Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is now reportedly threatening to pull nearly $75 million in federal funding from Pennsylvania after a federal investigation found the state had been “illegally” issuing commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to foreign nationals who were ineligible or unable to prove lawful presence in the United States.
Duffy announced the possible withholding of funds Thursday, revealing that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) uncovered multiple violations by Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation. According to FMCSA findings, the state issued CDLs with expiration dates extending beyond an immigrant’s authorized stay and, in some cases, failed to obtain any verification of legal status at all.
“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 a Department of Transportation press release.
Duffy placed the blame squarely on former President Biden’s border policies.
“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,” he said. “I will continue to fight to get these dangerous drivers off our roads to protect American families and support our national security.”
Duffy’s comments reference the arrest earlier this week of an Uzbek national suspected of terrorist ties. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the individual was working as a commercial truck driver using a Pennsylvania-issued CDL at the time he was apprehended — a stark example, Duffy argued, of the dangers created by lax state-level oversight and federal failure at the border.
Following the discovery, Duffy issued a formal warning to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and the state’s transportation secretary. He told both officials that Pennsylvania must take “immediate corrective action” to overhaul and secure its CDL-issuing procedures. If not, the Department of Transportation may decertify the state’s commercial licensing program entirely and withhold tens of millions in federal highway funds.
In a letter to Pennsylvania officials, Duffy emphasized that the goal is compliance — not punishment, though the consequences will be severe if the state fails to act.
“Pennsylvania is an important partner in FMCSA’s mission to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses,” Duffy wrote. “The Agency makes this preliminary determination to help Pennsylvania come into substantial compliance.”
The showdown underscores a broader national divide over border security and public safety. While the former Biden administration continues to face mounting criticism over the unprecedented influx of illegal immigration, Trump administration officials — now reinstalled at key federal agencies — are moving aggressively to tighten enforcement and crack down on states that fail to adhere to federal requirements.
Pennsylvania now has a choice: swiftly reform its licensing protocols or risk losing tens of millions of dollars in critical federal highway funding, all while facing renewed scrutiny for allowing an ineligible and allegedly dangerous foreign national behind the wheel of a commercial truck.
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