The Pentagon boasts one of the largest budgets of any department in the federal government. So, it wasn’t totally shocking to learn that the agency wastefully blew through billions in taxpayer dollars to close out its 2025 fiscal year.
According to a new report by Open the Books, the Department of War (DOW) collectively spent $93.4 billion in “use-it-or-lose it” funds on grants and contracts in September alone. The agency’s spending blitz included purchases of high-dollar food, new furniture, and other lavish items.
These “use-it-or-lose-it” funds are part of the Pentagon’s annual budget that are unspent heading into the final month (September) of the fiscal year. As described by Open the Books, agency officials look to spend this surplus before the fiscal year ends or risk forfeiting the unused dollars and a potential reduction in funding the following year. (Think of that episode of The Office where Michael Scott has to spend the surplus before the end of the day or risk losing it in next year’s budget.)
According to Open the Books, the DOW spent $93.4 billion on grants and contracts in September 2025, the highest single-month spending bonanza on such items for a federal agency “[s]ince at least 2008 — and presumably in history.” At least $50.1 billion of this total was spent within the last five working days of September, which the group noted is “more than the annual defense budget of countries like Israel and Italy.”
“These amounts only include money sent to entities outside the government, not salaries for service members and scores of other expenses,” the report reads.
The Open the Books analysis goes on to document numerous wasteful spending items included in the Pentagon’s September shopping spree. One of the most notable is high-dollar food.
According to the report, the agency spent $2 million on Alaskan king crab and $6.9 million on lobster tails. Other pricey food items included ribeye steak ($15.1 million), salmon ($1 million), and ice cream machines ($124,000).
Lavish furnishings were also among the list of goods purchased by the DOW in the last month of the 2025 fiscal year. According to Open the Books, “Since 2008, the DoD has spent an average of $257.6 million on furniture every September — a 564% increase above the norm. In months besides September, furniture costs the military only $38.8 million on average.”
During September 2025, the Pentagon “spent $225.6 million on furniture, the most since 2014,” with almost half being labeled as “office furniture.” Included in the purchases was “$60,719 worth of chairs from the premium furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, including at least one order of their luxurious Aeron Chair for $1,844.”
Other significant end-of-year Pentagon expenses flagged in the Open the Books report are IT and telecommunications services ($5.9 billion), Apple ($5.3 million) and Samsung ($4 million) devices, musical instruments ($1.8 million), and purchases from foreign governments and foreign-owned businesses ($6.6 billion).
In a statement accompanying the report, Open the Books CEO John Hart called the Pentagon’s end-of-year spending bonanza “unacceptable.” He cited a letter his organization sent to War Secretary Pete Hegseth last year on the issue and noted that reform to the process “is fully within [Hegseth’s] control and is a historic opportunity to make good” on his pledge “to refocus [the military] on warfighting and lethality.”
“Unfortunately, the Pentagon’s traditional year-end spending spree in 2025 was the worst ever on record at a staggering $93.4 billion. This is unacceptable,” Hart said. “American taxpayers expect their dollars to support critical defense priorities, not lavish dinners. Moreover, careless spending emboldens our enemies and puts American lives at risk. We need to focus on replenishing interceptors, not appetizers. American taxpayers voted for change and expect better results.”
Open the Books concluded its analysis acknowledging President Trump’s request to boost the Pentagon’s budget from roughly $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion. Before committing to such an increase, the organization recommended that Congress authorize the agency “to roll over portions of its budget to the following year instead of wasting money on seafood and pianos every September.”
“Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution states that funding ‘to raise and support armies’ can be used up to two years after it is appropriated. The current one-year deadline is arbitrary and must be re-examined,” the report concludes.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
