Pete Hegseth’s Department of War blew $93.4B in one month — including $7M on lobsters. Tell us again why we can’t afford universal healthcare.

In the middle of a war supposedly started based on “fact-based feelings” and camaraderie — the lens has shifted toward the Secretary of Defense and how he’s been handling the coffers in preparation for such a calamity. It turns out Sec Pete Hegseth has been spending around $93.4 million per month in culinary sprees that included rib-eyes, king crabs, lobsters, and somehow even luxury furniture. But the most eyebrow-raising figure was the $6.9 million spent on lobster tails alone in the month of September.

Before we get into the breakdown of how many lobster tails that is, let’s first look at how the administration of “efficiency” descended into irresponsible splurges. At this point in his administration, Donald Trump has broken so many promises that it is actually more informative to look into why he broke the promise, lest you run the risk of exposing the public to bad news fatigue.

There’s a government watchdog called Open the Books, whose main job is to keep tabs on which agencies and departments are overspending federal funds. They were able to uncover a shocking splurge in Sept. 2025 in what critics are now calling “wasteful luxury” — the defense department burned through a scandalous $93.4 million. But apparently, it was only because September was the final month of the 2025 fiscal year.

The Pentagon reportedly spent $6.9 million on lobster, $15.1 million on ribeye steaks, and $2 million on Alaskan king crab, while also racking up a $140,000 doughnut bill and an extra $120,000 on ice cream machines. All of this was in a bid to ensure they burned through their allocated budget so there would be no cuts in the future.

The practice is called “use it or lose it” because what tends to happen is that when lawmakers see that a specific agency or department didn’t use up all the budget allocated to it, they cut that budget in the next financial year. That money instead goes to SNAP benefits or even the universal health care that most politicians claim is just too expensive to fund. Unlike $15 million ribeye bills.

Of course, Gavin Newsom used this to prop up his “will he, won’t he” presidential bid in 2028, pointing specifically to Hegseth on X. The California governor posted an AI-generated image of Hegseth with a variety of food items and the caption, “HEGSETH BLOWING $93 BILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN 1 MONTH !!” And for what it’s worth, Newsom successfully baited MAGA faithfuls into correcting him that, in fact, it was only $94 million that was “blown,” as if that’s any better.

HEGSETH BLOWING $93 BILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN 1 MONTH !! pic.twitter.com/L8GmyWQ2bt

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 10, 2026

The administration is currently navigating a scandalous war with very little support from the general public. Their protection of working-class and vulnerable Americans hasn’t borne any tangible results. They are even said to be internally rethinking how to reframe their deportation drive.

The background to all of this is, undoubtedly, the upcoming midterms. MAGA loyalists are the only pillar left in the GOP’s push to maintain a majority in the House. Because as far as the promises that were made to moderates — which included but were not limited to making Americans safe and reducing unnecessary spending — these were all unkept promises.