The United States Department of Defense (DoD) spent $93.4 billion in September 2025, the last month of the fiscal year. According to TMZ, the government watchdog described it as a “use it or lose it” spending spree. The amount is the highest defense spending in a single month since at least 2008 and includes a variety of purchases, some of which were not directly tied to military operations.The watchdog group ‘Open the Books’ analyzed federal spending records and found that the department’s rush to exhaust the budget allocated by Congress included large-scale food purchases, furniture and technology items. In just one month, the Pentagon spent:
- Lobster Tales: $6.9 million
- Alaskan King Crab: $2 million
- Ribeye steak: $15.1 million
- Salmon: $1 million
- Ice Cream Machines: $124,000
- Donuts (272 orders): $139,224
Expenditure on luxury goods extended beyond food. The Pentagon spent $225.6 million on furniture in September, the most in more than a decade. This included premium office chairs and other furnishings as the department wanted to use up its remaining budget.Procurement of technology and equipment was also important. The department allocated $5.3 million for Apple devices and $4 million for Samsung devices during the month. Musical instruments were among the $1.8 million spent line items, including a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano, a $26,000 violin and a $21,750 handmade Japanese flute.
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 reduced funding the following year. In the last five working days of September 2025, the department spent more than $50.1 billion on grants and contracts alone, a figure that exceeds the annual defense budgets of many countries.The high level of spending raised questions about the use of large amounts of taxpayer dollars on non-essential items.