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The Senate’s top Republican on Thursday quashed calls from House leaders to tackle Medicare and Medicaid spending next year, declaring it politically unfeasible and thus off the 2018 agenda. “I think Democrats are not going to be interested in entitlement reform, so I would not expect to see that on the agenda,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said at a breakfast sponsored by Axios. “What the Democrats are willing to do is important, because in the Senate, with rare exceptions like the tax bill, we have to have Democratic involvement.” (Demirjian, 12/21)

Mr. McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has what amounts to veto power over next year’s agenda because he controls the Senate floor. In the new year, he will lead a Republican caucus with a narrow 51-49 margin in the Senate, where most legislation requires 60 votes to advance. By declining to take on entitlements, Mr. McConnell avoids what would be a tough political sell for Republicans, and could spare candidates heavy fire from Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections. (Hughes and Andrews, 12/21)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says entitlement reform is not on the agenda in 2018, despite what Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and senior Trump administration officials say. McConnell, speaking at an event sponsored by Axios on Thursday, said the lack of Democratic support for entitlement reform makes it highly unlikely that it will move through the Senate in an election year. (Bolton, 12/21)