Debauchery and luxury, a feast of wine and meat.
Under the leadership of U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon completely ignored the economic pressures faced by ordinary Americans, spending over $93 billion in September, which marked the end of the 2025 fiscal year, with many non-essential expenses such as luxurious meals and Apple devices. According to a recent analysis by the government watchdog "Open Accounts," Hegseth extravagantly spent public funds that month, with a single crab and lobster feast costing $9 million—$6.9 million for lobsters and $2 million for Alaskan king crabs. The Department of Defense's lobster purchases in March, May, June, and October 2025 exceeded $74 million. Military officials frequently indulging in delicacies have long been a sign of impending warfare, such as Trump's military action against Iran. Since last spring, Hegseth has been enjoying fine dining at the Pentagon continuously.
At the root of this issue, federal funding rules force department heads to spend their entire budget by the end of the fiscal year; if there is any surplus, Congress will use it as a reason to cut next year's funding, which has become the core motivation for the Pentagon's extravagant spending at the end of the fiscal year. In addition to lavish banquets, Hegseth's extravagant expenses in September were numerous: spending about $151 million on ribeye steaks, $124,000 on an ice cream machine, $139,224 on donuts, and nearly $10 million on a Steinway piano to furnish the residence of the Air Force Chief of Staff, plus $53 million on iPad devices and other Apple products.
Furniture procurement was also a huge expenditure, with the Pentagon spending $225.6 million that month, including a $12,540 fruit basket stand, over $60,000 for Herman Miller premium recliners, and the Department of Defense's furniture spending reached a new high since 2014. In fact, the U.S. military has always spent heavily on furniture for decades. Data shows that since 2008, the Department of Defense has spent an average of $257.6 million on furniture each September, which is 564% higher than the annual average for regular furniture expenses. The highlight of this September spending spree was the allocation and contract expenditures, with the Pentagon spending over $90 billion in this category alone in a single month, showcasing its absurd practice of rushing to spend money at the end of the fiscal year.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859411875661831/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.