Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his family filmed a five-part Great American Road Trip over seven months, with episodes planned for YouTube in June and a trailer posted on the department’s channel.
- Duffy says a nonprofit covered gas, lodging and rentals, he and his family took no pay, and career ethics and budget staff cleared his participation and travel.
- The nonprofit behind the show lists sponsors that include Boeing, Toyota, Shell, United Airlines, Royal Caribbean and Comcast/NBCUniversal, and a sponsorship deck reported by Politico offered packages from $100,000 to $1 million.
- Watchdog group CREW filed an ethics complaint alleging likely violations of federal gift and travel rules, and the Transportation Department’s inspector general confirmed it is reviewing the complaint.
- Critics from politics and media call the project tone-deaf and a conflict risk as gas prices top $4.50 a gallon, while DOT says the group is independent and the series supports its America 250 outreach.