Transportation Secretary Withholds $40 Million from California
On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declared that he is withholding $40 million in federal funding from California due to the state’s failure to comply with regulations mandating that truck drivers demonstrate English proficiency.
This announcement follows Duffy’s warning to California last month, where he stated that the state had a 30-day period to adhere to new regulations; otherwise, federal highway funds could be cut beginning at nearly $160 million in the first year.
On social media platform X, Duffy expressed his frustration, stating, “I’m withholding 40 MILLION DOLLARS in funding for California because they can’t get their priorities straight. The Golden State thinks it’s OK to ignore [Transportation Department] English language requirements for truckers. You can play all the games you want, but not at the expense of American lives.”
This decision comes in the wake of a tragic incident involving an undocumented truck driver with a California commercial driver’s license. The driver accidentally killed three people while attempting an unauthorized U-turn with a commercial semi-truck on the Florida Turnpike, resulting in a minivan colliding with the jackknifed trailer and causing fatalities.
Duffy mentioned that California remains the “only state” that does not ensure that truck drivers meet basic English proficiency requirements, according to Fox News.
In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s spokesperson, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, highlighted that commercial truck drivers from California have a lower crash rate than the national average. “It seems the Secretary of Transportation needs a lesson about the laws of his own roads,” she commented, noting that California’s fatal accident rate among commercial drivers is nearly 40% lower than the national average, while Texas, which has more commercial drivers, has a rate almost 50% higher.
The Transportation Department has stated that to have its funding reinstated, California must enforce proficiency standards and ensure that state inspectors test truck drivers’ English skills during roadside inspections.
