine, you want companies like the Blaze to amplify it. Well, none of us are nonprofits, all right? There needs to. Needs to be shown that you can. That this thing is profitable, not funded by a bunch of Democrat NGOs on our side. The other thing to consider is this. I mean, when, I travel across the country and speak, I cannot tell you how many people come up to me and have said the last few years, hey, man, thank you so much. The work you did, the research you did, and you gave your sources. I double checked it myself. And you gave me the strength to not take that toxic, jab. And I really appreciate that. How many more people would we have reached? How many adverse events have occurred in this country because of what they had, what they did to censor people like me during that period of time? See, that's the real serious question. I mean, the Blaze is going to be okay without another million a year in advertising from the Steve Day Show. They're going to make it okay. They're going to be all right, even though that's money that they're owed. But the real consequence is that last point there. How many people that did not get a counter to do their own homework, to check our sources to see who's telling you the truth, us or cnn? And so they did what the corporate media told them to do, and them or someone they love suffered the consequences as a result. That's the real social cost of all of this.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, and, and, and both of those things matter, I mean, obviously from a moral perspective. And because, you know, you and I are in this not just to earn money. I mean, obviously, you know, the Bible says a worker is worth his wages and and obviously we need to make a living and that's all completely fine. But you and I are in this arena and in this space because we actually care about reaching people with the biblical message, with the truth and, with alternatives to the Democrats, philosophies with their answers, with their solutions. We say we have better ones and that should be the free marketplace of ideas so that people can listen. I mean, we're not suggesting that, you know, CNN can't spout their nonsense and people have the opportunity to listen to them or to shut them off. And we can say, you know what we think that the biblical worldview is actually more internally consistent and that you should believe the truth over that nonsense. And, and then in a truly free society, people can look at the two alternatives. They can look at truth and they can look at something that's not truth and they can decide for themselves. But this was the coercive effect that all of us saw during the COVID era and that we're seeing from all of these platforms. It's not that they don't want to Pay out the money. I mean, this isn't. To them, you know, a million dollars in advertising for YouTube is absolutely nothing. that's a big deal to, you know, people who are, content creators, but to them it's a lot more about the message and the censorship and you not reaching people via their platform. That's how you know what actually matters to them. Because it's not about the bottom line. If it really was for them a business enterprise, then it wouldn't matter who is saying what. And if conservatives were the most lucrative, business clients, they would be amplifying you. They wouldn't care. Right, because they would actually be a business. But they are a propaganda publisher platform. And that's the problem is that they are operating under the auspices of being a business and being a free marketplace of, hey, put your stuff up here, and you have the same playing field as everybody else with your content. But then they don't treat you the same based on what you're saying. And that is, wholly, not just unfair, but it strikes at the heart of the problem with the left not wanting good ideas to then go up against bad ideas and have individuals decide for themselves what are good ideas and bad ideas and have that kind of fair fight. And And so I appreciate, Steve, that you're doing this, and and I think it's a, It's a really important goal. And I was happy to see, my attorney General here in Florida, James Uthmeyer, and then also, Catherine Hanaway, who we have frequently on the program, the AG of Missouri. Both of them are signatories, you know, some other really great, ags. And I think you're right that the attorneys general seem to have more spine overall than a lot of the legislative branch. So I hope that we see, at least a movement here.
Steve King: Next step is largely up to Silicon Valley and how they respond
So in just the last couple minutes we have with you, what are kind of the next steps that, Because this has gone on, as you said, for about a year. What, what's the next step in terms of what we should anticipate, from now this letter and, you know, kind of some movement?
Steve Deace: Well, I think the next step is largely up to Silicon Valley and how they respond. All right, so, I mean, we have a plurality of Republican AGs in America signing on to this letter. The Republican AGs have demonstrated, whether it's Anthony Fauci or others, they are willing to take on these fights. So I will be very fascinated to see how, Google decides to respond to this. And during this era where I'm averaging about 3,700 views on YouTube, which is, you know, a nice sized suburban megachurch in America. Could get that on their own, their own channel on YouTube. I've produced a film that was profitable, had mass theatrical distribution, wrote four bestsellers, and yet that's all I'm averaging. If they can do this to me, they can do this to absolutely anybody.
