The federal government will withhold $75 million in funding from Pennsylvania if the state does not revoke illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses, the Trump administration said this week.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a federal audit into states’ CDL programs found the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issued licenses to foreigners who overstayed in the U.S. and did not verify legal status.
The Trump administration and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have sought to crack down on illegal immigrants who have been issued CDLs in Democratic states, pointing to some fatal accidents caused by illegal truck drivers.
Joe Biden’s open border allowed tens of millions of illegals to pour into our country, including a SUSPECTED TERRORIST who was then issued a trucking license in Pennsylvania.
This is unacceptable!@USDOT will take all enforcement measures necessary to ensure we get dangerous,… https://t.co/IgjFj6G30J
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 20, 2025
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement this month arrested an illegal wanted for terrorism in his home country of Uzbekistan who was caught in Kansas working as a truck driver with a CDL issued in Pennsylvania.
“Under President Trump, this Department is taking every measure to ensure dangerous foreign drivers aren’t illegally operating 40-ton vehicles on American roads,” Duffy said in a statement. “Joe Biden allowed tens of millions of illegals to pour into our country through open borders, including a suspected terrorist who Pennsylvania then allowed to get behind the wheel of a semitruck.”
“I will continue to fight to get these dangerous drivers off our roads to protect American families and support our national security,” he added.
USDOT is demanding that Pennsylvania halt issuing any new CDLs or renewing CDLs for non-domiciled drivers, as well as conduct its own audit, then void any non-compliant CDLs.
Pennsylvania, along with California, Colorado, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington, were found by the federal audit to have CDL licensing “not consistent with federal regulations.”
