The U.S. Department of Transportation has moved to withhold $73 million in federal funding from New York after an audit found widespread violations in how the state issued commercial driver’s licenses, particularly to foreign applicants.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a recent interview on Fox News the action follows findings that more than half of certain licenses were issued improperly, raising concerns about safety on roads across the country.
OMG
53% of Commercial Driver’s Licenses issued to foreigners in New York were issued ILLEGALLY
We have foreigners who don’t speak English or understand our road signs driving massive trucks across our country, putting us all in danger
Democrats did this pic.twitter.com/bGRmCzcCRX
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 20, 2026
According to Duffy, New York was given months to correct the issue by reviewing and revoking improperly issued licenses, but the state declined to take corrective action, prompting the funding freeze as an initial enforcement step. He added that additional penalties could follow if compliance is not achieved, including further funding cuts and potential restrictions on a state’s ability to issue commercial driver’s licenses altogether.
As WorldNetDaily previously reported, Duffy vowed late last year to target so-called “CDL mills,” warning that fraudulent licensing programs were putting unqualified drivers behind the wheel of heavy commercial vehicles.
The latest findings appear to confirm those concerns.
Duffy says investigators uncovered cases involving what he described as fake schools, where individuals could pay for certification without receiving proper training.
“It’s kind of like the Learing Center in Minnesota. You pay $1,000 to the school. There’s no curriculum, there’s no driver. They get a certificate that they pass the school and don’t know anything about commercial driving,” he said.
Under normal standards, commercial driver’s license applicants are required to complete rigorous training and testing to safely operate vehicles that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.
One major concern Duffy has stems from failures in the system having nationwide safety consequences, stating, “Commercial drivers don’t stay in New York. They drive across the country. … These drivers from New York drive trucks through Oklahoma and every other state, and so they endanger the families that are going to church on a Sunday morning. … We’ve seen way too many videos of commercial drivers who can’t read road signs.”
The crackdown also highlights broader concerns about job displacement and enforcement, with Duffy arguing that unqualified or improperly licensed drivers are taking positions that would otherwise go to trained American workers.
“There are countless Americans that want to drive trucks. These are great jobs, they support families, and instead we have illegals or foreigners getting these jobs, and they’re hurting the American people,” he said.
Meanwhile, “CBS Sunday Morning” reported Sunday the number of Americans dying in accidents involving trucks is up by 50% compared to 15 years ago.
In 2024, approximately 5,000 people died in accidents involving trucks, up more than 50% from 15 years ago. And while a new proposed law would strengthen enforcement against truck drivers, safety advocates say it will do nothing against freight brokers – middleman companies that… pic.twitter.com/V5ZLMMhjat
— CBS Sunday Morning ? (@CBSSunday) April 19, 2026
