The $16 billion Hudson Tunnel project under construction between Manhattan and New Jersey will improve passenger rail service, an important issue for New York City commuters. This appears to have nothing to do with what is happening in northern Wisconsin.
But after the White House frozen federal subsidies For the project in the fall, citing concerns about diversity and equity measures, lobbyists interested in the tunnel donated $2,500 to a political novice running in the Republican primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.
The young candidate Michael Alfonso has no control over the subject. But his father-in-law knows: Sean Duffy is secretary of the American Department of Transportation.
Alfonso’s campaign contributions are among dozens of lobbyists, business executives and political action committees tied to industries — from railroads and highways to shipping and air transportation — that Duffy’s department funds and regulates. His department also oversees the Federal Aviation Administration.
Duffy held the 7th Congressional District seat for nearly a decade before resigning in 2019. He was replaced by Tom Tiffany, who is now running for Wisconsin governor, leaving the seat open again. Alfonso, 26, who has worked in construction and podcasting, has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
A ProPublica analysis found that many of Alfonso’s donors with transportation interests had never donated to Duffy or Tiffany. Although legal, such donations give the impression that helping Alfonso could help donors solve problems influenced by Duffy. (Policy reported on some of these contributions.)
“The law, as it stands, imposes very few constraints,” said Daniel Weiner, director of the elections and government program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a New York-based law and policy institute. “There is a very big gap between what is legal and what is ethical. This obviously raises many ethical questions.”
This is not the first time that someone close to a Cabinet secretary has raised thorny ethical questions. During the first Trump administration, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao makes headlines for appearing to give preferential treatment to Kentucky officials for millions of dollars in infrastructure grants. Kentucky is the home state of her husband, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. At the time, Chao’s office denied showing favoritism, saying Kentucky’s share was not unusual.
And in 2012, under President Barack Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, an Iowa Democrat, questions asked about the separation between the affairs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the campaign of his wife, Christie, who is running for Congress. Christie Vilsack told ProPublica in an interview that the couple was careful to make sure her husband was not involved in the campaign except to support her at some debates and on election night. He “never did any fundraising,” she said.
An influential member of Trump’s cabinet, Duffy openly supported his son-in-law’s campaign. The notice for a November “meet and greet” with Alfonso in Wausau, Wis., mentioned that Duffy would be a special guest, as did an invitation to another fundraiser in December.
Among the sponsors of the December event was the Delta Air Lines Political Action Committee. The invitation included a disclaimer: “Sean Duffy is not soliciting funds for this event. »
Alfonso’s campaign did not respond to ProPublica’s requests for an interview or comment. A Duffy spokesperson, Nathaniel Sizemore, provided a written statement saying, “The Secretary attends fundraising events in his personal capacity. Regulatory decisions are guided by occupational safety professionals, the law and the facts.”
Nothing in the law prohibits Duffy from campaigning for his son-in-law, as long as he does so on his own time, doesn’t use government resources, and doesn’t promise to take official action in exchange for a contribution.
Alfonso uses the same fundraising consultant, Kirstin Hopkins, employed by Duffy, according to Federal Election Commission records. Additionally, Alfonso received help with ads and mailers from a super PAC, the Northwoods Future PAC, funded with $1 million from Duffy’s former campaign committee. Alfonso’s family advantage angered some Wisconsin Republicans who do not want the newcomer to reach such an important position.
Through his own campaign committee, Alfonso had raised just over $305,000 as of the end of 2025, the latest filing available. By law, contributions for each election are limited to $3,500 for individuals and $5,000 for political action committees. Donors can contribute to multiple elections at the same time, such as a primary race and a general election.
Alfonso’s donors include lobbyist Jeffrey Miller, finance chairman of Trump’s last inaugural committee. In December, Miller and his company’s operations manager made a separate donation to Alfonso, totaling $8,500. No one who listed their company, Miller Strategies, as an employer had donated to Duffy or Tiffany in the past, according to FEC records.
Lobbying reports show Miller lobbied the Department of Transportation in 2025 on behalf of at least nine companies, a New York county and a Native American tribe. Issues included the regulation of airport signage, aviation permits for the development of a supersonic airliner, and advances in GPS technology. Miller said he defended Archer Aviation regarding electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft technology, known as eVTOL — the basis of future flying cars.
Earlier this month, Duffy announced an FAA pilot program, the first of its kind to test eVTOL technology in eight demonstration projects in 26 states. Archer was one of the companies selected to participate, according to the Department of Transportation. In a video accompanying the announcement, Duffy spoke enthusiastically about the technology, imagining “Ubers in the air” transporting people from airport to airport and beyond. He said: “eVTOLs are going to make the airspace a lot more interesting and a lot more fun, and we need to prepare for that. »
Miller did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment.
Alfonso graduated in 2022 from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in mathematics. He moved to Florida for a time to help produce a popular podcast hosted by Dan Bongino, a Trump supporter who later served briefly as deputy director of the FBI. (Bongino is back on podcast.)
