A new watchdog analysis is raising questions about U.S. military spending priorities. According to a report from the government accountability group Open the Books, the Pentagon spent $93.4 billion on grants and contracts in September 2025 alone, the largest single-month spending total ever recorded by a federal agency.
The surge happened under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during the final month of the fiscal year, when agencies often rush to use remaining funds under the long-criticized use it or lose it budgeting practice. The report highlights several unusual purchases, including $6.9 million spent on lobster, $2 million on Alaskan king crab, and $15.1 million on ribeye steak in a single month. Other spending included 272 doughnut orders totaling $139,224 and $124,000 for ice cream machines.
The Pentagon also spent $225.6 million on furniture and $1.8 million on musical instruments, including a $98,329 Steinway grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff’s residence. Critics note the spending comes as the Trump administration argues in court that medical care for transgender service members is too costly. Pentagon data shows transgender health care costs about $5.2 million per year — a tiny fraction of the military’s more than $1 trillion annual budget and certainly less than what was spent on lobsters.