Jenna Ellis: Absolutely. Well, Steve, we'll be praying for you. we will be pulling for you. And you know, listen to Steve on other platforms besides YouTube. totally worth it. You're one of my favorite, creators and speakers of truth, which is why I love that you join us so frequently. So, thank you for being the tip of the spear in this fight. follow Steve on social media as well, and we will be right back with more.
Steve Deace: The AFR app is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. You can't use it to change the oil in your vehicle or get rid of carpet stains. It won't walk the dog, won't pick up the dry cleaning or take the kids to practice. But while you're doing those things, you can listen to your favorite AFR content through the app on your phone, smart device, or Roku. Just go to your app store or visit afr.net Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app.
Jenna Ellis thanks American Family Radio for being a nonprofit
Welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the.
Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. And you know, for those of you you're just tuning in, go, back and listen to the interview with Steve, Dase, and the, the comments about, you know, censorship and why it's so important to have the conservative perspective out in the free marketplace of ideas. And I just want to take a moment briefly, to say thank you so much to our American Family Radio. family, because, you know, unlike the Blaze and some of the these others, we are a nonprofit. And what that means is that we don't have to rely on advertising dollars. We, we don't have to worry about the bottom line. I mean, obviously it takes money to make all of this happen. I'm very thankful that I'm gainfully employed at afa and I know that everyone else who works at this incredible organization is so thankful that we can be in full time ministry, but we could not do this and be a nonprofit and have the benefits of owning our terrestrial radio towers and land and not being cancelable in some of these other ways or even relying on, you know, advertisers who may pull their sponsorships based on what we say, you know, all of these things that other networks have to deal with. I mean, I used to work for Salem Media for example, and and that was a, ah, revenue generating, you know, base, a rev share split when I was there and that heavily relied on advertisers. And that's just a whole different ball game. And that's, that's fine. I mean it's great that we have the, the free marketplace of, of business and all of that, but it's actually a really wonderful thing here at afa, that we can be a nonprofit and rely on your donations to keep us on the airwaves. And we get to express biblical content, comments, on news of the day culture without fear of cancellation and you make that happen. And so I love getting up every morning and being on this program and speaking without fear of that censorship and it's because of you. So thank you so much for your support for AFR and overall the American Family Association.
Congressman Marlon Stutzman discusses working families tax cut
All right, well, let's turn to another, you know, kind of financial topic actually, which is the working families tax cut. Yes. this is kind of, you know, a hard turn into April that is coming up. So just a little over, or a little under two months away is unfortunately tax day that happens annually. It's, it's it's one of my least favorite holidays. In fact, I've four cousins, girl cousins, and they're all born on holidays. But my one cousin who was born on tax day, I'm not really sure that qualifies comparatively to to Halloween or Reformation Day, you know, NewSong Year's Day and then Memorial Day or the other, the other three cousins. So I think she kind of got a little bit, you know, the, the short end of the. Stick with that one. But we love, we love celebrating her birthday. But, but the working families tax cut aims to provide tax relief for working Americans families, and seniors through a higher standard deduction and increased child tax credit and specialized deduction. So this was signed into law as part of the 2025, one big beautiful bill. And that also includes the Trump accounts that have you know, kind of been not necessarily controversial, I mean, certainly to the left. But let's welcome in Congressman Marlon Stutzman from the great state of Indiana to tell us more about what this actually might mean for the holiday that is tax day this year.
what motivates you in tough times
So. Good morning Congressman, and how are you doing this morning?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Oh, good morning. Great to call you from the heartland in Indiana this morning. And I appreciate just your voice as you were sharing there about the nonprofit status and the, the ministry at afa, just all that you do and the voices that, you know, share with Americans, across the country, just biblical truths. And, I was talking to my wife and boys over the weekend in one of our devotionals. It was talking about, what Paul was writing to Timothy about how, you know, the Christian life is not easy and that it's hard work and that we should lean into it. And so I know that's what you do every day is just lean in. And we just have to do it with a smile because there's some days that it would be easy to be cranky. But I appreciate you and AFA and the ministry you guys have.
