Congressional leaders are making their spending list – but I’m not sure they’re checking it twice. When the House finally released its $1.1 trillion CRomnibus tonight, it’s reportedly missing a very crucial piece: the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA). That means Californians, who were hoping for some relief from their state’s order that all health care plans cover abortion, will leave 2014 somewhat empty-handed. Although members urged Health and Human Services to deal with the problem, nothing about the language they included in the bill is binding. Until Congress steps in with an actual legislative remedy, religious groups, churches, and schools can’t fight the state in court on its mandate – a problem the CRomnibus could have easily fixed.

As for the rest of the 1,000-plus page bill, leaders still think they can approve the appropriations monster before catching the polar express out of town later this week. For a Congress addicted to drama, this sets up an interesting one with two days until a potential shutdown. Congress has a little under 60 hours to approve the measure before the current funding measure expires.

Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski (Md.) told reporters late last night that the delay wasn’t anything to worry about – an assurance most Americans probably won’t buy after the last few years of unnecessary drama. Still, the Maryland politician insisted, “…We’re ready to roll. I believe that we will not have a shutdown.” Even so, there’s still a very real possibility of missing the midnight cutoff for federal funding on Thursday – forcing legislators to pass a small patch to keep the government running until the President signs on the dotted line.

Of the 12 funding requests, Sen. Mikulski indicated that the two parties agree on 11. And depending on how long it takes to iron out the other issues, the House could still kick the CRomnibus over to the Senate in time to beat the clock on December 11.

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?

When President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet this month, it won’t be to swap holiday greetings. The rocky relationship between the two leaders took an even rockier turn last week when reporters dropped a foreign policy bombshell: the White House may impose sanctions against its long-time ally. Over the past several weeks, sources say the administration has been holding classified meetings about the possibility of formally punishing Israel for building homes in East Jerusalem.

This week, the State Department refused to answer questions on the topic, saying only that the rumors are “unfounded and completely without merit.” If that’s so, you could have fooled Congress. In the House, conservative Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) took the reports seriously enough to draft a letter to the President with almost 50 of his colleagues, demanding that the administration stop undermining America’s strongest Middle East relationship.

“I’m appalled that the administration would even consider the idea of sanctioning Israel – one of our closest allies… What message does it send to the world for the U.S. to impose sanctions against Israel while easing sanctions against Iran – a state-sponsor of terror with an abysmal human rights record?”

Even if the White House only entertained the idea, it’s very revealing given the U.S.‘s continued financial support (read: endorsement) of the controversial anti-Jewish programs of the Palestinian Authority.

On one hand, the President is considering sanctions against Israel, and only the other, it continues to funnel money to the PA which is used for everything from children’s programing that teaches hatred toward Jews to making direct payments to terrorists. We continue to fund the PA, despite the fact that it bankrolls radical Islamists’ suicide bombings, rocket launches, and civilian attacks. Unfortunately, this shows the world exactly where the administration’s priorities are. And, as Israelis are painfully aware, those priorities are not to undergird alliances, but undermine them.

Council Refuses Counsel for Kids

In Washington, D.C., destructive behavior isn’t just encouraged – efforts to stop it are punished! If kids are looking for a way out of their same-sex attractions, they’ll have to start outside of the nation’s capital. Under a measure just passed by the D.C. Council, counselors can lose their license just for offering the kind of therapy these children seek. Like California and New Jersey, the District is radically opposed to helping young people shake the unwanted sexual feelings they have for members of the same sex.

It’s all part of the new Conversion Therapy for Minors Prohibition Act, which makes it a crime for therapists and mental health practitioners to coach children out of the sexual confusion they’re experiencing. Council member and author Mary Cheh insists that the District’s move is “a crucial step in the long battle” against “the counterproductive anti-homosexual mindset.” The fact that children are seeking this help doesn’t seem to matter to D.C., which is intent on locking kids into a lifestyle with devastating health, emotional, and societal consequences. Instead, the District wants to make it an offense to help children come to grips with their natural biology – opening a frightening chapter in the liberal recruiting of LGBTs.

In a twisted irony, the Council made it quite clear that counseling aimed at helping kids make the transition into another sex is perfectly acceptable. It’s a ludicrous double standard – one that should draw the ire of every parent who rightly believes they should be the final authority on the kind of treatment their child should receive. As our own Peter Sprigg testified, “Never before has a state outlawed a form of mental health counseling based not upon the techniques used, but solely upon the goal which the client seeks to achieve. This is a shocking violation of the longstanding ethical principle of client autonomy.”

Although the measure hasn’t been signed into law by Mayor Vincent Gray, most people believe it’s only a matter of time. Fortunately, the Mayor’s word won’t be the final one. Congress has official jurisdiction over the District of Columbia – a power they should exercise when they return in January to give parents and children the freedom they want and deserve.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.