A LITTLE OFF THE TOP LINE: A trio of fiscal restraint-oriented groups is urging members of the House and Senate to reject an NDAA that supports the $1.15 trillion discretionary budget top line proposed by the Trump administration.

The details: In a letter to HASC and SASC members organized by Taxpayers for Common Sense ahead of NDAA deliberations, the groups urge lawmakers to oppose defense policy legislation unless the top line is “significantly reduced” from that mark. The National Taxpayers Union and Taxpayers Protection Alliance also signed the letter.

HASC Chair Mike Rogers has indicated his panel will craft a bill totaling $1.15 trillion — the portion of Trump’s $1.5 trillion request that relies on annual appropriations rather than reconciliation funding.

What they said: The groups argued that Trump’s historic defense increase has “dramatically exceeded needs” of the military and will lead to considerable waste as interest on the federal debt eclipses current defense spending.

“This year’s NDAA markup will set the stage for the broader congressional debate that this Pentagon budget request demands,” they wrote. “We urge you to seize this opportunity to put the nation on a safer and more fiscally responsible path by supporting amendments to lower the topline, and by voting against advancing the NDAA out of committee if efforts to lower the topline fall short.”