The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it would not give California $40 million in federal funds. This is because the state would not enforce English proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers. This is making the fight between Washington and Sacramento over highway safety rules even worse.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the announcement after a crash in Florida in August that killed three people. The truck driver in the incident, Harjinder Singh, was an undocumented person who had been given a California commercial driver’s license. This was even though he had failed English proficiency tests.
Federal Safety Standards vs. State Compliance
Duffy says that California is the only state that doesn’t enforce federal rules that require commercial truckers to speak English. The rules say that drivers must be able to read road signs. They must also talk to police officers in a clear way. The administration thinks these are basic skills for keeping the public safe.
Duffy posted on social media, “The Golden State thinks it’s okay to ignore USDOT English language requirements for truckers.” “You can play all the games you want, but not if it means killing Americans.”
One of President Trump’s executive orders aimed to make commercial driver qualifications the same across the country. This led to the federal order. California’s failure to comply puts millions of dollars in transportation funding at risk.
Federal Action After Deadly Florida Crash
The freeze on funding comes weeks after investigators found out that Singh, an Indian national who came to the US illegally in 2018, caused a deadly crash while trying to make an illegal U-turn in Fort Pierce, Florida. Singh had valid commercial licenses from both California and Washington state, even though he failed English proficiency tests.
Singh is charged with three counts of vehicular homicide in state court and immigration violations in federal court. He is still in jail without bail.
California Fights Back with Safety Stats
California officials strongly disagree with how the administration described the state’s record on trucking safety. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, who speaks for Governor Gavin Newsom, said that data shows that commercial drivers in California have a fatal accident rate that is almost 40% lower than the national average.
Crofts-Pelayo said, “In California, people with commercial driver’s licenses had a fatal accident rate that was almost 40% lower than the national average.” “Texas has the most commercial driver’s license holders, and its rate is almost 50% higher than California’s.”
California officials also said that Singh had a valid work permit when the state gave him his commercial license. This makes it harder to figure out who is responsible for enforcing the law at the state and federal levels.
Way to Get Better
California needs to do certain things to get the $40 million in federal funding back. These include enforcing rules about English proficiency. It also means making sure state inspectors test drivers’ language skills during roadside inspections. Taking any driver who fails these tests off the road right away is also necessary.
The standoff shows how tensions are rising between California and the Trump administration over issues like immigration enforcement, state sovereignty, and public safety standards. These tensions are likely to get worse as the 2026 midterm elections get closer.
