Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is being criticized by the usual suspects over something harmless: a family road trip to encourage Americans to explore this great country on its 250th birthday. It’s part of a larger campaign, but the Left is trying to blow everything out of proportion. We recognize their tactics here. And, of course, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics is mouthing off about it:
Secretary Sean Duffy’s participation in a reality show production called “The Great American Road Trip” over several months may have violated federal gift and travel rules, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General must investigate, according to a complaint sent today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The venture was sponsored by numerous private companies regulated by the department, including Toyota, United Airlines, Boeing and other members of the transportation industry that are impacted or regulated by DOT.
According to an interview, Secretary Duffy spent parts of seven months on a road trip with his family to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, squeezing in time to do “some work” in his taxpayer funded job. The trip was filmed as part of an upcoming reality series called “The Great American Road Trip.” Despite indications that the road trip was an official endeavor by the Department of Transportation, a spokesperson for the agency stated that “[p]roduction costs were paid for by the Great American Road Trip, Inc,” a nonprofit led by a former transportation industry lobbyist and funded by companies regulated by the agency. At least three of those companies—United Airlines, Toyota and Boeing—were previously fined or audited by the agency, with a Toyota car prominently featured in the promotional video. The arrangement raises questions about whether Duffy’s official time is being used for public purposes, whether he accepted or solicited gifts from companies with businesses before the DOT, whether this constituted an appropriate use of government travel and whether private products were being promoted by the secretary.
“As everyday Americans struggle with rising gas prices and raise concerns about airline safety, Secretary Duffy announced that he spent work time going on a trip apparently funded by the very industries his agency oversees,” said CREW President Donald K. Sherman. “The second Trump administration has not earned an ounce of trust when it comes to putting the public’s needs before the desires of corporations that are funding administration pet projects. The public deserves clarity on exactly how the funding for Secretary Duffy’s travel worked and assurance that the companies involved, including a foreign automaker, will not receive preferential treatment from the agency.”
Secretary Duffy’s participation in this project may violate several ethics rules. The federal gift ban states that, except under a limited set of circumstances, no officer or employee of the executive shall solicit or accept anything of value from an entity involved with their agency. Because federal officials’ travel must be paid for by taxpayer funds to ensure private interests are not driving government decisions, rules mandate that federal officials’ travel on agency aircraft generally must be for official purposes. The Standards of Ethical Conduct prohibit executive branch officials from using, or permitting the use of, their government position or title to imply that their agency or the government endorses their personal activities. Officials are also prohibited from using the authority of their position to endorse any product, service or enterprise.
Blah blah blah. We don’t care about your complaint, guys, for many reasons—most notably that you’ve been shills for the Democratic Party for years. Look, this is America, you can be shills, but don’t hide behind this veneer of citizen watchdog. You guys are trash. Also, why should we care about Pete Buttigieg’s criticism of this initiative? The man was a terrible transportation secretary, couldn’t fix potholes in South Bend, Indiana, and isn’t going to be the 2028 nominee.
But back to why CREW should be the last folks mouthing off about this under the guise of ethics—their equity and ethics page is pretty much an ad for DEI/woke nonsense.
All Americans deserve a government that is ethical and accountable for its actions and transparent in its dealings. When the government fails to uphold this principle, historically marginalized communities often bear the brunt of the impact. When that happens, CREW is there to hold the government accountable.
For the immigrant and Black and brown communities that felt the weight of the first Trump administration’s abuses most acutely, the connection between racism and corruption is all too clear. As we are ushered into a second Trump presidency, we will continue to fight for an America where everyone has the right to be treated equally and ethically by their government, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Equality is essential to an ethical government, and corruption exacerbates systemic racism and inequality.
Also, they have an ACT Blue page. There’s nothing illegal here, but it’s suspicious for a “nonpartisan” group to have so many ties to the Democratic Party. So, whenever you see CREW quoted like that, just know it’s total crap.
Now that we’ve had this quick refresher, you can dismiss all criticisms happily. Also, Mr. Duffy mentioned to Salem Radio’s Scott Jennings that this trip for your family could be just a few miles from home; it doesn’t need to be a trip to Wally World like Clark Griswold’s in Vacation.
.@ScottJenningsKY loves a good road trip — especially for America’s 250th birthday. That’s why I joined his radio show to talk about my department’s commitment to celebrating America and bringing families together by reviving the Great American Road Trip.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 13, 2026
And yes — we debunked… pic.twitter.com/dBY9j5K1Z8
And Mr. Duffy has defended this project as he faces attacks from Democrats, because, of course, right?
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy just DEMOLISHED insufferable Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D)!
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 19, 2026
GILLIBRAND: Your [America250] road trip was paid for by companies you oversaw!
DUFFY: Do YOU have jurisdictions over law firms? You received $7 MILLION DOLLARS from the… pic.twitter.com/2DSGYze1Hj
NY Sen Gillibrand to Duffy, yesterday: “I’ve never been on a private jet."
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) May 20, 2026
Albany Local News Station, 2014: "New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand rank 1 and 2 in the Senate last year when it comes to tax dollars spent on charter plane flights." pic.twitter.com/ymQ2CfIGzr
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