On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a stern rebuke to California Governor Gavin Newsom, accusing him of misleading the public regarding an alleged extension for revoking commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued to non-citizens.
Duffy has been a vocal critic of the practice of granting CDLs to truck drivers who may have difficulty understanding English or comprehending road signs, highlighting the potential safety risks posed by such drivers on the road.
The secretary’s pointed response came on the heels of reports that the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was offering a 60-day extension to about 17,000 non-domiciled CDL holders. This extension would supposedly shift the license revocation deadline from January 5, 2026, to March 6, 2026.
The DMV justified this move by stating that more time was needed to reissue corrected licenses to eligible drivers. They also mentioned an ongoing class-action lawsuit spearheaded by advocacy groups as part of the delay.
However, Duffy took to social media to assert that California cannot unilaterally extend such deadlines without federal approval.
“Gavin Newsom is not telling the truth,” he posted on X. “The deadline to revoke unlawfully issued, unvetted foreign trucker licenses remains January 5. California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to continue violating the law and jeopardizing American road safety.”
Gavin Newsom is lying. The deadline to revoke illegally issued, unvetted foreign trucker licenses is still January 5.
California does NOT have an “extension” to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads.
Miss the deadline, Gavin, and the @USDOT will act —…
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) December 31, 2025
READ MORE: Duffy Drops the Hammer on Hochul, Says NY Has 30 Days to Fix CDL Licenses for Illegals or Lose $73M
Sean Duffy Condemns Court’s Ruling on Illegal Immigrant CDLs, Vows ‘Not to ‘Take This Lying Down’
Wait, you mean to tell me that you can’t just simply make up new rules out of thin air? Who knew? Maybe the Brylcreem seeping into Gavin’s dome is finally starting to clog up his cognitive abilities.
To be fair, the report only cites the action as being attempted by the folks at the DMV; it does not indicate Newsom is behind the extension.
The dispute stems from a 2025 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) audit that found systemic errors in California’s non-domiciled CDL program. Those included licenses with expiration dates extending beyond drivers’ lawful U.S. presence or work authorizations.
Just last month, Duffy yanked an astonishing 17,000 illegal truckers’ licenses in Newsom’s state.
“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” he said at the time. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”
BREAKING: California admits they illegally issued 17,000 non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses to “dangerous foreign drivers.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he’s revoking all of them.
Democrats gave CDLs to foreigners who don’t speak English or understand our… pic.twitter.com/wpZhCIYmKx
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 12, 2025
17,000 is an awful lot of illegal drivers on the road, especially when you consider the devastating impact just one can inflict on the American people.
Consider the case of Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old illegal from India, who drives home the point that issuing licenses to criminal aliens is a bad idea. Singh obtained CDLs in Washington and California despite failing his knowledge test 10 times. He also failed to pass an English proficiency assessment.
Singh is alleged to have caused a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike by making an illegal U-turn with his semi-truck, killing three people in a minivan. He was arrested on three counts of vehicular homicide and manslaughter.
BREAKING: It’s now being reported that Harjinder Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 after crossing the Mexico border and later obtained a Commercial Driver’s License in California pic.twitter.com/DUFhrOonBJ
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) August 17, 2025
Illegally licensed in Newsom’s California. Three dead Americans all the way across the country because of it.
Singh’s case led to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launching Operation Highway Sentinel, which led to the arrest of over 100 illegal alien truck drivers on California highways.
Duffy warned Newsom and the state DMV that if they fail to meet the January 5th deadline, the USDOT will cut off nearly $160 million in federal funding.
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