The Pentagon spent an unprecedented $93.4 billion on grants and contracts in the final month of the last fiscal year, according to a new report by government spending watchdog Open the Books. The figure, the largest single-month total ever recorded by a federal agency, included millions of dollars on luxury food items, consumer electronics, and high-end furniture, drawing criticism from oversight groups and prompting questions about fiscal priorities.
The report highlighted lavish spending on seafood, including $2 million on Alaskan king crab and $6.9 million on lobster tails, alongside $15.1 million on rib-eye steak and additional purchases of salmon. Open the Books also noted purchases of 272 orders of doughnuts totaling $139,224, ice-cream machines for $124,000, and sushi preparation tables for $26,000.
Luxury items extended beyond food. The department reportedly spent nearly $100,000 on a Steinway & Sons grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff’s home, $5.3 million on Apple devices including iPads, and $225.6 million on furniture, featuring high-end pieces like Herman Miller recliners and fruit-basket stands. According to the report, the Pentagon spent more on furniture in 2025 than it had in any year since 2014.
Open the Books emphasized that $50.1 billion of the September total occurred in the final five working days of the fiscal year, a pace described as unmatched in federal spending history. The figures reflect grants and contracts awarded to outside entities, not salaries or routine personnel costs. While end-of-year spending spikes are not new, the scale and nature of these purchases have drawn scrutiny amid ongoing global security concerns.
The spending surge is linked to the federal “use-it-or-lose-it” budget rule, which requires agencies to spend annual discretionary funds by September 30 or return unspent money to the Treasury. Critics argue that this structure encourages rapid, often unnecessary expenditures that may not align with long-term planning needs.
Open the Books called on Congress to reconsider the one-year deadline governing federal spending, warning that it incentivizes wasteful purchases, and cited proposals to increase the Department of Defense budget from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion by 2027 as a potential risk for further fiscal inefficiency. The Pentagon has not publicly commented on the report.
