NEW YORK, NY January 06, 2009 —Governor Jon Corzine made a surprise visit to Iraq today to thank the more than 3,000 New Jersey National Guard troops stationed there. He spoke with soldiers at Camp Bucca, a prison camp operated by the US military.

CORZINE: I think a lot of folks are concerned about what people are concerned about back home -- the economy -- and they're fearful about how they will fit back into economic life when they come back in June.

REPORTER: New Jersey soldiers have reason to be anxious; the state is in the midst of an economic crisis. Governor Corzine's trip comes one day after he proposed cutting $812 million in the current budget to help bridge a $2.1 billion gap.

He says he made the request to visit troops three months ago, and had no control over the Defense Department's schedule.