The Trump administration has moved to withdraw $74 million in federal highway funding from New York, citing the state’s refusal to comply with directives to remove certain immigrant truck drivers with expired work authorization from the roads.
According to a report by The NY Post, the U.S. Department of Transportation sent a sharply worded letter Thursday to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Department of Motor Vehicles warning that failure to address the issue could result in an additional $147 million in highway grants being withheld.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the funding cut reflects a broader commitment to enforcing safety standards and holding state leaders accountable.
“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 by refusing to fund Governor Hochul’s dangerous, anti-American policies,” US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy told The NY Post in a statement.
“My message to New York’s far left leadership is clear: families must be prioritized on American roads.”
Federal officials contend that the New York DMV has not followed earlier instructions to review thousands of commercial driver’s licenses and revoke those issued to non-residents whose work permits have expired.
The letter states that the agency “refuses” to comply with those requirements, despite repeated warnings from Washington.
A prior review conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that out of roughly 32,000 commercial licenses issued in New York to non-residents, about half had expiration dates extending well beyond the validity of the drivers’ work authorization.
“New York’s continued refusal to fix these failures undermines that mission, and we will not allow federal dollars to support a system that falls short of the law,” FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said.
The federal action comes against the backdrop of several serious crashes involving migrant truck drivers, including a fatal incident in Florida last year that claimed three lives.
According to federal officials, New York DMV staff acknowledged that commercial licenses are often granted for up to eight years by default, even when a driver’s work authorization is valid for a much shorter period.
In response to federal pressure, the state halted the issuance of new commercial licenses to non-resident drivers in February, following stricter guidance from the Trump administration.
However, New York has taken the position that it is not legally obligated to retroactively review previously issued licenses under the updated federal standards, a stance outlined in the letter.
“FMCSA is deeply disappointed by DMV’s refusal to take the necessary corrective actions set forth in the Preliminary Determination,” the letter states. “The withholding of Federal funds is the direct and necessary consequence of New York’s own actions and its demonstrated disregard for Federal safety standards.”
State officials have pushed back strongly, arguing that the federal government’s claims are unfounded and politically motivated.
“These charges are a baseless attempt to attack blue states, because as everyone knows New York simply follows federally-issued rules when issuing commercial drivers licenses, something that even the Trump Administration has acknowledged,” Hochul spokesperson Sean Butler told The Post noting the FMCSA hadn’t taken issues with the state’s CDL program during Trump’s first administration.
“This continues a year long 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,” Hochul’s flak continued.
Federal officials noted in the letter that the DMV did provide documentation showing that five of six previously flagged drivers had valid proof of lawful residence, indicating at least some level of compliance in specific cases.
{Matzav.com}
