Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has claimed that his sponsored road trip reality show was intended to unite the country, as he faced scrutiny from Senate Democrats over the funding sources. In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Duffy and his family filmed a cross-country road trip for a forthcoming YouTube series titled The Great American Road Trip.
Duffy's Defense
“I want to encourage Americans to see their beautiful country, and as we can see from this hearing, there’s a lot of partisanship in America,” Duffy told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday. “Experiencing your country through the window of a car is a beautiful thing. It actually unites America.”
Funding Concerns
Senate Democrats raised concerns about how the Duffy family vacation was funded, noting that sponsors included companies with potential business before federal transportation regulators. Sponsors for the trip, which reportedly paid up to $1 million, included Boeing, United Airlines, Royal Caribbean, Toyota, Enterprise, and Shell. Boeing, a major government contractor with over $15 billion in contracts, was among those contributing. The $1 million “Platinum Partner” package included “up to 6 VIP invitations to receptions, roundtables, or networking events,” according to a pitch deck obtained by Politico.
Senate Exchange
Defending the project, Duffy told the subcommittee, “This body told me that I’m supposed to promote tourism and travel.” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York responded, “Then it shouldn’t be paid for by people that you oversee.” Senator Patty Murray of Washington also pointed out that promoting a road trip was “out of touch” given that Americans are struggling with soaring gas prices amid President Donald Trump’s Iran war. Murray asked Duffy if he knew how much gas his family used on their road trip. He said he didn’t know, but “I know it was not as much as it was under [former President Joe] Biden, which was $5 a gallon. It's only $4.50 now.”
Gas Prices and Ethics
Gas prices have more than doubled since the war began at the end of February, after Iran retaliated against U.S. and Israeli strikes with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “Americans don’t have corporation sponsors to pay for their gas,” Murray said, adding, “I echo Senator Gillibrand’s concerns that it really raises some serious ethics concerns about who you answer to.” Duffy denied any ethical concerns, telling Murray, “There’s a memo of understanding that says no one gets any benefit for anything they do to participate.”
Upcoming Series
It is unclear when Duffy’s road trip series will debut, but a trailer was posted to YouTube earlier this month. In the teaser, the transportation secretary encouraged Americans to “gas up the car, pack up the kids, get behind the wheel and get out and see America.”
