New York is facing a potential loss of over $73.5 million in federal funding as the Transportation Department announced that the state has not acted to revoke nearly 33,000 questionable commercial driver's licenses held by immigrants. This follows an audit that uncovered serious compliance issues, revealing that over half of the 200 licenses reviewed had significant problems, including being valid long after the immigrant's authorization to be in the country had expired.
The federal government's investigation into non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) has spanned all states since Secretary Sean Duffy brought attention to this issue after a crash in Florida in August that resulted in three fatalities. Most states have either complied or are negotiating with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. However, New York, which issued 32,606 of these licenses, remains under scrutiny.
In his address, Duffy stated, I promised the American people I would hold any state leader accountable for failing to keep them safe from unvetted, unqualified foreign drivers. I’m delivering on that promise today. This move has led to fears among New York officials who argue they are adhering to federal laws and criticize the audits conducted during the previous Trump administration as supportive of their practices.
While the new regulations from the Transportation Department will allow the revocation of questionable licenses and restrict future issuance, New York officials maintain that the federal intervention appears to target blue states unfairly. Sean Butler, spokesman for Governor Kathy Hochul, remarked, This continues a yearlong pattern of Secretary Duffy threatening to withhold money that keeps our roads, subways, and other infrastructure safe for New Yorkers. We will fight back, and once again we will win.”
Trucking industry representatives have endorsed the Transportation Department's actions, emphasizing the need to remove unqualified drivers from the roads and ensure safety. However, immigrant advocacy groups are concerned that these measures might disproportionately affect certain communities, highlighting that some groups, such as Sikh truck drivers, are feeling particularly targeted in light of recent incidents.
