Many people have been criticizing the Trump administration for their choices. From the aggressive tactics of ICE agents to the war against Iran, anger has continued to grow. However, recently, that anger reached another peak as news spread about Pete Hegseth spending $93 billion for the Pentagon. If you think that money was used for important purposes, you would be wrong. New York journalist Katie Couric shared a video where she elaborated on the topic. She said that the whole amount was spent in one month during September 2025. One of the expenditures included a Steinway grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff’s home, which cost $98,000. Two million dollars were spent on Alaskan king crab and seven million on lobster tail.
Open the Books, a nonprofit organization that tries to track government spending in America, said that the amount of money Pete Hegseth spent that month was record-breaking. The New York journalist explained that this happened because there was a rule that departments had to spend their budget or else the next budget they received would be reduced.
The journalist argued that while this might make it seem acceptable, there were many concerning points regarding what Pete Hegseth spent the money on. There was $225 million on furniture, $15.1 million for ribeye steak, $124,000 for ice cream machines, and $12,540 for three-tiered fruit basket stands. There was also $139,000 for donuts, $26,000 for a sushi preparation table, $26,000 on a violin, and $22,000 for a custom handmade flute.
All of these spendings were quite eye-opening as the New York journalist explained how ironic it was that the Trump administration at the same time claimed that they could not fund SNAP benefits. Yet at the same time, Trump said that it was time to increase military budget spending to $1.5 trillion in 2027, up from $900 billion in 2026.
Online, many internet users were outraged at what they claimed was a waste of taxpayers’ money. Critics argued that the military and Pete Hegseth didn’t need that much money and that it would be better spent on American citizens who were struggling to survive.
“Remember how the SNAP benefits were cut during the government shutdown? During the holidays! This is absolutely disgusting!” one user said. Another wrote,“Imagine if they invested that surplus in their veterans or current enlisted and their families. Or Americans in general.”
Some users, however, heard the news with skepticism, with one user saying, “Every fiscal year the government departments have to spend the budget or lose it the next year. Is it right? Does it make sense? No. It happens government-wide, so this is just a drop in the bucket.”
A user explained that the Pentagon’s September spending wasn’t just a minor expense but a record-setting month. While a significant portion of the food purchases went to troops, surf and turf before deployments, a long-standing military tradition, much of the spending included luxury and unexpected items.
