Donald Trump has often pushed to cut spending from nearly every department but not the U.S. Department of Defense, Pentagon or the military. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been under scrutiny from his administration. The commander in chief has repeatedly argued that food stamps motivate people to work less. He has also suggested that the government could cut them completely. In 2025, Trump’s administration had to shut down the food aid program for the first time since it began as a result of a government shutdown.
What aggravated the severity of such a collapse in government aid was what preceded the shutdown. The Pentagon engaged in what was described as a “use-it-or-lose-it” spending spree, as reported by the The Daily Caller. The bill generated by the Pentagon reportedly included $2 million worth of Alaskan king crab, $6.9 million worth of lobster tail, and $139,224 worth of doughnuts.
Every September, the Pentagon goes on a spending spree thanks to “use-it-or-lose-it” budgeting rules. That includes millions on luxury seafood. Our data shows king crab purchases have become a staple over the past decade.
It’s a sign the system rewards spending, not saving. 🦀 pic.twitter.com/2q1ilOX7pv
— Open the Books (@open_the_books) March 9, 2026
The 2025 holiday season was especially affected by the government shutdown, with families facing food shortages. The United States Department of Defense, meanwhile, spent on furniture, musical instruments and luxury foods, with spending totaling at least $50.1 billion. This is more than the defense budgets of countries such as Italy and Israel. The latter is currently collaborating with the United States to dismantle the Iranian government.
Donald Trump just bragged that he “lifted 2.4 million Americans off food stamps.”
No — he cut them off.
He didn’t raise wages. He didn’t lower rents. He didn’t fix healthcare.
He stripped food from struggling families and called it “success.” pic.twitter.com/aCnH3Wpymo
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) February 25, 2026
Republican senator, Joni Ernst, was alarmed at the expenses incurred by the United States Department of Defense. She said, “If taxpayers are going to be asked to spend $1.5 trillion on defense—nearly as much as the rest of the world combined—Washington must be able to defend how every dollar is being spent.”
Shortly after the spending spree, Americans in 25 states were notified that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients would lose their benefits.
This was expected to hit them on Nov. 1, 2025. This had a huge impact on food security nationwide. OpenTheBooks, a watchdog organization that looks into public spending, called on Pete Hegseth, the current U.S. defense secretary, to curb year-end spending. The watchdog group Project On Government Oversight warned Congress about budget hikes. They called for oversight and accountability for the massive spending from the Pentagon.
John Hart, the CEO of OpenTheBooks, said, “If taxpayers are going to be asked to spend $1.5 trillion on defense—nearly as much as the rest of the world combined—Washington must be able to defend how every dollar is being spent.” Putting the expenditure into perspective, CalFresh spent about $12.5 billion to feed 5.5 million Californians, which came down to $192 a person monthly.
The administration placed the defense budget in the trillions while cutting about $900 billion from Medicaid, food assistance and other welfare programs. There have been calls for reform to curb “use-it-or-lose-it” spending. It remains to be seen whether Donald Trump’s administration can take such a decision without alienating its base.
