Not everyone on Capitol Hill is anxious to go home. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) might be the last one out the door this Christmas, one of the many liberals none-too-eager to see the window close on their era of power. Late yesterday, Reid hinted that he’ll prolong his leadership as long as possible – warning his chamber to be ready for a long work weekend. Among other things, the Majority Leader is trying to slip a few more court nominees down the chimney, squeezing every last ounce out of his party’s control.

For now, the Senate is busy putting a bow on the Defense bill – which is up to its ear(marks) in pork. Retiring Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), famous for his annual “Wastebooks,” isn’t exactly thrilled with this latest bill. Is it the National Park Service or the National Pork Service? It’s tough to tell based on the text, which creates a bevy of new government parks. Like us, Senator Coburn cares more about getting bills right than just getting them.

“I’m not holding it up,” the retiring conservative told reporters. “I’m just going to try to get amendments, try to fix it, talk about it. … I’ll keep that stance ‘til I’m through all the points I want to make about what a mess it is.” Of course, whatever happens will have an impact on Congress’s spending bill – since the Senate will have to clear the decks of the Defense bill before it can move on the CRomnibus. With the clock ticking, there are literally hours until midnight, when the government’s funding dries up and a shutdown scenario kicks in. And leaders aren’t just working against the clock, but principled opposition from conservatives to the $1.1 trillion mixed-bag funding bill.

As of this writing, House leaders don’t have the votes they need to pass the CRomnibus, throwing a wrench into the polar express members were hoping to catch out of town. Among other things, the package fully funds ObamaCare and sets in place the President’s controversial and legally questionable immigration policy.

This afternoon, conservatives were making a last-minute push for a short-term continuing resolution to fund the entire government until February, which would let the new Republican-controlled Congress set the spending priorities. While most everyone is ready to deck the halls, this budget may be the most important debate Republicans have in the next two years. It not only sets the parameters for the 114th Congress but the expectations of the entire country.

Air Force Wants to Clear Repeal for Takeoff

“It’s only a question of when.” That’s what one lobbyist says about transgenders serving in America’s military. Three years into the disaster of open homosexual service, and the Left is already trying to check the next box on its wish list. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James seems intent on helping the cause, telling USA Today that lifting the ban would be a natural way to cap off the President’s LGBT legacy. “Times change,” she said. “From my point of view, anyone who is capable of accomplishing the job should be able to serve.”

Of course, we heard the same sound bites in 2011, when the radical Left wanted to throw open the door for homosexuals. Now, deep into the pro-homosexual era, Americans are finally seeing the consequences of that political correctness: sky-high sexual assaults, religious intolerance, record-low morale, and widespread job dissatisfaction.

So it’s even more surprising that Lee, less than a year on the job, is already in favor of rolling out the welcome mat for transgenders – a move that could shatter the military’s already fragile moral foundation. Even for the President, who’s spent six years using the military as a mule for his social agenda, injecting this kind of gender chaos into the ranks is a step too far. We need only to look to Houston or San Antonio to see what kind of madness this biological anarchy causes.

The military can’t afford to waste more time and energy on political distractions that aren’t just devastating for people in that lifestyle – but for America’s mission at large. If the administration is interested in letting people serve openly, how about Christians? Or chaplains? While the President has been pulling gays and lesbians out of the closet, he’s been shoving men and women of faith in. If this is about pride and tolerance, then it’s time to extend that same courtesy to the majority of our service members, who’ve been living under the administration’s dark shadow of religious hostility far too long.

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