The Trump administration has decided to withdraw $74 million in federal highway funding from New York State, citing the state’s refusal to remove immigrant truck drivers with expired work permits from its roads, The Post has revealed.
In a striking letter sent on Thursday, the US Department of Transportation cautioned Governor Kathy Hochul’s Department of Motor Vehicles that ongoing non-compliance might further jeopardize another $147 million in highway grants.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy expressed, “I pledged to the American public that I would ensure state leaders are held accountable for not protecting them from unvetted and unqualified foreign drivers. Today, I am fulfilling that promise by denying funding to Governor Hochul’s perilous and anti-American policies.”
Duffy added, “The message to New York’s progressive leadership is unmistakable: protecting families on American roads is paramount.”
The letter, reviewed by The Post, claims that the New York DMV is “unwilling” to adhere to previous directives from the DOT, which required a review of thousands of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and the removal of those held by non-residents with expired work documents.
A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit conducted last year revealed that out of around 32,000 CDLs issued to non-residents in New York, nearly half had expiration dates extending well beyond the validity of their work authorizations.
“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 crackdown comes amid a number of high profile accidents involving migrant truck drivers, including a Florida wreck that left three dead last year.
New York DMV staff admitted to the feds that truckers are usually approved for an eight-year permit by default, even if they are not US citizens whose work papers last for a much smaller period of time, according to the letter, signed by Barrs.
The state stopped licensing new non-resident commercial drivers in February, following an order from the Trump admin tightening restrictions.
But New York is maintaining that it’s not legally required to comply with the feds demands that it go back and retroactively review previously issued licenses after DOT issued new, stronger, restrictions against non-resident truck drivers earlier this year, the letter states.
“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.”
DOT did note in the letter that DMV provided records to show it had properly reviewed documentation to prove the lawful residence for five of six drivers it had previously flagged as non-complaint.
Hochul’s office and the DMV didn’t immediately comment.
