Pete Hegseth Accused of Blowing Millions of Dollars on Alaskan King Crab in a Single Month

It’s no secret that select members of the federal government are given access to a higher quality of life. That's because they’re typically paid a decent salary, and, of course, they also get to attend various events that give them access to foods the average person might only indulge in once or twice a year.

While that’s common knowledge, we didn’t realize just how lavish things can get for certain members of the federal government, particularly the Department of Defense.

That is, until a new spending analysis was published by government watchdog Open the Books. The analysis revealed that the Department of Defense, headed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, spent $50.1 billion on grants and contracts in September 2025. And a big chunk of that reportedly went toward a ridiculous amount of Alaskan king crab and tons of luxury furniture.

Here’s how much the watchdog claims Hegseth’s agency spent on crab legs alone in just one single month in 2025.

Alaskan king crab is widely considered a luxury meal these days, much like getting your hair and nails done. But apparently, that’s not the case for the United States Department of Defense. According to Open the Books, Hegseth’s Department of Defense, specifically the Pentagon, allegedly spent $2 million on Alaskan king crab in September 2025 alone.

The watchdog says this marks the fifth time the Pentagon has fanned out funds for king crab in a single month. The first two times reportedly happened during Donald Trump’s first presidential term, while the other three occurred during his second, in 2025.

While it would certainly be a nice gesture for the Department of Defense to celebrate soldiers and those putting their lives on the line with a king crab meal, $2 million in a single month seems like a bit of an overindulgence. And it’s also not entirely clear who munched down all those crab legs. But wait, that’s not all Hegseth and his team reportedly spent government funds on. According to the analysis, there was actually a pretty big spending spree that took place in September 2025.

Alaskan king crab isn’t the only thing government funds allegedly went toward in September 2025. Open the Books also claims military personnel spent about $6.9 million on lobster tail, $15.1 million on ribeye steak, and $1 million on salmon.

During that same month, the Pentagon reportedly spent $124,000 on ice cream machines, $26,000 on sushi prep tables, and $139,224 on 272 orders of donuts. While September 2025 was certainly a delicious one for military personnel, it wasn’t the first time that year that lavish spending allegedly occurred.

Open the Books claims the Department of Defense also spent more than $7.4 million on lobster tail across March, May, June, and October. There was also $2.4 billion allotted for IT-related products, according to the watchdog, along with $225.6 million going toward furniture, which apparently is a common category the agency spends money on, with millions reportedly going toward it each year.

Sadly, the spending doesn’t stop there. The watchdog also claimed the Pentagon spent over $315,000 on new iPad Air M3 devices and about $4 million on Samsung items, including a 98-inch monitor that reportedly cost $4,000. There was also a $98,329 grand piano from Steinway & Sons purchased for the Air Force chief of staff’s home, among other items.

And why, you wonder? Well, the Department of Defense apparently follows what’s called a “use it or lose it” spending model, meaning funds that aren’t spent by a certain deadline are lost rather than rolled over into the next year. So, based on this report, it would seem Hegseth clearly wasn’t prepared to lose anything.