According to a new analysis from government watchdog Open the Books, the Defense Department burned through about $22 million on steak, lobster, and other seafood in September 2025, as part of a broader end-of-year spending rush that saw the military approve a staggering $93.4 billion in grants and contracts during that single month — the largest single-month total for any federal agency since at least 2008. MEAWW
Some of the headline purchases: $6.9 million on lobster tail, $2 million on Alaskan king crab, $15.1 million on ribeye steak, $1 million on salmon, nearly $140K on donuts, and $124K on ice cream machines. The Pentagon also dropped $225 million on furniture and nearly $6 billion on information technology. TMZ Other notable items included a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano purchased for the Air Force chief of staff’s home, $26,000 on sushi preparation tables, and a $21,750 custom handmade Japanese flute. The Daily Beast
Why Did This Happen?
The spending surge is thought to have been a result of the Pentagon’s “use-it-or-lose-it” budget deadline, a long-standing feature of the federal budget process that requires most government agencies to exhaust their annual budgets or risk losing the unspent funds. Newsweek This practice predates Hegseth and has been a bipartisan issue for decades — during the Obama presidency, the federal government routinely spent between $300 million and $400 million on furniture in September each year. MEAWW
Newsom’s Response
Newsom pounced on the report, posting an AI-generated image of Hegseth lounging amid the spoils of his department’s spending spree — featured were lobster tail, ribeye steak, and Alaskan king crab, as well as a grand piano. The Daily Beast Newsom’s press office wrote in all caps on X: “HEGSETH BLOWING $93 BILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN 1 MONTH!!” TMZ
The Contrast Critics Are Drawing
The political sting comes from the juxtaposition: the Trump administration has simultaneously pushed to cut food assistance programs for low-income Americans while this level of discretionary Pentagon spending was occurring. Critics see it as a stark double standard — austerity for the needy, luxury for the military bureaucracy.
The Other Side
Some conservative commentators pushed back, arguing that the money was used on special meals for troops, and that deployed dining operations have long included occasional premium meals as a morale measure, with steak or seafood sometimes served during holidays, commemorations, or after intensive mission cycles. Whiskey Riff
The Pentagon has not yet publicly commented on the spending figures.
