Boeing reportedly donated to transportation secretary's road trip

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his family rode snowmobiles, boarded a cruise ship and sat down with Kid Rock as they crisscrossed the country to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

Helping to pick up the tab? Boeing.

The company kicked in $1 million to help fund the five-part video series, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing sources familiar with the agreements.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Department of Transportation and The Great American Road Trip, a nonprofit, are promoting the video series with a trailer showing Duffy, his wife and their nine children taking in the sights. The nonprofit said it funded the series with the help of corporate sponsorships.

"So gas up the car, pack up the kids, get behind the wheel, and get out and see America," Duffy says in a voice-over.

The effort has already been a lightning rod for criticism as out of touch and self-serving in a moment of rising gas prices and economic struggle for many Americans. In an X post earlier this month, Duffy blamed the "radical, miserable left" for the criticism.

Corporate donations to the effort also raise ethical questions about potential attempts to curry favor with Duffy, a former member of Congress and reality TV cast member.

The Transportation Department includes the Federal Aviation Administration, which plays a role in overseeing Boeing.

The relationship between Boeing and its regulators came under intense scrutiny after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, prompting lawmakers to question whether Boeing exercised too much control over its own oversight. That relationship again came to the fore after the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX panel blowout in 2024. The FAA capped Boeing's MAX production following that incident.

The agency last week approved Boeing's plan to return its MD-11 planes to the sky after grounding the planes following a fatal UPS crash in November.

Separately, the Department of Transportation's inspector general said last month the FAA should do more to address safety risks from an engine feature on the MAX.

The Transportation Department said in a statement Duffy's participation was approved by USDOT ethics attorneys" and that he and his family do not receive "production royalties."

"There is a formal agreement between USDOT and the nonprofit that expressly states the nonprofit will not receive 'any favorable consideration for any future federal financial assistance, action, contract, or other financial award,' the department said.

The Great American Road Trip, the nonprofit behind the effort, lists Boeing, Toyota, Shell and others as sponsors for the series. Tori Barnes, a former U.S. Travel Association executive, founded the group. Barnes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The "road trip," set to stream on YouTube, was shot one to two days at a time, according to Duffy. The series features a stop at Boeing's South Carolina 787 Dreamliner factory, The Wall Street Journal reported.

While an Amtrak train appears briefly in the trailer, there's little sign the family used transit for their travels.

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 12:13 PM.