Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy front‑lined a YouTube series called “The Great American Road Trip” as part of the nation’s 250th‑anniversary celebration. Filmed in ten states and Washington, D.C., the five‑episode run doubles as a family vacation, with his wife, Fox News anchor Rachel Campos‑Duffy, and their children appearing alongside him. The series will debut on YouTube in June later this.

Critics argue the travel was paid for by Great American Road Trip Inc., a nonprofit whose disclosed sponsors include Toyota, United Airlines and Boeing—companies currently under DOT scrutiny. Department officials say ethics and budget officers cleared the project, noting the nonprofit’s memorandum bars any preferential treatment. Nonetheless, watchdogs contend the arrangement amounts to gift laundering for the secretary’s family now.

Federal investigators have been urged to probe whether Duffy violated ethics statutes by accepting nonprofit‑funded travel for his relatives. The controversy arrives as gas prices have surged over 40 % since February, heightening public sensitivity to perceived perks. With major automakers and airlines under investigation, the episode underscores the need for stricter separation between DOT officials and industry benefactors in government.