Pete Hegseth blew millions in Pentagon cash on lobsters, steak, grand piano, and handmade Japanese flute
By Stephen M. Lepore
Daily Mail
Mar 10, 2025
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth spent over $93billion of taxpayer money this past September on expensive foods, musical instruments and technology
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth spent over $93billion of taxpayer money this past September, including huge expenses on expensive foods, musical instruments and technology.
The cash splashing came ahead of what's referred to as 'Amazon Prime Day' for government agencies, as they must spend the remainder of their yearly budgets or lose the funds by September 30.
Hegseth's 'use it or lose it' outlay amounted to $93.4 billion in September of 2025 on grants and contracts, the most any agency has spent in a single month, according to government watchdog Open the Books.
Over half of that amount - $50.1 billion - was doled out in the final five working days of the month alone.
The goal was to spend up the remainder of the Pentagon's fiscal year budget of $849.8 billion as set by the Biden administration.
Much of the money was spent on food, as in September alone, the Pentagon bought over $2 million in Alaskan king crab.
They also spent $15.1 million on ribeye steaks, $6.9million in lobster tail, $1million in salmon and $26,000 for sushi preparation tables.
The 'surf and turf' meal is considered a significant predictor of battle for troops, with Military.com claiming the foods are often a 'precursor to deployments, combat operations, or extended missions.'
The Pentagon also didn't skimp on desert spending, with $124,000 for ice cream machines and $139,224 on donuts.
A huge chunk of the cash was spent on information technology and telecommunications, amounting to $5.9 billion.
At least $5.3 million was spent at the Apple Store alone, including 400 brand new iPads at $315,200.
Some of the stranger buys include $98,329 on a Steinway grand piano for the chief of staff of the Air Force's residence and $21,750 on a custom flute from Muramatsu.
For whatever reason, the Pentagon grabbed $3,160 worth of stickers of children's television characters like Paw Patrol and Dora the Explorer.
Another big expense was on furniture for various Defense Department facilities, which totaled $225.6 million during last September, less than the Obama administration regularly spent but more than Joe Biden.
Among the largest purchases was $60,719 in chairs from Herman Miller, with another $12,540 spent on fruit basket stands.
Notably, while Trump has stressed buying American products, at least $6.6 billion in spending was done with foreign governments and companies.
Some of the stranger buys include $98,329 on a Steinway grand piano
The Pentagon spent $21,750 on a custom flute from Muramatsu
The total spend was an increase of 18 percent from 2024, when the Pentagon spent $79.1 billion in September.
The money tracked does not include salaries for Pentagon staffers and only tracks money given to outside entities and governments.
Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer confirmed the expenditures and called Hegseth 'a true grifter.'
'Hegseth spent $93 billion in one month – roughly the cost of extending the ACA tax credits for THREE YEARS,' Schumer said on social media.
'But instead of lowering American’s healthcare costs, Hegseth used millions of taxpayer dollars on fruit baskets, Herman Miller recliners, ice cream machines, Alaskan King Crabs, and a Steinway & Sons grand piano.'
Many liberals were angry about the spending, with Gavin Newsom even suggesting there had been fraud.
'Hey Nick Shirley … any insight here?' he asked, referencing the conservative influencer who investigated fraud perpetrated by Minnesota daycare owners.
Mike Weily of Govly, which works with federal contractors on AI purchasing, coined the idea that September 30 of every year is Washington's 'Amazon Prime Day.'
Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer confirmed the expenditures and called Hegseth 'a true grifter'
'If a government agency doesn't spend its allocated budget funds over the course of the fiscal year, they no longer have access to those funds in the next year,' he said.
'The loss of their surplus funds, combined with the threat of a decline in future funding, is a recipe for serious fear amongst government agencies. Hence why they hit the panic button in August and September to spend.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to both the Pentagon and the White House for comment.
This year, the Pentagon has a budget passed by Congress of $839 billion.
Pentagon spending has come into focus of late after Donald Trump and Hegseth carried out strikes on Iran.
The Trump administration has frequently been pressed over how much these operations have cost.
The Department of War provided a breakdown of assets and targets from the first 72 hours of Operation Epic Fury; however, government officials have not disclosed the exact cost of the military activity.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan research institution in Washington, analyzed DOW fact sheets, Congressional Budget Office estimates, and statements from government officials to provide an estimate of wartime costs for the operation thus far.
The Pentagon grabbed $3,160 worth of stickers of children's television characters like Paw Patrol and Dora the Explorer
At least $5.3million was spent at the Apple Store alone, including 400 brand new iPads at $315,200
The study concluded that the US has spent around $3.7 billion, or $891.4 million a day, on wartime efforts in the first 100 hours of Operation Epic Fury.
The most significant expense comes from munitions. CSIS estimated that the US spent $3.1 billion on munitions alone, none of which were budgeted for.
Combat losses and infrastructure damage totaled $359 million, which was not previously budgeted for by the DOW.
Lastly, operations and support costs totaled $196.3 million, including $18.3 million that was already included in the DOW's budget.
These estimates indicate that the DOW spent approximately $3.54 billion in unbudgeted funds during the first 100 hours of the war in Iran. Congress passed a $900 billion defense budget last year.
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