Paul Ryan may leave Congress after 2018 -- after achieving his dream of shredding the social safety net

House Speaker Paul Ryan is reportedly contemplating leaving Congress after the 2018 midterm elections -- and he wants to enact cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid on his way out the door.

Politico reports that Ryan, buoyed by his recent success in marshaling a massive tax cut through Congress, has his eyes on what the publication describes as his "second white whale": Entitlement reform.

While attempts to change Social Security and Medicare have almost always ended badly for Republican elected officials -- George W. Bush's push for Social Security privatization went nowhere and crippled his second term legislatively -- Politico reports that Ryan won't have to deal with any massive electoral blowback because he already has one foot out the door.

"Tinkering with the social safety net is a bold undertaking, particularly in an election year. But Ryan has good reason for throwing caution to the wind: His time in Congress is running short," the publication writes. "Despite several landmark legislative wins this year, and a better-than-expected relationship with President Donald Trump, Ryan has made it known to some of his closest confidants that this will be his final term as speaker."

Read the whole report at this link.