Reality of “surf-and-turf” in the Military.

Molly Jong-Fast, a contributor at Vanity Fair and the New York Times, took to X to boast about uncovering “frivolous” spending in the Department of War (DoW), specifically around food expenditures for our active-duty troops.

In the X post, she discloses that “under Secretary Pete Hegseth’s stewardship,” in September, the Department of War spent $2 million on Alaskan King Crab, $6.9 million worth of lobster tails (labeling it a “favorite” of Hegseth’s Pentagon), and $15.1 million on ribeye steaks.

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

Jong-Fast’s post has garnered 2.6 million views as of this writing and has garnered “gotchas” and “whataboutisms” from several well-known anti-Trump voices, including a U.S. Representative on his official account.

Jemele Hill, a contributor for The Atlantic, reposted the “exposé,” stating, “But SNAP recipients are the REAL problem.”

Another contributor at The Atlantic, Thomas Chatterton Williams, simply wrote, “$6.9 million worth of lobster tail” in his repost.

Yet another contributor from The Atlantic, this time an editor, has weighed in on the post.  Norman Ornstein on X wrote, “It’s about the grift.  It is always about the grift” (to be fair, Ornstein could be taking a shot at Molly Jong-Fast’s grift post, but based on his colleagues, probably not).

U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) on his official government account posted, “But still no healthcare for you.”  Ironically, the cold-water lobster served by the Dept. of War is a critical component of much of the Massachusetts coastal economy.  Rep. McGovern, however, represents more inland counties in the Bay State.

Rick G. Rosner, a former Jimmy Kimmel writer and self-proclaimed “Genius” with the “World’s 2nd-highest IQ”, joked about whether FOX News would report on this discovery by Jong-Fast.

A Long Tradition in the U.S. Military

Rosner is probably correct:  FOX News won’t likely report on this ‘discovery.’  But not because of the politics of the ‘controversy’ in this “frivolous” spending or to prevent viewers from ‘finding out’.

No, FOX News won’t cover this ‘surf-and-turf discovery’ because it’s not an actual ‘discovery’ and it’s nothing new or exclusive to the Department of War under Secretary Hegseth and President Donald Trump.

In fact, this has been a tradition in the U.S. military with anecdotes dating back as far as the 1970s.  It became a staple during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars beginning in the early 2000s.

Online jokes began to surface in late February that troops were being served ‘surf-and-turf’ and knew what was about to happen: deployment.

But dating back to this writer’s personal experiences as a Marine infantryman serving in Afghanistan in 2010, 2011, and 2012, it wasn’t just a “last meal” as those claims allude to.  It was a staple for deployed Marines aboard Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan.

Most Fridays, the chow hall would serve steak and lobster to the deployed troops.  And for those of us that deployed to forward operating bases, it was something to look forward to in the weeks-long process to make it back to the States.

Often, Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen deployed outside main operating bases were subject to Meals-Ready-To-Eat, or MREs, for months at a time.  Pre-packaged, vacuum-sealed food that was often barely edible (God forbid you got a Veggie Omelet) and heated up using a chemical reaction with water served as the primary sustenance for the majority of meals.

For those returning after a seven- to fifteen-month-long deployment, that ‘surf-and-turf’ at the DFAC was the first taste of real food many of these men and women had in months after long, grueling days sleeping on the ground, dealing with the elements, and often engaged in life-threatening combat operations.

To be clear, this ‘surf-and-turf’ was hardly a ‘gourmet’ meal.  But it was an absolutely incredible treat after the hell they’d just been through.  This depiction of ‘perception vs. reality’ is quite accurate:

Civilian perceptions may be wildly… off:

Perception: Reality: pic.twitter.com/3PgIVCGoH1

— Undercover Brother (@RealUCBfosho) March 11, 2026

Troops Actually PAY For Their Food

No one enlists in the U.S. military to get rich (keyword: enlists).  An E-3 without dependents in the military currently makes around $2,800 to $3,200, or roughly $700-800 per week, depending on time in grade.

Their job entails grueling hours- often times waking up at 4 or 5 a.m. for physical training or PT, moving wherever the military needs you often with little notice or input, enduring ‘field ops’ for days or weeks at a time, random deployments for months or years at a time, and a 24/7 ‘on-call’ status.

Apparently, some people, including Molly Jong-Fast, Jemele Hill, Rep. McGovern, and Rick Rosner, aren’t aware that the troops actually pay for their own meals when in garrison.

Troops receive what is called Basic Allowance for Subsistence, or BAS.  BAS is usually deducted automatically from your pay for troops that aren’t deployed and live on base.  While deployed, they are not charged for food, however, they also don’t receive the BAS pay.

Current BAS pay is about $475 per month.  But when troops deploy and BAS is stopped, most will receive “Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger Pay” of about $225/month.  What a deal! Remember: you don’t enlist to get rich.

And to be clear:  troops living on base often times have to depend on private venues and grocery stores for food because the chow/mess halls have limited hours that often conflict with demanding work schedules.  If you miss those hours, you’re on your own.  But you still contribute (automatically) for that day’s rations.

Comparing these DoW purchases — end-of-the-year “use or it lose it” purchases for special occasions for the troops — to the massive fraud uncovered in Democrat sanctuary cities/states and the widespread SNAP fraud that’s been exposed is clearly not the “gotcha” that Jemele Hill, a sitting U.S. Representative, and contributors at The Atlantic imply it is.

