Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Tuesday that Social Security cuts should not be part of any deal to avert the "fiscal cliff."

Van Hollen's comments, which came during an interview with MSNBC's Tamron Hall, reveal that Democratic leaders in the House are closing ranks behind Senate leadership against cuts to the retirement program.

"With respect to Social Security, I agree with what the president has said and what [Rep.] Peter DeFazio said. Social Security is not part of the deficit and debt problem. We're not going to raid Social Security in order to balance other parts of the budget," Van Hollen said.