WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that three Democrat-led states must enforce English language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers or face federal funding cuts.
Duffy singled out California, Washington and New Mexico, saying they had 30 days to comply before their funds from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program were cut off. That money aims to help state and local law enforcement agencies improve commercial vehicle safety.
The administration is acting on the heels of a deadly Florida crash that conservatives have pointed to in their criticism of policies that they say allowed migrants to enter the United States illegally.
"States don’t get to pick and choose which federal safety rules to follow," Duffy said in a news release detailing the announcement. "As we saw with the horrific Florida crash that killed three, when states fail to enforce the law, they put the driving public in danger."
Authorities say the fatal crash Duffy’s statement referred to was caused by Harjinder Singh, a migrant who they say was in the United States illegally.
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom laid blame for the accident on the Trump administration.
"This is rich. The Trump Administration approved the federal work permit for the man who killed 3 people — and now they’re scrambling to shift blame after getting caught," spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo said in a statement. "Sean’s nonsense announcement is as big a joke as the Trump Administration itself. SAD!"
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin has previously hit back against the assertion, saying last week on X that Singh was authorized to work during the Biden administration.
Newsom's office responded on X, saying, "Thank you for confirming that the federal government issued him a work permit and you FAILED to revoke it!"
The U.S. Marshals Service announced the arrest of Singh this month.
Singh is accused of having entered the United States illegally in 2018, according to the Marshals Service. Law enforcement officials interviewed Singh after the crash using translation services, according to the arrest affidavit.
Singh's case outraged conservatives, who painted the crash as a consequence of migration. The Department of Homeland Security accused Singh of failing an English language proficiency assessment.
Singh had obtained his commercial driver's license in California, according to the Marshals Service.
In remarks to reporters Tuesday, Duffy laid blame on all three states for the deadly crash, which took place in Florida, criticizing Singh's receiving a license, pointing to his allegedly having been pulled over in July for speeding and criticizing New Mexico law enforcement for not having taken "his rig out of service."
"This one driver touched all three states. Based on our review, they are not complying with our rule," Duffy said.
Michael Coleman, a spokesperson for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, said in an email that “We are aware of recent claims regarding the enforcement of these regulations and are actively seeking more information from the relevant federal and state partners.”
“Initial reports suggest that these claims relate to a small number of roadside incidents over a three-month period,” he added. “We are confident that a full review of these incidents will demonstrate that New Mexico is in full compliance with federal law and that our state police are effectively enforcing safety regulations on our roadways.”
A spokesperson for Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson told NBC News that Washington officials have not received Duffy’s letter.
“We will review it when we receive it and carefully evaluate next steps,” Ferguson’s communications director said in an email Tuesday afternoon.
Duffy outlined what a “pull back” in federal funding from his department would look like for the three states during a Fox News interview Tuesday night.
“California’s $30 million, Washington’s $10 and New Mexico’s is $7 million. That’s just step one,” he said on “The Ingraham Angle.” “We have a whole bunch of equities to play with states that don’t comply with this law, because this is a safety issue.”
Also on the heels of the California crash, Florida state officials announced this week that law enforcement officials would be stationed at checkpoints, working with “federal and state partners on immigration enforcement and checking for English proficiency for commercial drivers while continuing agricultural inspections.”
Following an executive order from President Donald Trump, Duffy signed an order in May strengthening English language proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers and requiring drivers who do not meet the standard to be taken off the road.
The Obama administration had changed the penalty for commercial motor vehicle drivers who did not meet the necessary English requirements, downgrading the penalty to a citation rather than being barred from driving.
