Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy faced sharp questioning Tuesday at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing about a family road‑trip web series financed by corporate sponsors.
- Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Patty Murray argued the funding creates a conflict of interest because companies such as Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, Enterprise, Shell and Royal Caribbean fall under USDOT oversight.
- Duffy said no taxpayer money funded the project, career ethics officials cleared his participation, and neither he nor his family received salary or production royalties.
- The series was filmed over 24 days spread across eight months for a five‑part YouTube release tied to the America 250 campaign, with a Toyota vehicle shown in a promotional clip.
- Watchdog group CREW filed an ethics complaint, and the Transportation Department’s inspector general is reviewing it for possible investigation as debate over high fuel costs and public criticism from former secretary Pete Buttigieg keeps pressure on the project.