Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's family road-trip reality series turned into political fuel in a heated Senate hearing on Tuesday. Per the New York Times, Democrats blasted the five-part YouTube show—funded by a nonprofit backed by transportation industry donors—as an elite, corporate-sponsored jaunt that most Americans could never afford and a potential conflict of interest for the official who regulates those donors. "It doesn't smell right," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said, per the Hill. Duffy countered with, "I got nothing from anybody," per Politico. He also accused his critics of hypocrisy over their own campaign contributions, prompting Sen. Patty Murray to say he came armed with "a book on every one of us" instead of answers for the panel, per the Times.
The Trump administration has said the trip—filmed with Duffy's wife and nine children across 10 states and in separate segments over a seven-month span—is a legitimate part of the administration's celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary, with Duffy insisting it was cleared by agency ethics and budget staff. But the agreement he cited doesn't cover the corporate donors behind the nonprofit, nor clarify why his family is able to benefit from what was described as a gift to his agency. Pressed on costs, including gas, Duffy couldn't provide figures. Murray called the show "out of touch" and said Americans "don't have corporate sponsors to pay for their gas." Duffy's rejoinder: "Do you hate America? Don't you want to celebrate America? It's our birthday."
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