California Governor Gavin Newsom is taking a bite out of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the Pentagon’s lavish spending frenzy on premium crabs, lobster, and ribeye steak came to light.
The Defense Department spent more than $93 billion in September 2025—the final month of the fiscal year—on various grants, contracts, as well as a wide range of luxury goods, according to an analysis by the government watchdog Open the Books.
The watchdog said the Pentagon’s splurge marks the largest single-month total for any federal agency since at least 2008.
Newsom, 58, pounced on the report, posting an AI-generated image of Hegseth, 45, lounging amid the spoils of his department’s all-you-can-buy spending spree.
Featured are lobster tail, ribeye steak, and Alaskan king crab, on which the Pentagon reportedly spent $6.9 million, $15.1 million, and $2 million respectively, as well as a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano purchased for the Air Force chief of staff’s home.
“HEGSETH BLOWING $93 BILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN 1 MONTH !!” the Democratic governor’s press office wrote.
The Pentagon, which reportedly tries to spend as much of its congressionally allocated budget as possible at the end of every fiscal year because of federal “use-it-or-lose-it” rules, found a way to spend $124,000 on ice cream machines, more than $12,000 on fruit baskets, and $5.3 million on Apple devices like iPads, according to Open the Books, purchases that crowd a stuffed-and-pleased Hegseth in Newsom’s AI photo.
In another post, Newsom’s press office called out MAGA’s favorite “journalist,” YouTuber Nick Shirley, asking him to weigh in on the Defense Department’s splurge.
Shirley, 23, became a MAGA star for his video on alleged fraud at Minnesota child care centers predominantly run by members of the state’s Somali community.
The video, which featured Shirley trying to gain unauthorized access to a facility where children were present, was used to justify President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
Last month, Shirley also claimed he had uncovered voter fraud at a UPS Store in California.
“Hey Nick Shirley …” the governor wrote, pointing to the Pentagon’s billion-dollar binge, “any insight here?”
“I’ll look into it! Maybe we could work together on it??” Shirley replied. “Oh btw new California fraud exposé coming out end of this week/early next week. Excited for you guys to see it :)”
The Pentagon, which Hegseth and Trump would like everyone to call the “Department of War,” also spent $1 million on salmon, nearly $140,000 on doughnuts, $26,000 on a violin, and $21,750 on a custom handmade Japanese flute, $26,000 on sushi preparation tables, Open the Books reports.
In addition, the Defense Department reportedly bought more than $3,160 worth of stickers featuring beloved children’s characters from Dora the Explorer, Frozen, and Paw Patrol.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
