US Spends USD93.4B in September 2025

(MENAFN) The US Defense Department reportedly spent a record $93.4 billion in September 2025, part of a year-end push to maintain its funding levels, according to reports. While most of the spending went toward military grants and contracts, watchdog groups highlighted that significant sums were used on high-end food items.

According to government oversight data, the Pentagon spent $15.1 million on ribeye steaks, $6.9 million on lobster tails, and $2 million on Alaskan king crab in that single month. Additional expenditures included $1 million on salmon, over $139,000 on doughnuts from 272 orders, $124,000 for ice cream machines, and $26,000 for sushi preparation tables.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized such spending during a Sept. 30 speech, saying it is "completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon."

This type of luxury spending is not unprecedented. Oversight group Open the Books noted that under former President Donald Trump, the Pentagon spent $2 million or more on Alaskan king crab in a single month five times—twice during his first term and three times in 2025. The only other recorded occurrence was in February 2021 under President Joe Biden.

The watchdog also reported that the Department of Defense spent over $7.4 million on lobster tails in four months of 2025: March, May, June, and October, demonstrating a consistent pattern of high-end food purchases alongside routine military expenditures.

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