WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A powerful incoming U.S. House chairman says Social Security privatization is not something Democrats will consider in negotiations with the administration.
Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, due to take over the House Ways and Means Committee, appeared on "Fox News Sunday."
Rangel said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who has been reported as saying there should be no pre-conditions to talks, also believes the issue is not a priority.
Social Security privatization "has to be taken off the table," Rangel said. "I met several times with Secretary Paulson, and he agrees. The first thing we have to do is bring the committee together with some degree of ... bipartisanship ... and I don't think the first thing that we should deal with would be tax reform or Social Security or healthcare."
Rangel said committee members and administration officials will meet to determine common ground, but didn't say what that common ground would be.
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., said the House Energy and Commerce Committee will conduct oversight investigations when the Democrats take over and he becomes chairman.
Dingle said the investigations would look at scandals in the Medicare drug program, waste of public money in Iraq, food and drug safety and hidden oil industry participation in Vice President Dick Cheney's National Energy Task Force.
