As part of a year-end spending spree, the Pentagon spent millions of dollars in one month on luxury crabs and other food items to keep its colossal funding afloat.
An analysis by government watchdog Open the Books found that the Department of Defense, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, spent more than $93 billion on various grants and contracts through September 2025, the end of the current fiscal year, the highest total since at least 2008.
Last September alone, that spending included $2 million on Alaskan king crab, $6.9 million on lobster tails and $1 million on salmon. The Department of Defense also spent nearly $140,000 on donuts, $124,000 on ice cream machines, $26,000 on sushi prep tables and $15.1 million on rib-eye steaks.
As Open the Books explains, due to federal “use it or lose it” rules, the Pentagon attempts to spend as much as possible of the budget allocated by Congress at the end of each fiscal year. If the department has funds left over at the end of the year, there’s a chance the next year’s budget will be reduced.
Some people believe that Alaskan king crab has replaced caviar as the number one luxury ingredient. /Anne Wells/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
In addition to the billions of dollars spent on technology, contracts and purchases from foreign governments and businesses, the department has found creative ways to ensure that as much of the budget as possible is used in the final month.
That reportedly included spending $1.8 million on musical instruments, such as a $98,329 Steinway grand piano, a $26,000 violin and a $21,750 custom handmade Japanese flute for the home of the Air Force chief of staff.
The Pentagon found a way to spend more than $12,000 on fruit baskets and a total of $3,160 on stickers featuring cute children’s characters. dora the explorer, freezingand PAW Patrol. The department also spent $5.3 million on Apple equipment, including buying 400 of the more expensive 512 GB iPad Air M3s instead of cheaper models with less storage.
Elsewhere, the Pentagon continues its habit of spending huge sums on high-end office furniture.
Data shows the Department of Defense spent more than $225 million on furniture, the highest level since 2014, with one chair selling for $1,844. Since 2008, the Department of Defense has spent an average of $257.6 million on furniture each September.
Pete Hegseth is already trying to justify the billions of dollars spent on the Iran war. /Alex Huang/Getty Images
Mike Weiland, CEO of Govly, which helps companies secure government contracts, said the last day of the fiscal year is like “Amazon Prime Day” for the federal government as agencies scramble to spend remaining funds.
“The loss of surplus funding, combined with the threat of future funding reductions, caused severe fear in government agencies,” Weiland told Open the Books. “That’s why they hit the panic button in August and September to spend.”
Open the Books CEO John Hart called the Pentagon’s multibillion-dollar spending through September 2025 “unacceptable.”
“American taxpayers want their dollars to support critical defense priorities, not lavish dinners,” Hart told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
