WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Democrats will limit this week's Iraq debate in the U.S. House of Representatives to a resolution that disapproves of President George W. Bush's plan to increase troop levels, the House Democratic leader said on Sunday.

"We're going to members with a full debate: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to give their opinion and then to vote: do you agree with the president's proposal," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Republicans have pressed for a substitute measure that would prevent lawmakers from cutting off funds for the 21,500 additional troops included in Bush's plan to curtail rising violence in Iraq.

"Why not allow Republicans to bring a resolution to the floor and let the House vote up or down on that resolution?" asked House Minority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican who appeared with Hoyer on the program.

But Hoyer said Democrats wanted to avoid the kind of procedural fight that recently tied the Senate in knots over how to debate the issue and forced senators to shelve the issue of a nonbinding resolution on Bush's strategy.

The Democrat said allowing a Republican measure was "not necessarily our plan at this point in time."

"We want a very straightforward, clear answer to the question: do you support the president's escalation," he said.

Hoyer said the Republicans will get their chance within the next 30 to 45 days.

The lawmakers predicted bipartisan support for the Democratic resolution, which also would be nonbinding on Bush.

Hoyer said "almost every Democrat" would vote for the resolution and Boehner said some Republicans would too. While Boehner conceded his party may lose the vote, he said, "We will not lose the debate."

"We're going to have Republicans who are skeptical of this plan who will probably vote for this," Boehner said.

Polls have shown the majority of Americans oppose Bush's proposal to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq.

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