A new report highlighting millions spent on steak and lobster by the U.S. military has ignited a fierce debate online, with critics accusing the media of twisting a long-standing military tradition into a political controversy.
Several liberal outlets reported that the United States Department of War, led by Secretary Pete Hegseth, spent millions on premium food purchases during the final month of the 2025 fiscal year.Â
The reports, based on an analysis by government watchdog Open the Books noted the department spent more than $93 billion on grants and contracts in September alone, with nearly half of that amount expended during the final five business days of the fiscal year.
Among the purchases cited in the report were roughly $6.9 million spent on lobster tail, $2 million on Alaskan king crab, $15.1 million on ribeye steak, and about $1 million on salmon during the month.
The data also listed other purchases, such as ice-cream machines and doughnut orders.
Media outlets including Mediaite, The Daily Beast, and TMZ framed the food purchases as part of a lavish end-of-year spending spree.
However, analysts note that federal agencies frequently accelerate spending in September due to long-standing “use-it-or-lose-it” budget rules that encourage departments to exhaust their allocated funding before the fiscal year closes or risk having future budgets reduced.
Online reaction quickly shifted the focus away from spending totals and toward the troops themselves.
Many X users argued that serving steak or seafood to deployed service members is a long-standing morale tradition.
“Feeding steak and lobster is the least thing we can do for our troops being deployed,” one X user wrote. “Making it an issue shows you how little the leftist media thinks of our fine men and women who serve our nation.”
Another commenter pointed to the relatively modest pay many service members receive while deployed.
“Can people please stop getting mad that every once in a while the people making 30k a year get a nice meal before being notified they’re spending an extra 3-6 months away from their children?” the user asked.
The popular X account “I Meme Therefore I Am” also chimed in, criticizing the narrative circulating in headlines.
“Leftists losing their minds over Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon dropping millions on steak, lobster, and fruit baskets for troops,” the account wrote. “I’ll take surf & turf for the warriors guarding my freedom over luxury suites for border-jumpers any day.”
Republican lawmakers joined the pushback as well.
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) defended the practice as a tradition that has long existed during deployments.
“Democrats have lost the plot so badly due to their TDS that they’re now mad that we serve (as tradition) our troops steak and lobster on deployment,” Fallon wrote on X.
Conservative commentator Catturd also supported the decision.
“Big shoutout to @PeteHegseth for feeding our brave heroes in the military the good stuff,” he wrote. “If anyone deserves steak and lobster, it’s them.”
Veterans also chimed in, noting that occasional higher-quality meals have historically been offered during demanding assignments.
“Yes, when I was in the submarine force on Sundays underway we had surf & turf,” one former service member wrote. “Once a week we got to have a somewhat nicer meal as a reward for spending years of our lives underwater.”
Another user identifying as a 25-year Army veteran dismissed the coverage entirely.
“For every steak meal there are weeks of MREs,” the post read. “This has been part of feeding troops forever. Trying to frame this as profligate activity is utter nonsense.”
Supporters say the debate highlights how routine military practices can quickly become political flashpoints once filtered through media narratives and social media reactions.
