Congressional visit to troops scrubbed at request of military

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said Tuesday he and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., canceled plans to organize a congressional delegation over the spring break to visit with U.S. forces in the Middle East, after military officials recommended against it.

"The speaker and I tried to put together a codel, but they discouraged us from going to the Middle East, and they discouraged us from going in the next week or two," DeLay said. "I believe the speaker is going on a codel to visit the troops that are outside the theater."

A spokesman for Hastert confirmed he would lead a House delegation abroad to visit troops involved in the war in Iraq. The Hastert spokesman said the trip had not been "formalized," and security considerations may dictate when details of the trip are released.

The Howey Political Report, a newsletter on Indiana politics, reported plans for a congressional trip Tuesday, quoting Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind.

Pence said the trip would not include stops in Iraq or Kuwait, and he said his wife Karen would join him on the trip. "I was humbled to be invited," Pence said.