[link removed] [[link removed]] MARCH 13, 2025
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Trump administration profile: Sean Duffy
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By Emma Rose Brown
The Senate confirmed [[link removed]] Sean Duffy as President Donald Trump’s secretary of transportation on Jan. 28, 2025. Duffy, a Republican who represented Wisconsin in the House of Representatives [[link removed]] , was expected to win confirmation with overwhelming bipartisan support but lost the backing of some Democratic senators [[link removed]] who used the vote to criticize Trump’s freeze on federal grants.
Since taking office, Duffy has visited [[link removed]] communities in Appalachia impacted by Hurricane Helene and directed [[link removed]] the Department of Transportation to prioritize infrastructure projects and grants in regions with higher-than-average marriage and birth rates. He has also been at the center of debates over the future of the FAA following multiple incidents that occurred since he was confirmed.
Who is he?
Duffy and his wife, conservative television personality Rachel Campos-Duffy, have nine children. The couple met in 1997 on the set of MTV’s reality show “Road Rules: All Stars.”
Duffy was appointed district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin, in 2002 by then-Gov. Scott McCallum, a fellow Republican. In 2010, Duffy won the 7th district and went on to serve in the House until 2019. During his time in Congress, Duffy supported Trump’s 2017 [[link removed]] policy banning travel to the United States. by citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. In 2018, he accused [[link removed]] U.S. allies in Europe, Canada and Mexico of engaging in “economic terrorism” for imposing tariffs in response to tariffs established by the Trump administration. He served on the Financial Services and Budget committees.
Since leaving Congress, Duffy has worked as a political analyst [[link removed]] for Fox News and as a lobbyist.
Follow the money
* Duffy’s lobbying experience [[link removed]] includes work with BGR Group, a Republican-aligned firm. BGR has represented a range of high-profile clients such as Russia’s Alfa-Bank [[link removed]] , Chevron [[link removed]] , the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [[link removed]] and the Russian-owned American Ethane [[link removed]] . While working for BGR, Duffy lobbied for the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies on issues similar to those he supported during his time in Congress [[link removed]] . His portfolio also included clients like oil company Enterprise Products [[link removed]] and automaker Polaris [[link removed]] .
* From 2009 to 2020, political action committees and employees of the insurance and securities/investment industries contributed around $2 million [[link removed]] to Duffy’s campaigns, including $70,000 from Northwestern Mutual [[link removed]] affiliates.
* Individuals [[link removed]] tied to Wisconsin-based companies Greenheck Fan Corp, an air movement and conditioning manufacturer, Wausau Homes, a custom home builder, and Northwestern Mutual contributed $177,000 over the course of Duffy’s congressional career. Those contribution totals outpaced donations from employees of any other business.
* In 2023, while working at BGR, Duffy made a $7,500 donation [[link removed]] to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Additionally, the Sean Duffy Campaign Committee contributed $7,000 to the Wisconsin Republican Party. As of December 2024, Duffy’s campaign committee had $2 million [[link removed]] in cash on hand, which can be used to support party committees or other candidates.
Why does it matter?
* Duffy’s transportation experience [[link removed]] is mostly confined to the lobbying work he did on behalf of a major airline coalition, but he now oversees agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Highway Administration.
* The former oil industry lobbyist and climate change skeptic [[link removed]] has already taken steps to reduce the cost of cars and eliminate electric vehicle incentives [[link removed]] .
* He also implemented a “Woke Rescission” memo [[link removed]] , rolling back Biden-era policies on climate change and environmental justice within the Department of Transportation.
Additional profiles
* Susie Wiles [[link removed]] , White House chief of staff
* Tulsi Gabbard [[link removed]] , director national intelligence
* Kash Patel [[link removed]] , director of the FBI
* Kristi Noem [[link removed]] , secretary of homeland security
* Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [[link removed]] , secretary of health and human services
* Linda McMahon [[link removed]] , secretary of education
* Elise Stefanik [[link removed]] , ambassador to the United Nations
* Doug Burgum [[link removed]] , secretary of the interior
* Pete Hegseth [[link removed]] , secretary of defense
* Pam Bondi [[link removed]] , attorney general
More News & Analysis [[link removed]]
Rep. Neal Dunn becomes latest lawmaker to violate STOCK Act
Rep. Neal Dunn [[link removed]]
A member of the House of Representatives has violated a federal law designed to defend against financial conflicts of interest and insider trading, OpenSecrets [[link removed]] has learned.
Federal records [[link removed]] indicate that Rep. Neal Dunn [[link removed]] (R-Fla.) was more than a month late disclosing to Congress that his wife purchased up to $50,000 worth of stock in MicroStrategy Inc., a business intelligence and cryptocurrency firm that owns more than $40 billion [[link removed]] worth of Bitcoin.
Dunn is the latest among [[link removed]] dozens [[link removed]] of federal lawmakers who’ve violated the disclosure requirements of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 [[link removed]] , which in part requires members of Congress to submit signed certifications of any stock trade made by themselves, a spouse or dependent child — and do so within 45 days of a trade.
