California Governor Gavin Newsom took a dig at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after learning about the reported billion-dollar spending budget of the Defense Department. Newsom’s office account posted an AI-generated photo of Hegseth sitting with lavish food items and a piano, some of the items ordered using taxpayers’ money.
The Pentagon reportedly spent $93 billion on luxury items in September 2025, the last month of the fiscal year. According to Open the Books, this was the largest single-month expenditure since 2008.
The Governor’s office captioned the photo, “HEGSETH BLOWING $93 BILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN 1 MONTH !!”
One of the luxury items was a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano that was bought for the Air Force chief of staff’s home. Other food items include $15.1 million on ribeye steak, $6.9 million on lobster tail, and $2 million on Alaskan king crab.
HEGSETH BLOWING $93 BILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN 1 MONTH !! pic.twitter.com/L8GmyWQ2bt
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 10, 2026
This was the part of the “use-it-or-lose-it” budget that encouraged the department to exhaust the congressional budget. $124,000 was also spent on ice cream machines, and fruit baskets worth $12,000 are also on the list.
The report suggests that the money was spent on luxury food items as well as expensive tech items. The department spent $5.9 billion on Information Technology and telecommunications in September. The spending record shows the purchase of Apple devices, Samsung devices, laptops and licenses. The Pentagon also purchased sushi preparation tables worth $26,000.
Some of the frivolous September purchases made under Secretary Pete Hegseth’s stewardship include a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff’s home, $5.3 million for Apple devices such as the new iPad, and an astronomical amount of shellfish, including…
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) March 10, 2026
Other musical instruments include custom made Japanese flute and violin. The department also spent $3,160 on cartoon character stickers. Newsom’s press office also tagged 23-year-old YouTuber Nick Shirley to encourage an investigation into the billion-dollar spending.
The YouTuber got famous after posting a video alleging California voter fraud and Minnesota child care fraud. Newsom has been a long-time critic of Trump and the administration.
While critics are asking for an investigation into the Pentagon’s exorbitant spending, MAGA supporters were trolling Newsom in the comments of the post. Some pointed out that his only job is trolling the administration. One user called his memes “weak.”
Coming back to the report, the last 5 working days of September show expenditure of $50.1 billion on just contracts and grants. The report notes that the amount spent only includes money sent to external entities and not the salaries of the members.
The trend in spending might change this year from luxury food items to defense-related items, now that the conflict with Iran is going on. The department may focus on items such as missiles and interception for the military.
