Taxpayers for Common Sense and three other fiscally conservative groups sent a letter to members of the House Armed Services Committee today. Within it, the four organizations urge members to reject increasing the Pentagon topline by $25 billion in the upcoming House Armed Services Committee
(HASC) mark-up of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

You download it here or scroll further down to read it in plain text.

Dear House Armed Services Committee Member:

The undersigned fiscally conservative groups ask you to turn back the effort by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) to increase the Pentagon topline by $25 billion in your upcoming House Armed Services Committee (HASC) mark-up of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Pentagon spending (Budget Function 051) at the level requested by the Biden Administration is both an increase over the last Trump Administration request in Fiscal Year 2021 as well as the amount the previous administration forecast for its Fiscal Year 2022 request in the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP). The idea that the plans of the last administration would equal a gutting of Pentagon spending is not a serious argument.

As fiscal conservatives, we are concerned about both our nation’s $28 trillion debt and seemingly endless annual deficits. Continued deficit spending will add to that debt and jeopardize the country’s ability to meet future requirements at the Pentagon as well as other critical needs.

The Rogers Amendment specifies precisely where and how the additional $25 billion should be spent, as noted in the explanatory white paper, “Includes over 200 Member priorities not fully addressed in the Chairman’s mark.” We hope Members won’t feel political pressure to acquiesce to this indefensible overall increase due to the specific projects being added.

We ask you to reject the Rogers Amendment during your NDAA consideration this week.

Taxpayers for Common Sense
National Taxpayers Union
R Street
Taxpayers Protection Alliance