President-elect Barack Obama's pick as White House chief of staff spoke to the media Sunday, outlining the priorities for an Obama presidency amide economic peril.
"Because of the size of the crisis we must deal with our education reform and our energy reforms so we are not exporting $700 billion of our wealth (by) reducing our dependence on foreign oil," Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel told CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday.
He also added healthcare and tax reforms would be priorities and stressed the importance of long-term solutions for the economy.
The Obama transition team hinted at a number of approaches that they might take after Obama is sworn into office in January.
John Podesta, who is Obama's transition chief, said that the president-elect is reviewing President Bush's executive orders on a number of issues.
Obama may use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes over the White House and may reverse Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas, he said.
Podesta said Obama can use executive orders to immediately change Washington after eight years of Republican rule in the White House.
"There's a lot that the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action, and I think we'll see the president do that," Podesta said. "I think that he feels like he has a real mandate for change. We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set."
Obama is open to building a bipartisan cabinet and is "looking for talent wherever he can find it," the co-chair of the president-elect's transition team said during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
When Valerie Jarrett was asked by Tom Brokaw if Obama might consider retaining some members of the Bush administration in his own cabinet, Jarrett said "everything is a possibility right now."
"I wouldn't rule out anything," she added. "I think that president-elect Obama has an open mind. He's looking for talent wherever he can find it and he wants to select absolutely the best team that he can find. And the team will work together as a whole."
Defence Secretary Robert Gates has been mentioned as a possible holdover from the current administration.
"He's not even a Republican," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said. "Why wouldn't we want to keep him? He's never been a registered Republican."
Jarrett said Obama values people with differences of opinion, who can help him see issues from all sides.
"He thinks he'll make better decisions if he's pushed hard by people with perspectives that are wide and broad," she said.
"I'm confident that his administration will include people from all different perspectives."
Jarrett said Obama is currently working with the White House to make his transition to power as smooth as possible, and is focusing on economic and national security issues.
"It's important that president-elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one," she said.
The topic of who will be the next treasury secretary also came up on "Meet the Press."
But when Brokaw asked Jarrett when the president-elect will choose his treasury secretary, she only said that the president-elect was in the process of making his decision.
"He's reviewing candidates," Jarrett said. "We have just of wealth of people who are so qualified for this position who are interested."
She also would not comment on any names that have been linked to the position, saying that Obama will make an announcement when he is ready.
"He really does like to think this through thoroughly and not telecast what he's going to do until he's ready to make a decision," she said. "I am confident that he will pick the best person for the job."
But Jarrett did comment on Obama's first major appointment -- his choice of as his chief of staff.
"There's no one who can hit the ground running faster than Rahm Emanuel," she said. "He embraces president-elect Obama's philosophy, he's going to do an outstanding job."
Emanuel previously served as a political and policy aide in the Clinton White House.
With files the Associated Press
