The US Department of Defense spent $9 million on crab and lobster dinners in September 2025, according to a new analysis by government watchdog Open the Books. The spending spree, which occurred at the end of the fiscal year, also included $15.1 million on ribeye steak, $124,000 on ice cream machines, and $139,224 on doughnuts.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth approved more than $93 billion in total spending in September, including $5.3 million on Apple devices and nearly $100,000 on a Steinway & Sons grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff's home. The Pentagon also spent $225.6 million on furniture, the highest since 2014.
The watchdog noted that such year-end spending is a recurring issue, with the department spending an average of $257.6 million on furniture every September since 2008. However, critics argue that the lavish purchases, including $12,540 on fruit basket stands and over $60,000 on Herman Miller recliners, represent wasteful use of taxpayer money.
Open the Books CEO John Hart said the spending contradicts the Pentagon's stated mission to focus on warfighting and lethality. Democratic lawmakers, including Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury and Senator Chuck Schumer, have called for investigations into Hegseth's expenditures, with Schumer labelling the secretary a 'grifter'.
