Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) urging him to conduct an investigation into whether Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s conflicts of interest contributed to his department ending passenger protection rules, and whether he has favored the airline industry that he previously lobbied for.

Instead of working to make air travel more affordable this holiday season, Secretary Duffy has: ended protections that would’ve required airlines to automatically send passengers cash refunds for certain expenses resulting from flight cancellations or delays of more than 3 hours caused by the airline; halted a rule that required airlines to refund travelers when they canceled flights and rebooked passengers with a different flight number; released new guidance informing airlines that they no longer have to compensate passengers for expenses incurred as a result of delays and cancellations caused by aircraft recalls; and more.

“The impact of these changes will hit travelers right in the wallet: airlines will keep billions of extra dollars that otherwise would have gone toward reimbursing Americans who the industry has left stranded in airports across the country,” wrote the lawmakers. “These wins for airlines were delivered by a former industry lobbyist who now leads DOT, Secretary Duffy.”

Before becoming Secretary of Transportation, Secretary Duffy worked at the lobbying firm BGR Government Affairs, working as an airline industry lobbyist in 2020, and consultant as recently as 2024. He formerly worked for the airline industry coalition Partnership for Open Skies, representing major airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. He also has maintained a relationship with his former firm, previously serving as a member of BGR’s advisory board and a consultant for BGR clients, and even last week attending a sporting event in the suite of BGR’s managing director. The lawmakers laid out their concerns that Secretary Duffy may have ended protections for travelers not based on the good of flying Americans but, at least in part, as a result of conflicts of interest and potential bias related to his former client’s airline members.

Given the lawmakers’ concerns about bias and conflicts of interest and whether they may have affected the DOT rulemaking process, lawmakers are asking the DOT’s OIG to evaluate the Secretary’s compliance with federal ethics laws and his involvement in regulatory matters that may affect his former clients.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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