House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says Democrats will expand their majority to 250 seats in the House next year and might have gone further if the party had more money.

Pelosi’s claim to talk show host Charlie Rose — that resources are the only obstacle holding the party back in the fall elections — is surprising given that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has raised $120 million, or nearly $30 million more than the House Republican fundraising committee.

When Rose asked the Speaker if Democrats could expand their majority beyond 250 with more money, Pelosi said: “Oh yes, definitely.”

Pelosi explained that the Democratic campaign committee will pour resources into a limited number of races because she does not want to “dilute the spending I have by going into more races.”

Pelosi also discussed her priorities for an expanded Democratic House majority, calling energy independence and global climate change her “flagship issue.”

“It is the issue of our future and it relates to everything,” Pelosi said. “Eliminating our dependence on foreign oil is a national security issue. Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is an environmental health issue. It is an economic issue.”

Pelosi also said she is willing to work with Republicans on Social Security and Medicare reform as long as Republicans do not attempt to “unravel” the programs by pushing to replace them with private savings accounts.

Pelosi dodged a question about whether Democrats would be able to bring about universal healthcare. Pelosi instead cited electronic recordkeeping as a preliminary step.

“We have to have a place where we recognize, first of all, that access to quality healthcare is a right,” said Pelosi.

Pelosi also proposed requiring all illegal immigrants to register with the government or face deportation.

“I’m just saying register so that we know who you are,” said Pelosi, who added that for those who are not willing to register: “You got to go back.”

Pelosi also said that White House officials prevented Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson from alerting Congress sooner of the looming economic crisis.

Pelosi said Paulson first told her of the possible meltdown when she called him at 3 p.m. on Sept. 18 to ask about the government bailout of AIG, the insurance giant, and other federal interventions.

Pelosi requested a meeting for the following morning but Paulson told her the situation was so dire that he needed to meet with congressional leaders that evening.

“I said, ‘Why haven’t you called us? Why am I calling you to say, "What’s happening?" ' "

Pelosi said Paulson only then informed her of the crisis because she called him. The White House had prevented the secretary from taking the first step, she said.

“I believe it was, shall we say, a White House call as to when they would inform Congress. But since I had made the call, then they had to respond.”

Pelosi also said Democrats were ready to pass the Panama free trade agreement once President Bush sent it to the Hill. But she and other Democrats still oppose a pending Colombia free trade agreement because of violence against union organizers in that country.

Pelosi added that she would not vote for the North American Free Trade Agreement if she had a chance to reconsider it.

“No, here’s the thing, I voted for NAFTA with the assurance from the Clinton administration that if the wages in Mexico did not rise with productivity there, that we would exercise some of our trade laws,” she said. “Well, we never did.”

Pelosi said she would call the House back into session after the election if Bush changed his mind about passing a second economic stimulus package.

“We have to convince the president, President Bush, that such a stimulus package — we’re calling it a recovery package — is needed, because so far he has not been favorably inclined toward it.”