The Trump administration intensified its clash with Democratic-led states on Thursday, warning Pennsylvania that nearly $75 million in federal transportation money could be frozen unless the state immediately revokes commercial driver’s licenses it says were improperly issued to immigrants.
The threat, issued by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, reiterates an earlier move against California. Both states have openly criticized President Donald Trump’s policies, and their governors are viewed as potential heavyweights in the race for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
Duffy has focused sharply on commercial licensing practices since August, when a tractor-trailer driver who was not authorized to be in the United States made an illegal U-turn in Florida and caused a crash that killed three people. That tragedy ignited national debate over how states verify the eligibility of noncitizen applicants.
READ ALSO: 9 Trump policies that will hurt Black Americans
DOT spokesperson Danna Almeida said in a Thursday statement that every state is under review.
Pennsylvania officials responded that the federal government has not identified a single commercial license issued to anyone who lacked proper status. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said the state’s own checks have revealed no violations. Even so, federal officials cited an audit that found two cases out of 150 where licenses outlasted the lawful presence of the holders.
The administration also pointed to four applicants for whom Pennsylvania could not provide documentation showing that noncitizens were required to prove legal status at the time of issuance.
The government has now ordered Pennsylvania to stop issuing, renewing or transferring commercial driver’s licenses until it completes an audit and identifies every license tied to a stay in the United States that exceeds the holder’s legal authorization. Officials want the state to void any noncompliant licenses and to remove those drivers from the road. According to federal estimates, about 12,400 noncitizens in Pennsylvania currently hold unexpired commercial learner’s permits or commercial driver’s licenses.
Both Shapiro and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration, and each has been singled out by federal officials in recent months.
READ ALSO: Michelle Obama reveals Trump-era immigration policies keep her up at night
Shapiro’s office said the state stopped issuing commercial licenses to noncitizens in late September after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released a new regulation drastically limiting eligibility. Although a federal court has paused that rule, the state has not resumed issuing non-domiciled CDLs.
Pennsylvania transportation officials insisted Thursday that they follow federal verification rules by checking each applicant’s status through a U.S. Department of Homeland Security database. Shapiro suggested this week that the database may be unreliable.
His criticism came after DHS announced it had arrested an Uzbek national with a Pennsylvania-issued commercial license. The man had work authorization dating back to 2024 and was wanted in his home country for alleged ties to a terrorist group. Shapiro said the state checked the federal system before issuing the license and that the database still shows him as eligible.
“They clearly are not minding the shop, and they’ve gotta get better, because every single state in the country relies on this database when making a determination as to who qualifies for a CDL. We relied on the feds before issuing this one,” Shapiro said.
California, which agreed to revoke 17,000 licenses after its audit, is the only state where federal action is complete, according to AP’s report. Reviews in other states were slowed by the government shutdown, though the Transportation Department is urging all jurisdictions to tighten their standards.
READ ALSO: Under fire, Trump administration cuts back National Guard in key cities
