Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday threatened to withhold $75 million in federal funding from Pennsylvania if Gov. Josh Shapiro doesn't revoke illegally issued licenses from "dangerous" foreign drivers.
The Department of Transportation said in a press release that Pennsylvania violated federal safety regulations by illegally issuing non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).
"Under President Trump, this Department is taking every measure to ensure dangerous foreign drivers aren't illegally operating 40-ton vehicles on American roads," Duffy said in the release.
"Joe Biden allowed tens of millions of illegals to pour into our country through open borders, including a suspected terrorist who Pennsylvania then allowed to get behind the wheel of a semitruck. I will continue to fight to get these dangerous drivers off our roads to protect American families and support our national security."
The DOT has been cracking down on CDLs issued illegally to undocumented individuals.
The Transportation Department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in an ongoing audit, found a pattern of states issuing licenses illegally to foreign drivers.
"What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American," Duffy said last week.
"Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers — oftentimes illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won't stand for it. Today's actions will prevent unsafe foreign drivers from renewing their license and hold states accountable to immediately invalidate improperly issued licenses."
Just last week, the department revoked 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs in California.
The move came after a fatal crash on Florida's Turnpike this past summer killed three people. The driver, Harjinder Singh, made an illegal U-turn that led to the deadly wreck.
According to the DOT, Singh was issued a non-domiciled commercial driver's license out of California but was not proficient in English and failed roadway signage tests.
The agency identified Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington as other states with licensing patterns that are not consistent with federal regulations.
Truckers are supposed to be disqualified if they can't demonstrate English proficiency, and Duffy said the driver involved in the crash should not have been given a commercial driver's license because of his immigration status.
The crash has become increasingly political, with the governors of California and Florida criticizing each other and Duffy highlighting the administration's immigration concerns in interviews.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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