Jenna Ellis: Thank you so much for that. And, you know, it isn't easy to stand up and speak, truth. And that's true in Congress as well. And, I know that that's. That can be difficult in the face of, you know, your colleagues on the other side of the aisle that are often, just lunatics. I'll say it that way, because we're un. Cancelable. their ideology is just so beyond, ah, rationality and, So what. And before we get to the tax, issue, which I definitely want your comment on, but what, what drives you as a Christian to be able to stand up for truth in that kind of environment? I mean, it is difficult, as a public figure, you know, for me at times, but I always go back to, my audience of one is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And as long as I get up every day and do what he has for me, that's my obligation. what encourages you in the midst of, you know, the insanity that sometimes is Congress?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yeah, no, that's a great question because I think it's important for us as Christians to know what, what has Christ called us to do in our lives? I mean, I grew up in a farm family in Indiana. my mom and my dad, they just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this last weekend. And, you know, the family, I think, is such a critical part of our society. God created three institutions. He created the family, which is the foundation of our society. He created the church, and that is the spiritual foundation, should be the spiritual thermostat, for our society. And then he created government. God, you know, he sets up kings and sets them down. And so, you know, what motivates me is the love of Christ and showing not only the love of Christ, but then also following God's word. Because if you follow God's word, life, it's not perfect. It's never going to be easy, but it can be better. And you can handle the hard things in life much easier knowing that we're not alone and that Christ is here with us and that we have each other as Christians. And you know, one of the things that I think if your audience members haven't listened to the speech that Marco Rubio gave over in Munich this past weekend, I think that that's, it was such an inspirational speech because it took President Trump to come in and call out ah, the wrong headed ideas that were being forced on the American people. Whether it was through wokeism, whether it's through bad economic policy, whether it was through the border and open borders and this mass migration, it took President Trump to call it out and everybody's like, oh no, this is not, you know, we're better than this. We're, you know, we're going to go a new direction. We know better, how to, you know, make things better for society and for people. And it's like, no, it goes back to the very core Judeo Christian foundation that our country was built on that made America great. And so seeing Secretary of State Rubio to Munich and stand there in front of the European Union and in the world and say, look to the Europe we came from, you this, our roots are from Europe, predominantly in America. But we're not going to be a part of a managed decline of Western society in western the Western hemisphere. We're going to stick to the principles that made America great, which ultimately had made Europe great at one point. But Europe is very different today than what it used to be. And so those are the things that really drive me is to protect and to not just to protect but to actually go on offense and show God's way is the best way. And I'll tell you after just working in international policy, foreign policy, you know, where Christians are at, there is an attempt for peace. that's not the case, you know, with other religions. And we have to you know, stand for truth, we have to stand for life. And that's what really gets me up and going in the morning. And of course when I can spend some time on my farm and how, and just get back to nature, that's always a great relief, which I'm enjoying this week.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. I mean I, I love getting out of D.C. and I haven't been back actually since I moved to the great state of Florida. so you know, it's always great to get outside of the Beltway. Yeah, absolutely. we will be there though for the the 250th anniversary of America and for the America Reads the Bible. that is going to be a great thing at the Museum of the Bible. we'll talk about that more in coming episodes. But you know, I really love that explanation of you know, wanting not just to protect but go on the offense as well to ensure that we have a moral and upright society and to to use the power, limited but legitimate power of the civil government to to ultimately make not only life better in a biblical sense, but more free. And part of this, you turning back to this, this tax issue, is the understanding that as workers we deserve our wages and the government should not be taking nearly so much. I mean I was a huge advocate, Congressman of a win. Trump initially went into office and he was talking about eliminating the federal income tax. I mean I think that's kind of been a, you know, sort of maybe a bygone ah, campaign era, thought. But you know, at least there's some potential relief in the one big beautiful bill. And I know that especially with the rising prices, the affordability issues, so many things, Americans really want to keep more of their hard earned money.