April 20 (Bloomberg) -- Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said the top priority of his party's lawmakers is hiring more police to fight crime, not tougher gun control.

Emanuel said the House ``might'' or ``might not'' re-enact an assault-weapons ban that expired in 2004. That legislation, which limited the capacity of handgun magazines, would have reduced the amount of ammunition used in a shooting rampage that killed 32 people this week at Virginia Tech University.

``I am absolutely for sensible, strategically focused gun- control legislation, but not as a replacement to putting cops on the beat,'' Emanuel, 47, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt,'' scheduled to air today. He said Congress will take up legislation drafted by Democratic Representatives John Dingell of Michigan and Carolyn McCarthy of New York to strengthen background checks for gun buyers, though he was less certain about a plan to repeal restrictions on information about guns used in crimes.

Democrats captured a majority in the House in last year's congressional election by picking up 31 Republican seats, a significant number of them in districts where voters don't favor stricter gun-control laws.

On other issues, Emanuel said the final version of emergency-spending legislation for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will include some changes in policy, even though President George W. Bush has vowed to veto any legislation that contains Democratic proposals to enact a timeline for troop withdrawal.

`Blank Checks'

``The days of blank checks for the president, that happened for four years straight and that's not going to happen,'' Emanuel said. ``There will be policies attached to the dollars to bring a new direction to the Iraq policy.''

Emanuel said there is a ``50-50'' chance that Congress will pass immigration-overhaul legislation this year. He said Bush ``has to exert leadership to make it happen.''

He said the decision this week by the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a law making it a crime to perform ``partial-birth'' abortions shows the ``very, very important'' role of the president in selecting judges. Bush's two appointees to the court, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, tipped the balance in the 5-4 decision.

Information Access

When asked about gun-control measures in light of the Virginia Tech tragedy, Emanuel, who was the architect of the Democratic takeover of the House in November, sometimes equivocated.

He said a proposal to repeal a measure restricting access to information about guns used in crimes is ``definitely something worth looking at,'' though he said he couldn't guarantee that it would be a priority in Congress. The push for repeal is being led by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP, and is backed by other city leaders, including Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago.

Emanuel said law-enforcement officers tell him they need more forces to respond to crime hotspots and combat violence in neighborhoods and that Congress will provide funding for 100,000 more police officers nationwide.

``They need more manpower,'' he said. ``Community policing deals with violence in the neighborhood.''

On Iraq, Emanuel wouldn't say whether he agreed with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's statement yesterday that the war ``is lost.'' Like Reid, a Nevada Democrat, Emanuel said a political solution, not a military one, is needed to end the conflict.

Redeployment

He said there would be negotiations about the withdrawal language in the final bill, though it would certainly include requirements for troop readiness and benchmarks for the Iraqi government that ``would ultimately be leading towards a redeployment of American troops.''

Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Amman, Jordan earlier this week that the debate has been ``helpful'' and Emanuel said he had been told by military officials that the congressional debate about withdrawing U.S. troops helps U.S. commanders put pressure on Iraqis to take more responsibility for making the country safe.

``We are finally giving our soldiers and our generals the leverage they need to force the Iraqis to find a political solution,'' Emanuel said.

Lawmakers will also stick with provisions in the military- spending legislation that ensure U.S. forces sent to Iraq get the sufficient training and rest between deployments.

``If we're going to send American troops over there they have to be ready and trained,'' he said. ``There is a tremendous amount of stress after four years of a war, both Iraq and Afghanistan.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at njohnston3@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 20, 2007 15:47 EDT