Benefit Cuts, Looming Midterms Make Next Budget Bill No Sure Bet

Key moderate Republicans fighting for their political lives in November are cooling on the prospect of another party-line fiscal package, creating fresh headaches for leaders on Capitol Hill.

The leadership of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus made up of almost 190 House Republicans, has called for another sweeping budget reconciliation bill that would reduce the deficit by over $1 trillion built in part on curbing Medicaid spending.

Meanwhile, vulnerable incumbents fear deep cuts to popular entitlement programs would hurt their re-election chances. Already facing down political headwinds and opinion polls suggesting control of the House is about to flip ...