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yes, absolutely. And that's you know, where it's a great lead in from, you know, going from freedom in Christ, you know, our freedom in our country. And that comes back to taxes. I mean that was really what drove you know, the colonists to revolt I guess, against England, and it was over taxation and the fact that they were, it was a hardship and that, you know, when you think about it, if you take the 50% of your paycheck and you just give it to the federal government, think about how much of a hardship that would be because you're, you know, for every $100 you just, you're giving $50 to taxes and think how much more each person can do. And that's why America is the wealthiest nation in the world, is because it's not just one person that controls all the money in a king or a monarchy, it's all of us that we have the ability take personal responsibility, go out and build a business, go out and you know, whether it was farming in the Midwest or whether it was you know, fishing along the Gulf coast in the south or you know, of course timber in the northern parts of the country and mining. I mean, we have so many great natural resources that Americans, you know, took the time to innovate and find a way to make life better, not only for themselves, but for, for their fellow countrymen. And that's why America is such a wealthy nation. It's not wealthy because of the government. It's wealthy because of the, the individual and the people and the communities that built communities and. And the rest of the world is jealous of America. I mean, it's so. I find it fascinating as I travel to hear other countries talk about how they just have this awe of America. And President Trump gets that and understands what made America great. And so when you take more in taxes to Washington D.C. it leaves fewer dollars throughout the country for the American people to decide what to do with those dollars to build a community, to build. Maybe it's a bigger school, maybe it's a nicer church, maybe it's a new business. those are the things that really make America a unique place in the world. And this whole thing with the Trump accounts, you mentioned those earlier. I love the Trump account concept. It is, I think it's going to be one of the most effective transfers of wealth from the people in this country who have been very successful, who want to give it to the next generation, not be taxed to give it to the next generation, but actually give it, out of their own, you know, the incentive and the heart they want to do to give, to help the next generation. I think the Trump accounts is going to be the impetus for the, the biggest transfer of wealth from those who made a lot of money to those who are just starting out. And it's going to have a huge impact on American families across the country in the next 10, 20, 30 years.
Jenna Ellis: That's amazing. And that actually goes right alongside, this whole worldview of the Trump administration that is focused on families, and you heard the music there. We do have to take a break, but I'm going to hold you over to the next segment, Congressman Marlon Stutzman to, continue talking about this because we, I, didn't quite have, enough time in this segment. So Adam, we can go to break now, but I want to talk more when we come back, about this whole idea of, being focused on the priorities that the civil government can, can, can really accomplish for families. Because the Trump administration, has not only through this tax relief, but then through, you know, some of the executive orders and some of these priorities have really made it a point to Say that families, marriage, obviously biblical marriage, having children, and having that part of the American dream, which is of course a part and parcel to the life that God tells us to live is a priority for this administration and it's so wonderful. So, we will be right back with more with Congress right after this.
Preborn Network helps women choose life through a free ultrasound
Afr welcome back to Jenna Ellis.
In the Morning on American Family Radio.
Marlon Stutzman: Government should incentivize families to have children
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back and I'm talking with my special guest this morning, Congressman Marlon Stutzman. Thank you so much for holding with us through the break, because you know, this is just such a great conversation talking about, not just, you know, the, the tax issue itself and the one big beautiful bill, but kind of the broader context of what is the legitimate, power of government. Because you know, government obviously is a non revenue generating institution. It has to have some, taxpayer funds, at some stage, in the process in order to operate for at least legitimate purposes. And this is where, you know, we kind of got off the rails, in America's history when you know, in my opinion, when the 16th Amendment was ratified, that was literally the worst, point in American history to actually constitutionally infringe upon private property rights which include our hard earned dollars. I mean that's my property that now the government through the power of the Constitution can simply take away. And so, so, but you were mentioning before the break, ah, Congressman, that you Know, this aspect of the one big beautiful bill is going to hopefully over the next couple, of decades, you know, be something that really revitalizes the American family. And I think we need a lot more of that because especially through the, you know, the sexual revolution, the left telling people that, you know, you can just date without consequence, kind of the breakdown of the nuclear family. One of the consequences of that was this reliance on dual income. And that means that not as many mothers can stay home. And I think we need to purposefully, the government needs to incentivize families to actually raise children.