Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Tries to Grill Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Gets Hit With Her Own $7 Million Problem

Democrats love a good oversight performance, right up until someone turns the question back on them.

President Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand tried to turn the hearing into an ethics attack.

Her target was a DOT travel initiative called The Great American Road Trip, tied to America 250 and the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.

Sean Duffy resorts to whataboutism to defend spending parts of 7 months on a roadtrip:

DUFFY: The great American roadtrip was a partnership with a nonprofit–

GILLIBRAND: Funded by organizations and companies that you oversee

DUFFY: Do you have jurisdiction over law firms?… pic.twitter.com/zTALPIJsIT

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2026

Gillibrand accused Duffy of using his office politically, alleging the project was funded by companies including Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, Enterprise, Shell, and Royal Caribbean Group.

Duffy pushed back that the project was part of an official America 250 partnership through