Pete Hegseth‘s Defense Department reportedly blew through tens of billions in one month … including huge splurges on steak, lobster, crab, fruit baskets, and furniture according to recent analysis by the government watchdog Open the Books.
The Pentagon went on an epic spending spree in September 2025 by burning through $93 billion … the most at the end of a fiscal year since 2008 … all part of the federal government’s use-it-or-lose-it budget.
Hegseth’s DOD needed to spend the money to keep their current funding moving forward … and he signed off on $6.9 million for lobster tail, $2 million for Alaskan king crab, $15.1 million for ribeye steak, $1 million for salmon, almost $140K for donuts, and $124K for ice cream machines.
The Pentagon dropped $225 million on furniture … including $12,000 for fruit basket stands.
Under Hegseth, the DOD also blew nearly $6 billion on information technology … including $3.5 billion for cable TV. Another $5.3 million was spent on Apple devices, with $4 million going towards Samsung devices.
And, get this … $1.8 million was spent on musical instruments … including nearly $99K for a Steinway & Sons grand piano for the Air Force Chief of Staff’s home, $26K for a violin, and $21,750 for a handmade Japanese flute.
Hegseth’s Department also spent over $50 billion in the last 5 days of September on grants and contracts. However, they did find some cuts recently, like reducing Senator Mark Kelly‘s military pay.