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. I think that's a critical piece. you know, not only for, you know, just from a biblical perspective and what God has called us to do to have families and to raise our children to follow after Christ. But also there's an economic argument, about having children and raising families. you look at China. China had this terrible policy for years of a one child per family policy. And they're going to pay a heavy price over the next several decades because that's now coming home to roost. And their population is going to decline rapidly which is going to diminish their, the size of their economy. And that's why it's important for us as Americans to be having families, have children for the next generation. you know, that way we have this ability and especially it's all about carrying the gospel forward, and making sure that we continue to stand strong on Judeo Christian values. And we are so blessed in America to have this opportunity to do so. And that's why when you, you know, seeing this transfer of wealth with the Trump accounts going from one, generation of tremendous wealth to the next generation and it's given to families to newborns over the next several years and it's going to start these accounts that are going to grow, these accounts can have the ability, if matched correctly, to be worth a million dollars in 20 years, which is a tremendous amount of freedom if used properly and correctly for families. And we were talking about this with our boys just recently about the importance of transferring what God has given us from one generation to the next generation in our families coming back to the family structure. You know, having that wealth to give from one family generation to the next can be an incredible tool to do good and to do, to serve the Lord in whatever opportunity he gives us.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, so well said. And you know, that is the point overall. I think that a lot of m, the populace and you know, some of the Some of the thinkers on the right kind of miss that. The whole goal of, the Christian life and of life in general is to know God and to love him and to worship Him. And then part of that is to belong to these, institutions that he has ordained. The family and the church and the government is supposed to, incentivize and create the best environment for the family to flourish. And often we've gotten off of that ideology, when we focus too hard on the right, on just things like capitalism and free markets and some of, these in the weeds policy things. I'm really grateful that you're kind of bringing this back to the 30,000 foot perspective of saying, well, why do we care about these certain things? Well, it's because the government was ordained by God. And the purpose of the government is to promote human flourishing, which from a truthful perspective is being able to raise a family according, to the will of God and to raise up and train up children, to know and love him as well. And this is why, you know, education policy matters. I mean, all of these different things actually matter to that primary goal. And so how do you see, the Trump administration with their policy? Because I see their policy, even if it's not quite articulated, you know, in the, in the way that maybe the Christians would prefer. And, you know, and that's just Trump. I mean, I think that the way that he's articulating this though, really does come from a place of loving families. And, and his family, knowing him personally, I mean, his family is the most important thing to him. I mean, he loves his children, he loves his grandkids, and he gets that, I think. And so how do you see that policy just, expanding and hopefully blossoming over the next three years?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yeah, no, I think that that's one of the things that, he just intuitively and instinctively knows. You know, he talks very fondly about his father and the start that his father gave to him. And look what, he and his children have done. It's remarkable. And not that every family is going to have that same sort of success, but you know what? Success is measured in different ways. And ultimately, you know, the greatest thing, success is to pass down, you know, God's word from one generation to the next. And following God's word, that's one thing. I'm so blessed. As I look back to my family heritage, it's Christian family after Christian family from generation to generation. Now, there have been some that have fallen away from the faith throughout that period of time. But, we should all be challenged to look at that little dot or that period of time that God's given us on this earth to make sure that we build for the God's kingdom. And, but also by building here on this earth, we allow the next generation to have influence, to have the ability to pass on God's word from not just our community, where we live, but maybe, you know, the work in Haiti. I tell you, the work in Haiti is there's such a need in Haiti and there's obviously a lot of issues that's a whole other topic on what, the Haitian government has committed themselves to that has kept them in poverty and despair in the country of Haiti. But you know, we love to give to the mission work, in all around the world. Well, when the government takes more dollars out of our pocket, we can't help other people and we can do it much more efficiently. And so this whole talk of taxes and tariffs and Trump accounts and reforming government, it's all critical and going back to the family. And as you mentioned, the income tax. I agree.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: I just, I do. I don't know if hate's the right word, but I despise the income tax because it takes directly away from families. And so I like consumption based taxes.
M. M. Stutzman: Regarding tariffs, I'm not advocating tariffs
And this is where I think the tariff discussion is important because, you know, I know a lot of our friends on the right and especially in the business community, hate the word tariffs as well. Well, I think that President Trump's reuse of tariffs is leveling the playing field around the world, but it's also, it spreads the cost not just to one family that's getting a direct income tax put on them every year, but it pushes the cost around to businesses and overseas and then the cost coming in. So I'd really like to see some studies done on the tariff effects because we haven't seen this collapse in the economy that many people said that President Trump's going to do to our economy. Regarding tariffs, I'm not sitting here saying I want tariffs and income taxes. I'd love to see income taxes go down on the American people and offset those by another source of tax or tariff, to be studied. Because I think that ultimately would be better for the American people to be able to build their own wealth, to support their family, to do good.