According to Alfonso’s account, he and Trump first met in 2022 during Alfonso’s wedding to Duffy’s daughter, Evita. The reception took place at one of Trump’s golf courses in New Jersey.
Alfonso said that in an Oval Office meeting after deciding to run for Congress, he pledged his loyalty to the president. “I promised him that I would always be America first, that I would always fight for his agenda and that no one would ever outdo me,” Alfonso told Mark Halperin, another podcaster.
On social media in November, Alfonso thanked Duffy for coming to his first campaign event in Wausau, the town where the candidate met his future wife while they were in college.
The following month, the transportation secretary appeared at a fund-raiser for Alfonso at a Green Bay hotel near legendary Lambeau Field. Donors in attendance included Sharad Tak of Bethesda, Maryland, CEO of ST LNG, a looking for a license issued by the DOT to construct and operate a deep-water port off the coast of Matagorda, Texas, to load liquefied natural gas onto carriers.
Tak gave $500 to the campaign and his wife, Mahinder, who did not attend the ceremony, gave $7,000. Neither had donated to Duffy or Tiffany.
Tak did not respond to ProPublica’s request for an interview, but asked a longtime friend of his, Ann Murphy of Green Bay, who works as a consultant for him, to respond. Tak owns a paper mill in Oconto Falls, north of Green Bay. It’s not in the 7th Congressional District. But Murphy said Tak was visiting the state and agreed, at his request, to attend the fundraiser for Alfonso.
She said in an interview that the Texas liquefied natural gas project had no bearing on Tak’s campaign contribution. “Absolutely not.”
It’s typical, she says, for Tak and his wife to support causes, both political and philanthropic, that Murphy and her husband find interesting — and vice versa.
“We were very excited about Michael,” Murphy said of Alfonso, comparing him to Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA who inspired many young people before he was killed last year. “And he has the support of President Trump.”
Other donors to Alfonso’s candidacy include political action committees for employees of military aircraft maker Lockheed Martin, which is subject to FAA safety regulations and has lucrative government contracts, and for T-Mobile, which is working on a POINT project to improve the resilience of critical 5G infrastructure. PACs comprising unions and trade associations for heavy equipment operators, engineers, aviation services and the travel industry also participated.
The PAC of Brightline, a high-speed rail service in Florida, also donated $2,500 in December. Brightline trains have struck and killed more than 180 pedestrians or drivers at crossings since 2017, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN. Duffy promised to a congressional committee hearing in July to work to “reduce the number of deaths”. In September, he announced tthat his ministry would distribute $42 million to improve safety along the line. In a statement to Florida news agencies, Brightline officials blamed the deaths on suicides and the “reckless” behavior of people who put themselves in danger.
Brightline, T-Mobile and Lockheed Martin did not respond to ProPublica’s requests for comment. On its website, Lockheed Notes that it is complies with all applicable laws and regulations regarding its political and public policy activities.
Alfonso’s campaign attracted donations from others in the heavily regulated rail sector. Among them is Peter Bartek, founder of FTS Rail, which makes battery-powered rail repair tools and sensors that detect rail breaks caused by extreme heat or cold. He donated $3,644 in November. Duffy named Bartek last July to serve on a DOT advisory committee.
Bartek had never donated to a candidate in the district before. In an interview, he said he read a news article about Alfonso’s campaign and decided to donate. “I really like Secretary Duffy,” he said, “and I thought very simply, boy, if he’s anything like his father-in-law, it would be nice to support him too.”
He said in a text that he did not know Duffy personally and was not involved in Alfonso’s campaign or fundraising.
In New York, construction on the Hudson Tunnel project to improve commuter rail service came to a screeching halt in early February after the federal government cut funds. A court intervened, ordering the money to be released and work to resume. A bistate commission overseeing the project warned this month that it could face disruption again in the coming months if federal disbursements do not continue.
In response to ProPublica’s outreach, an executive with Venture Government Strategies, whose lobbyists for the tunnel project gave a total of $2,500 to Alfonso, said in an email that the company had no comment.
On his campaign website, Alfonso lists a dozen issues “we care about” — ranging from education and health care to immigration. He wants to “make farms and families strong”, “give a voice to generation Z” and fight against access to abortion.
Transportation issues are not among those priorities, but it still has the support of General Motors, which regularly lobbies the DOT on a variety of issues, including fuel economy, vehicle safety and emissions standards, as well as other mandates. The giant automaker also donated to Duffy when he was running for Congress, and the Transportation secretary became a booster. (GM did not respond to ProPublica’s request for comment.)
In mid-December, social media viewers saw Duffy slip behind the wheel of a sleek, limited-edition black Corvette, imbued with patriotic insignia to celebrate the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday.
“Over 1,000 horses,” Duffy said in a promotional videoemphasizing the dynamic characteristics of the $200,000 supercar. “We’re going to take this bad boy for a little test drive of the Army-Navy game.” He left.
The video, uploaded to social media platform
The message has been viewed more than 130,000 times: valuable publicity for the famous automobile manufacturer General Motors. A few weeks later, GM’s political action committee donated $1,000 to Alfonso.