Months before tensions escalated into the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, the U.S. Department of Defense under Pete Hegseth reportedly carried out a massive round of spending that included millions of dollars on food, furniture and luxury items.
According to government spending watchdog Open The Books, the Pentagon distributed about $93.4 billion in grants and contracts during September 2025 alone. A large portion of that amount — roughly $50.1 billion — was spent during the final five working days of the month. The organization noted that only nine countries worldwide spend that much on their military over an entire year.
The surge in spending may have been driven by the approaching end of the federal fiscal year on Sept. 30. Under the government’s “use-it-or-lose-it” budget rules, agencies risk losing unspent funds and receiving reduced budgets the following year if they fail to allocate the money.
Furniture purchases have traditionally increased near the end of the fiscal year. Open The Books reported that the Pentagon typically spends around $38.8 million per month on furniture outside of September. Since 2008, however, September spending in that category has averaged about $257.6 million. In September 2025, the Defense Department spent $225.6 million on furniture, including $12,540 for fruit basket stands and $60,719 on chairs from Herman Miller, with one chair priced at about $1,800.
The spending extended far beyond office furnishings. According to the report, the military purchased $2 million worth of Alaskan king crab, $15.1 million in ribeye steak, $1 million in salmon, $124,000 in ice cream machines, $26,000 in sushi preparation tables and $139,224 for 272 donut orders.
Throughout 2025, the Pentagon also reportedly spent more than $7.4 million on lobster tails in March, May, June and October — a level of spending that had previously occurred only once in military history, in October 2024. In September 2025 alone, lobster tail purchases totaled about $6.9 million.
Other notable purchases included a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff’s residence, a $26,000 violin and a custom Japanese luxury flute costing $21,750. The military also spent $111,497 on footrests.
Additionally, a significant portion of the purchases came from outside the United States. In September 2025, the Pentagon spent a record $6.6 billion buying goods and services from foreign governments and foreign-owned companies, surpassing the previous record set in September 2023, according to Open The Books.
