Pete Hegseth, secretary of the Dept. of War and the Department of Defense reportedly went on a $94.3 billion spending spree last September that included millions on steak, salmon, lobster, and yes, furniture. Lots of money was spent on furniture.

According to the Open the Books organization, a government watchdog group that collects and publishes public sector spending data in the U.S., furniture expenditures are near the top of the military’s wish list at the end of every fiscal year. Since 2008, the DoD has spent an average of $257.6 million on furniture every September — a 564% increase above the norm. In months besides September, furniture costs the military $38.8 million on average. 

The military says it is is spending that money because if they don't spend the money allocated to them in one fiscal year, it may not be allocated in the ensuing year—a use-it-or-lose-it scenario. 

In 2025, the expenditure amounts were similar. The DoD spent $225.6 million on furniture, the most since 2014. Nearly half was labeled as “office furniture.”

The purchases included $60,719 worth of chairs from the premium furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, including at least one order of their luxurious Aeron Chair for $1,844. 

Another $12,540 paid for three-tiered fruit basket stands. Musical instruments cost $1.8 million. That included a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach’s home, a $26,000 violin, and a $21,750 custom handmade flute from the luxury Japanese brand Muramatsu.

The military spending was not dependent on which political party was residing in the White House at the time. Both parties spent wildly. 

Furniture spending today is lower than in President Obama’s administration, when the military spent $300 to $400 million every September. However, it has increased compared to Joe Biden’s administration. Since 2008, there have only been four Septembers when the DoD spent less than $178 million on furniture: the four Septembers that Biden was president. (Note: Some Federal buildings were closed during part of the Biden Administration due to COVID.)

Servicemen and women have other alternatives
And while Hegseth is lounging in his chair, and the Air Force chief of staff is enjoying a concert in his living room, it isn't always the same for the service men and women out in the field. 

Airmen who live in dorm rooms at the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, for example, do not have a place for visitors to sit. 

That may change, however. The Airmen now have the option of building a bench or chair out of old pallets, reports Senior Airman Daira Jackson, from the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron.

Project Salvage Pallets is a new upcycle program that allows service members to use salvaged wooden pallets to create furniture for airmen's dorms and common areas. 

“I noticed when I get off shift, there's people talking on the stairs, or sitting on water bottle boxes, trying to talk on the phone [to] loved ones, which are not good common areas,” said Airman 1st Class Ejlyn Smith, network systems operator, 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron. “You can't talk in your room because you have a roommate. So we're just building [furniture] in hopes to make it easier to have some sort of area for them to talk.”

The 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s self-help shop, known here as U-Fix-It, provides material and supply options for anyone in need of supplies that range from shower curtains and showerheads to sandpaper, nails, paint, brushes, and many other items needed to provide comfortable work environments and personal spaces.