The US Department of Defense (DoD) spent $93.4 billion in September 2025, the final month of the fiscal year. The government watchdog called it a “use it or lose it” spending spree, according to TMZ.
The amount is the highest total defense spending for a single month since at least 2008, and includes a range of purchases, some of which were not directly related to military operations.
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The watchdog group Open the Books analyzed federal spending records and found that the department’s rush to exhaust its congressionally allocated budget involved large purchases of food, furniture and technology items. In just one month, the Pentagon spent:
- Lobster tails: $6.9 million
- Alaska king crab: $2 million
- Rib-eye steak: $15.1 million
- Salmon: $1 million
- Ice cream machines: $124,000
- Cakes (272 orders): $139,224
Spending on luxury goods has extended beyond food. The Pentagon spent $225.6 million on furniture in September, the highest total in more than a decade.
This included premium office chairs and other furnishings as management sought to use its remaining budget.Technology and equipment purchases were also significant. The administration allocated $5.3 million to Apple devices and $4 million to Samsung devices during the month. Musical instruments were among the items, with $1.8 million spent, including a Steinway & Sons grand piano valued at $98,329, a violin valued at $26,000, and a handmade Japanese flute valued at $21,750.
What is “use it or lose it”?
Under “use it or lose it” guidelines, agencies must spend their entire budget by the end of the fiscal year or risk funding cuts the following year. In the last five business days of September 2025, the department spent more than $50.1 billion on grants and contracts alone, a number that exceeds the annual defense budgets of many countries.The high level of spending raised questions about the use of large sums of taxpayer dollars on non-essential items.