Dems say Iraq troop cutbacks not enough

Democratic leaders in Congress are questioning the Obama administration’s plan to leave a residual force of up to 50,000 troops in Iraq.

The concern was raised Thursday, about the same time the White House indicated it will soon ask Congress for an additional $75.5 billion this year to pay for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

{mosads}The supplemental funding request would increase war spending for fiscal 2009 to $141 billion and raise the Defense Department’s entire 2009 spending to $513.3 billion.

Obama is expected to announce a 19-month plan for withdrawing American soldiers that would leave up to 50,000 troops in the country to advise Iraqi security forces and protect the embassy and other strategic interests.

More than 140,000 American troops are now serving in Iraq.

The size of this prospective residual force has struck Democratic leaders as excessive. They have long called for a swift and significant reduction of U.S. troops and captured control of both chambers in 2006 by challenging the military mission in Iraq.

“I have been one who for a long time [has] called for significant cutbacks in Iraq and I’m happy to listen to the secretary of Defense and the president, but when they talk about 50,000, that’s a little higher number than I had anticipated,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Reid said he would visit the White House on Thursday afternoon to receive a briefing on the situation in Iraq.

The president will ask Congress for the additional money in March, said Steve Kosiak, an associate director in the Office of Management and Budget.

The president will also request $7.1 billion more for the State Department. The extra funding for the State and Defense departments will go toward U.S. military operations and more foreign aid to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gaza and other regions, said Kosiak.

The Obama administration has said it hopes to avoid making supplemental requests, which come after initial budget requests, in future years. Kosiak said eschewing supplementals allows for more “honest budgeting.”

For fiscal 2010, the president includes his request for $130 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the entire Pentagon budget.

Obama’s proposed 2010 Defense budget is $533.7 billion, which would be a 4 percent increase over 2009 spending if the supplemental is approved.

Obama this year is putting more of an emphasis on the war in Afghanistan. He announced last week that he would send 17,000 more U.S. troops to the southern part of Afghanistan to help fight Taliban insurgents. The president also plans to withdraw the bulk of U.S. combat troops from Iraq.

Since the 2009 appropriations bills for the departments were signed into law by President Bush last fall, violence has increased along the Pakistan and Afghanistan border and in Gaza, where Israel staged a three-week military campaign in response to Hamas rocket attacks.

But on Thursday, Democrats on Capitol Hill turned their attention to Obama’s plans for Iraq.

Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), vice chairman of the Democratic Conference, also voiced surprise about early reports of Obama’s plan.   

“It has to be done responsibly, we all agree,” Schumer said of troop withdrawals. “But 50,000 is more than I would have thought. We await the justification for why that many are needed.”

During the presidential campaign, Obama pledged to redeploy the bulk of troops in Iraq within 16 months of taking office. But he has begun to scale back his plan.

Obama’s decision may be influenced by his secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, a Republican who was first appointed by President Bush.