President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to strip California of the power to issue commercial driver’s licenses if the deep blue state continues violating federal transportation safety standards.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a sharp warning to California on Thursday, also threatening to cut off millions more in federal funding if the violations continue.
The Transportation Department has already withheld more than $40 million from California after investigators found the state had failed to meet federal English-language proficiency rules for truck drivers, Duffy said in a post on X.
I’ve already withheld $40 MILLION from California for not enforcing our English language requirements.
There’s another $160 MILLION on the line if California doesn’t immediately comply with @USDOT’s rules.
We have to use every tool in the toolbox to protect the American people… pic.twitter.com/GF3RVkJIcY
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) October 24, 2025
In an interview with Fox News, Duffy said the department is prepared to take further action if Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration refuses to comply.
“I’m doing a quick review of [the state’s] lack of compliance for our rules,” Duffy said.
“I have the ability and I’m going to pull almost another $160 million.
“And then I have the ability for California to say, listen, you don’t follow any of these rules that keep Americans safe, we’re going to revoke your ability to issue a commercial driver’s license.”
The warning follows a September 26 letter from the department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) notifying Newsom that an investigation found California issued commercial driver’s licenses to nondomiciled drivers whose work authorizations had expired.
The letter ordered California to:
• Halt the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses to nondomiciled drivers;
• Identify all unexpired licenses issued in violation of federal law;
• Conduct an internal audit to find procedural and programming errors; and
• Implement corrective measures or risk the loss of additional federal highway funds and decertification of its commercial licensing program.
Federal scrutiny of California’s licensing practices intensified after a fatal crash in Florida on August 12, involving a semi-truck driver who had entered the U.S. illegally through the southern border in 2018.
The driver, Harjinder Singh, an Indian national, allegedly made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike, causing a minivan to collide with his truck.
All three occupants of the minivan were killed.
Officials revealed Singh was issued a commercial driver’s license in California in July 2024, despite being in the country illegally and failing required English and road sign tests.
He had also obtained a full-term license in Washington state in 2023.
On October 23, federal immigration authorities announced a separate arrest involving another Indian national, Jashanpreet Singh, 21, accused of causing a fatal truck crash in California while driving under the influence of drugs.
The wreck killed three people and injured several others, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE said it filed an arrest detainer on Oct. 22 for Singh, describing him as “a criminal illegal alien from India.”
The Trump administration has moved aggressively to tighten commercial trucking regulations in response to such cases.
On August 21, the administration paused the issuance of all worker visas for commercial truck drivers, citing safety concerns and the need to protect American jobs.
California’s Department of Transportation followed with an emergency rule last month prohibiting the issuance or renewal of limited-term commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens.
Duffy has repeatedly emphasized that the crackdown is about restoring accountability and safety in an industry that directly affects millions of Americans.
“You don’t follow any of these rules that keep Americans safe,” he said.
“We’re going to revoke your ability to issue a commercial driver’s license.”
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