US transportation secretary Sean Duffy has announced that the Trump administration is withholding $40 million in federal funding from California due to the state’s refusal to enforce English language requirements for commercial truck drivers.
The announcement follows the case of Indian trucker Harjinder Singh, who killed three people in August after making an illegal U-turn on a Florida road. Singh held a California-issued commercial license, but the English proficiency rules predate the crash.
Also Read | Florida crash: Indian trucker, Harjinder Singh, who killed 3, fails English, road tests; answered only 2 questions correctly
Duffy cited California’s failure to enforce English-language rules established under one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Video“California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement. This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America’s roads. The Golden State thinks it’s OK to ignore @USDOT English language requirements for truckers. You can play all the games you want, but not at the expense of American lives,” Duffy wrote on X.
The transportation secretary also noted that Singh’s immigration status should have prevented him from receiving a commercial license. The trucker is currently being held without bond and faces three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations. Investigators found that he had failed an English proficiency test but was still issued a license. Authorities reported that he entered the US illegally from Mexico in 2018.
California officials, however, said Singh had a valid work permit at the time.
'Facts don't lie': California official hits back
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for governor Gavin Newsom, told Fox News that California’s commercial truck drivers have a “lower crash rate than the national average.”
“It seems the secretary of transportation needs a lesson about the laws of his own roads. The reality is simple: Commercial driver’s license holders in California had a fatal accident rate nearly 40 per cent lower than the national average. Texas, the only state with more commercial driver’s license holders, has a rate nearly 50 per cent higher than California’s,” she remarked.
“The facts don’t lie, although for the Trump Administration, they seem optional,” Crofts-Pelayo added.
The announcement follows the case of Indian trucker Harjinder Singh, who killed three people in August after making an illegal U-turn on a Florida road. Singh held a California-issued commercial license, but the English proficiency rules predate the crash.
Also Read | Florida crash: Indian trucker, Harjinder Singh, who killed 3, fails English, road tests; answered only 2 questions correctly
Duffy cited California’s failure to enforce English-language rules established under one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Video“California is the only state in the nation that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read our road signs and communicate with law enforcement. This is a fundamental safety issue that impacts you and your family on America’s roads. The Golden State thinks it’s OK to ignore @USDOT English language requirements for truckers. You can play all the games you want, but not at the expense of American lives,” Duffy wrote on X.
🚨💸I’m withholding 40 MILLION DOLLARS in funding for California because they can’t get their priorities straight.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) October 15, 2025
The Golden State thinks it’s OK to ignore @USDOT English language requirements for truckers.
You can play all the games you want, but not at the expense of… pic.twitter.com/0fl8gfURXB
The transportation secretary also noted that Singh’s immigration status should have prevented him from receiving a commercial license. The trucker is currently being held without bond and faces three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations. Investigators found that he had failed an English proficiency test but was still issued a license. Authorities reported that he entered the US illegally from Mexico in 2018.
California officials, however, said Singh had a valid work permit at the time.
'Facts don't lie': California official hits back
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for governor Gavin Newsom, told Fox News that California’s commercial truck drivers have a “lower crash rate than the national average.”
“It seems the secretary of transportation needs a lesson about the laws of his own roads. The reality is simple: Commercial driver’s license holders in California had a fatal accident rate nearly 40 per cent lower than the national average. Texas, the only state with more commercial driver’s license holders, has a rate nearly 50 per cent higher than California’s,” she remarked.
“The facts don’t lie, although for the Trump Administration, they seem optional,” Crofts-Pelayo added.
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