On Dec. 24, Dunn’s wife, Leah Dunn, purchased between $15,001 and $50,000 worth of stock in MicroStrategy. (The company rebranded itself “Strategy” in February.) But Dunn did not disclose the trade until March 10, well after the federal deadline for doing so, a congressional filing [[link removed]] indicates.
Leah Dunn’s investment in a company steeped in digital financial assets comes at a pivotal time for the cryptocurrency industry, with President Donald Trump having earlier this month took steps to establish [[link removed]] a federal “strategic Bitcoin reserve” — something for which MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor has [[link removed]] advocated [[link removed]] .
Matt Maley, a spokesman for Dunn’s congressional office, acknowledged the lawmaker’s improper stock trade disclosure and told OpenSecrets that the couple’s financial trades are “made by an independent broker without any input from either the congressman or Mrs. Dunn.”
When an attorney who assists Dunn with filing financial disclosures noticed that the MicroStrategy stock purchase had not been properly disclosed, Dunn filed a late disclosure, Maley said. Dunn then notified the House Ethics Committee and “took all necessary action to ensure the situation was resolved.
“Congressman Dunn takes ethical and financial concerns very seriously and plans to continue working with the Ethics Committee to ensure that all necessary reporting requirements on this transaction are fulfilled,” Maley said.
Maley declined to comment on whether Dunn has paid a perfunctory $200 fine for a late filing — something the STOCK Act calls for, but that the Ethics Committee has been known to waive.
As for Leah Dunn’s investment, she purchased MicroStrategy stock on a day it closed above $358 per share. This week, the stock has been trading below $270 per share [[link removed]] .
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Join us at the American Democracy Summit
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We’re excited to announce our participation in the 2025 American Democracy Summit [[link removed]] — one of the premier gatherings of pro-democracy leaders and changemakers in the country. This year’s theme, "We The Future," is about coming together to build a stronger, more accountable government that truly represents all Americans — a theme that aligns perfectly with the OpenSecrets mission.
The American Democracy Summit will take place near Phoenix, Arizona, May 14-16, 2025.
Learn all about the summit’s innovative programming and world-class speakers here [[link removed]] . And use code OPENSECRETS to get 10% off your ticket.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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What else we're reading
Brian Fitzpatrick: 'dark money groups' turn town halls into 'circus;' no plans to hold one [[link removed]] (PhillyBurbs)
This Democrat is running for governor with no staff — but $35M in his corner [[link removed]] (New Jersey Monitor)
Grassley, Peters try again on lobbying reform bills [[link removed]] (Punchbowl)
Former state lawmaker convicted of campaign finance violations pardoned by President Donald Trump [[link removed]] (WJHL)
OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
Ted Cruz's 5G push risks interference with military operations, experts warn [[link removed]] (Houston Chronicle)
And the companies have plenty of support on Capitol Hill, where they are among the top donors to both parties. Dallas-based AT&T, for instance, was one of the largest donors to Cruz's reelection campaign against Democrat Colin Allred last year, contributing more than $66,000. And the company donated almost $47,000 to Cantwell's campaign, part of $5.7 million in donations and $21 million in lobbying expenses AT&T spent over the past two years, according to the campaign finance nonprofit OpenSecrets.
The Road from ‘Citizens United’ to Trump, Musk, and Corruption [[link removed]] (The xxxxxx)
When Citizens United turned ten, in 2020, the political money-tracker Open Secrets reported on what the ruling had wrought. Super PACs—the non-party committees created to legally raise cash in unlimited amounts to independently promote issues and candidates—spent $4.5 billion over the decade (up from $750 million over the previous twenty years). The major players of the new era, it turned out, were not corporations. They were millionaires and billionaires. “The 10 most generous donors and their spouses injected $1.2 billion into federal elections over the last decade,” OpenSecrets found.
The Roberts court is America’s last safeguard against Trump’s tyranny [[link removed]] (The Hill)
By July 2023, the Pew Research Center found that 80 percent of Democrats and 83 percent of Republicans believed large donors have too much influence over Congress. OpenSecrets observes that “the role of money in politics changed dramatically” after the decision: “Election spending has reached unprecedented heights, and … the public has less and less insight into the sources of that money.” The Brennan Center for Justice says, “Super PACs allow billionaires to pour unlimited amounts into campaigns, drowning out the voices of ordinary Americans.”
As FPL tries to pick our pockets, will regulators do their jobs? We hope so. [[link removed]] (Miami Herald)
Most people knew that NextEra was a prolific campaign contributor, earmarking millions to federal and state candidates. In 2023 and 2024 in Florida, the company and its subsidiaries showered $1.3 million on committees, parties and candidates, according to OpenSecrets.org, including $770,000 on Republican House and Senate campaign committees.
Crypto industry to emerge from ‘exile’ at White House summit [[link removed]] (The Washington Post)
The cryptocurrency industry spent nearly $88 million on lobbying Congress between 2012 and 2024, according to an analysis by OpenSecrets, a money-in-politics watchdog group. The vast majority of that spending — $71.4 million — occurred between 2022 and 2024.
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