- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended his sponsored cross-country road trip reality show, The Great American Road Trip , saying its purpose is to unite the country and encourage tourism.
- The YouTube series, filmed with his family, is intended to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
- Senate Democrats raised ethical concerns regarding the trip's funding, which reportedly reached up to $1 million from corporate sponsors like Boeing, United Airlines, Royal Caribbean, Toyota, Enterprise, and Shell, many of whom have business before federal transportation regulators.
- Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Patty Murray criticized the project, arguing that it was inappropriate for companies overseen by Duffy's department to fund it, and that promoting a road trip was "out of touch" given high gas prices.
- Duffy denied ethical concerns, citing a "memo of understanding" that prevents sponsors from receiving benefits, and controversially compared current gas prices to those under a previous administration, saying he didn't know how much gas his family used.
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