A comprehensive list of commentators, public intellectuals, and journalists who don’t know anyone in the military, as indicated by their ignorance regarding the tradition of steak and lobster pic.twitter.com/S7Ml5zYsbh

— Luther R. Abel (@lutherabel1) March 11, 2026

Yes! I’ve been trying to tell ppl this but I’m just a very small account. I also know that the food choices on home base are often pretty dismal, limited hours, too, so many have to go off base to eat. Deployment food options are even worse, yet they get billed for it! pic.twitter.com/7dzuvYw3aS

— NHNative (@aNHsnowbird) March 11, 2026

The post Comparing Steak and Lobster for U.S. Troops to SNAP and Healthcare Fraud? Two MAJOR Reasons This Won’t End Well appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) attacks Tucker Carlson while speaking at an antisemitism symposium. Credit: C-SPAN screenshot

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) reignited his feud with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a blistering speech on Tuesday.

As TGP readers know, Cruz and Carlson have been embroiled in a months-long feud, which was exacerbated when Cruz appeared on Carlson’s podcast last June. The topic centered around what actions, if any, the U.S. should take to topple the Iranian regime as it battles Israel.

At one point in the interview, Carlson decided to test Cruz’s knowledge of Iran with a pointed yet seemingly important question: how many people live in the country?

This set off a nasty argument with Cruz exploding all over Carlson.

Since that time, Carlson has continued to slam Trump’s foreign policy decisions, including Operation Epic Fury, which Cruz has been a stalwart defender of. Carlson has also invited harsh criticism from Cruz and others for palling around with antisemites.

While speaking at an antisemitism symposium hosted by The National Review and the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), Cruz made clear that he largely blames Carlson for the perceived antisemitism problem within the Republican party.

He cited Carlson inviting so-called historians who have engaged in revisionist history about World War II, such as absolving Nazi Germany of blame and calling Winston Churchill the real villain.

He next went after Carlson for interviewing arguably the nation’s most influential neo-Naz, Nick Fuentes, and giving him a complete pass. In addition, Cruz ripped GOP politicians for condemning Fuentes while ignoring Carlson.

WATCH:

JUST IN: Sen. Ted Cruz goes on a rampage against Tucker Carlson, calls him “the single most dangerous demagogue in this country”

“I’ll tell ya, I’ve made the decision I am going to take him on directly!”

“So he has one idiot whom he describes as the most consequential… pic.twitter.com/eNk1d3LOrt

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 10, 2026

CRUZ: I believe Tucker Carlson is the single most dangerous demagogue in the country. (applause)

I’ll tell ya, I’ve made the decision I am going to take him on head…directly.

If you look at the descent of Tucker Carlson…It started about a year and a half ago with platforming crackpot professors seeking to rewrite history about World War II.

So he has one idiot who he describes as the most popular historian in the country, who learns forward and intones that Winston Churchill was the villain of World War II.

(He) Carlson then finds another crackpot professor who says there is a good argument that America should have sided with the Nazis in Germany during World War II. And for all of this, Tucker gazes adoringly.

But it’s not just there; it then descends… Look at Nick Fuentes.

When you look at Republican politicians, Nick Fuentes is easy to denounce. I think it’s a tell among Republican politicians that they will denounce Fuentes but are scared to say Tucker’s name.

The post “The Single Most Dangerous Demagogue in The Country… I’m Going to Take Him on Directly!” – Ted Cruz Reignites Feud with Tucker Carlson in Fiery Speech (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

New York rap artist Jimmy Francois, known by his stage name “Bentley Bugz,” has been arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn for allegedly sex trafficking a 16-year-old girl, using force, threats, and coercion to exploit her.

The 37-year-old from Elmont, Long Island, faces a six-count indictment for the alleged sex trafficking, which took place over a three-month period in 2024.

New York rap artist Jimmy Francois aka Bentley Bugz was arraigned on a six-count CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING indictment March 6 following a multiagency investigation that included ICE HSI.

Francois allegedly sex trafficked a 16-year-old girl throughout multiple states — forcing her… pic.twitter.com/oWlTNWbLP7

— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) March 10, 2026

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Francois preyed on the vulnerable teenager, identified as Jane Doe, between June and August 2024.

The aspiring rapper allegedly transported her across multiple states and forced her to engage in commercial sex acts with multiple clients daily.

Prosecutors claim Francois physically assaulted the girl, intimidated her with threats of violence, and even assaulted other women in her presence to ensure her compliance.

The indictment details how Francois created sexually explicit images and videos of the girl, some of which he posted online as advertisements for prostitution.

Investigators recovered a chilling video in which Francois allegedly assaulted, demeaned, and threatened the victim with statements such as, “You learned and understand that me and you are not equal,” “You speak when you’re spoken to,” “I’mma violate you… you gonna have broken bones… in your hotel room. No hospital, no nothing,” and “I will personally break your bones.”

Francois was arrested on January 29 in Miami, Florida, and extradited to New York by the U.S. Marshals Service.

If convicted, Francois faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to life imprisonment.

“As alleged, the defendant’s exploitation and trafficking of an innocent teenager — across state lines and over the course of months — can only be described as depravity in its most vile form. He hid his dark life of threats and abuse behind a facade of power and luxury. Together with our law enforcement partners, HSI New York is wholeheartedly focused on protecting victims as we relentlessly pursue those who dehumanize and debase them for their own selfish gain and satisfaction,” HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Alfonso said in a press release about the case.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel A. Bennek and Molly Delaney from the Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section.

The post New York Rapper ‘Bentley Bugz’ Arraigned on Horrific Child Sex Trafficking Charges – Forced 16-Year-Old into Prostitution Across Multiple States appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.