These days, President Bush is polling in the 30s on Social Security, even in a "red" state like Montana. Now, as The Hill's Patrick O'Connor reports, House Republicans may have taken private accounts off of the table for the 109th Congress.

House Republican leaders are aiming to pass many bills this summer, but Social Security reform is not one of them.

In an e-mail sent to GOP aides and lobbyists late last week, House Majority Whip Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) office outlined its list of “priority legislation” on the post-Memorial Day calendar. The list includes gun-manufacturer liability, postal reform and the Central America Free Trade Agreement.

Social Security reform was notably absent from the detailed list of legislative items.

As House GOP leaders roll out the summer schedule, the chances of an overhaul of the popular retirement program remain a major question mark. The e-mail from Blunt’s office was far from binding, but it illustrates the uncertainty that still accompanies an entitlement overhaul as Republican leaders in both chambers plan to unveil reform packages later this summer.

Concerned about the impact of altering the so-called third rail of American politics, some Republicans have said they do not want Social Security reform to spill into 2006. But others maintain that Democrats will continue to criticize the GOP on Social Security throughout next year’s election season, even if Republicans stop addressing the issue in 2005.

While it was effectively impossible for the President to pass a private accounts without the support of Democrats (41 Senate Dems can block cloture), should the Republican leadership indeed choose to withhold support from the bill, the President will be hard pressed to even get it to the floor.