Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation, is now being criticized for leaving Washington, D.C., to attend a congressional campaign event for his son-in-law. 

The criticism, according to the Daily Mail, is that Duffy picked the wrong place at the wrong time.

The problem, of course, is the ongoing government shutdown, which, despite the efforts of President Donald Trump, does not appear to be ending anytime soon.

Politicians in Washington don’t care that their decisions are hurting Americans.

That’s why I’m traveling to airports across the country asking passengers how the shutdown is impacting their travel.

I want to hear what you’re going through and what you think the Department of… pic.twitter.com/xACCBUg3x5

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 8, 2025

A wrong move by Duffy?

The Daily Mail is claiming that Duffy "never approved his plan with the White House." What's more is that the outlet claims to have an anonymous "source close to the White House" that is leading the criticism of Duffy.

The source is said to have called Duffy's move "world class stupid." It is up to you to decide how much credit to give to these anonymous sources, especially from an outlet such as the Daily Mail.

It goes on to provide a statement about the matter from the Transportation Department.

The outlet reports

The secretary is attending his son-in-law's event in a personal capacity, a Transportation Department spokesperson told the Daily Mail, adding Duffy's presence 'does not reflect any official administration position or endorsement.'

It also provides a little context noting, "Staffing issues within the secretary's agency and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are threatening to cause a catastrophic couple of weeks if the government shutdown is not ended."

"Open the damn government."

Duffy recently blasted Democrats for refusing to open the government.

Breitbart News reports:

Flight numbers will continue to be reduced, and the only way to fix it is Democrats opening the “damn government,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a discussion with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle.

During the interview, Duffy provided his take on the situation.

Duffy noted how the shutdown has "put a lot of pressure on the air traffic control system," adding, "you’ve seen that play out over the course of the month with more delays and more cancellations."

Duffy later said, "We have worked overtime to make sure that we minimize the impact on the American people. We’re trying to help the American people." To the Democrats, he said, "Open the damn government."