Jenna Ellis: M. Yeah, absolutely. And I agree with that. And I'm speaking with, Congressman Marlon Stutzman from the great state of Indiana. And, you know, with this whole conversation, yeah, I think there was As I mentioned previously, kind of this, this thought that maybe in the first few months of the Trump administration, when there's a bigger focus on Doge and some other things, that we might actually get some kind of income tax reform. Is that that, or, you know, some of these solutions that you're proposing, is that actually on the table for legislation, in the coming term?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Well, I think definitely that would be my long term goals. And that's why reform of government needs to happen. I mean, what we're seeing with the abuse of taxpayer dollars in Minneapolis and Minnesota of these welfare programs, and I think that's what is the biggest story here, the big story that we should all be realizing in America is how a group of people took up, you know, figured out how to milk the system out of Washington through all these programs. You know, when Elon Musk came in and spoke to, a big group of us as Republicans during the Doge era, he, talked about how a billion dollars an hour goes out of the US Treasury. Imagine that, a billion dollars an hour. And he said so much of it had no explanation of where it was going, what it was being used for, no coding. And he said that was one of the changes that they made. And I think that that's what's. So it's just vital for our country to get back to fiscal solvency because we're in debt. So bad is that we have to actually know where our money's going and where it's being used. And when, when a couple of the states and this gets back even into voter id, it's like when some of the states take advantage of our federal government, they're ultimately taking advantage of Florida for taking advantage of Indiana. They're taking advantage of people that are living an, honest life and don't want to take advantage of the government. When you're taking advantage of the government, you're taking advantage of your fellow taxpayer. And that's how we should look at every tax dollar. We have more responsibility for a tax dollar than my own dollar. That's how I look at it when I go to Washington. Because that dollar is somebody else's money. And to waste it is, is wrong. And that's why I think every member of Congress should look at it from that perspective. And that's why we have to root out these, these bad actors who are abusing welfare programs in Minneapolis and very likely other states as well.
Jenna Ellis: And I so wish that every member of Congress, had that same perspective on, the stewardship of the taxpayer dollar. I mean it seems like the, the prevailing view in Washington is, well, this isn't my money, so I can go spend it however. And there are so many different earmarks and priorities and people don't want, you know, their budgets to be reduced. There isn't this mentality that, you know, we actually took this from someone and we're responsible, to spend this wisely and to also be, be truly conservative in terms of actual spending. And and I wish that, that more people recognized that. And in just the last few minutes we have with you, and you know, I mean this conversation could go on long. I so appreciate that you're bringing all of the, the other elements like voter ID and you know, some of this. I mean this is why the conservative worldview of government is comprehensive. It's not just, you know, we have this view in this area and that view in that area. so overall, how would you advise, people who are looking at Congress right now to actually make a difference? I mean, calling their members, you know, I mean what's, what's the best way to actually help the solution?
Rep. Marlin Stutzman: Yeah, calling members. But you know, the way Christy and I first got started, we just started showing up at Republican events or party events in our local community, going to school board meetings, going to county council meetings, just getting involved. And you know what, sometimes it's hard because you're facing your neighbor that may have a disagreement. But you know what? Approach it in the, that we want to make America a better place. We want to make our communities a better place to live. And if we all do our part, we can all have a big impact together.
Jenna Ellis: So well said. Well, Congressman Marlon Stutzman, thank you so much for sticking around with us a little longer and you know, talking about all of these things, especially from a biblical worldview perspective. I so appreciate and we're praying for you to continue to fight for truth on Capitol Hill. And you can reach me and my team jennafr.net
Jenna starts the show with returning guest Steve Deace to discuss the growing disadvantage of being a conservative on social media platforms and the ongoing battle against cancellation and censorship.
Jenna welcomes Congressman Marlin Stutzman to discuss the Working Families Tax Cut, tax reform, and why strengthening families is essential to America’s future.
Live
Did you know American Family Radio is listener-supported? Your monthly financial support will allow us to continue upholding Godly values through our numerous channels, like American Family Radio, One Million Moms, The Stand magazine, and many more.
Become a Great Commission Partner TODAY to help AFR transform culture by rebuilding the family. When you donate today, you’ll get access to:
