dailyloe.com – New York officials are suing the Trump administration to recover over $73 million in highway funding. This lawsuit centers on noncitizens’ access to commercial driver licenses.
State Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul filed the suit in federal court on Friday. They argue that the federal Department of Transportation is unlawfully withholding funds due to licenses it claims were illegally issued.
The state maintains that it has complied with both state and federal regulations regarding the issuance of these licenses. James and Hochul stated that revoking these licenses could disrupt key industries and lead to bus driver shortages.
The Department of Transportation claims an audit by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration revealed that over half of the reviewed New York licenses violated federal law. In February, Gothamist reported that the Hochul administration halted the issuance of commercial driver licenses to many immigrants following federal threats to withhold funding.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy stated that New York failed to protect residents from “unvetted, unqualified foreign drivers” by issuing eight-year licenses to noncitizen drivers without considering their legal status expiration.
The withheld funds are crucial for road maintenance, safety upgrades, and infrastructure projects throughout New York. Hochul and James plan to expedite the case to prevent disruptions.
Additionally, the federal transportation department has threatened to withhold an extra $147 million in future highway funding annually if New York does not comply. State and federal authorities are also in court over New York City’s congestion pricing rules, with a federal judge ruling in March against the Trump administration’s attempt to block the tolls.
