Trump Threatens Trucking Safety Funds for California, New Mexico and Washington

California, New Mexico and Washington are at risk of losing a cumulative $46 million a year in federal trucking safety funds after the Trump administration accused the states of flouting English-language rules for commercial drivers.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gave the three states 30 days to comply with a federal mandate requiring truck drivers to demonstrate basic English-language proficiency. The ruling calls for drivers to be able speak the language, as well as be able to read and comprehend road signage in English.

The three states collectively received more than $46 million in fiscal 2023 through the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, which funds roadside inspections, enforcement staff and other safety efforts. California received about $30 million, while Washington got $9.6 million and New Mexico about $6.7 million, according to transportation department data.

“As we saw with the horrific Florida crash that killed three, when states fail to enforce the law, they put the driving public in danger,” said Duffy at a Tuesday press conference. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking aggressive action to close these safety gaps, hold states accountable, and make sure every commercial driver on the road is qualified to operate a 40-ton vehicle.”

Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out of service. That’s what I call results!

If you can’t read or speak our national language — ENGLISH — we won’t let your truck endanger… https://t.co/TKPcn60ic2

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 30, 2025

The move to cut federal funding is just the first phase of planned repercussions for refusal to adopt the mandates. Duffy said that if states don’t comply by the deadline given, the department will strike the federal assistance and then “will take additional steps to guarantee compliance.”

The showdown reflects a broader strategy in which Duffy has used federal transportation dollars as leverage for a host of the Trump administration’s policies. He warned the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the agency that operates the New York City subway system — that it could lose 25% of its federal aid over safety enforcement failures.

Duffy also threatened to cut transportation funds to sanctuary jurisdictions that don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and advised states to prioritize funding for communities with higher marriage and birth rates.

California conducted about 34,000 inspections between June 25 and Aug. 21 with only one driver being removed for service for violating the language requirement, according to Jesse Elison, the chief counsel for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. At least 23 truckers with prior out-of-service orders from other states were inspected in California.

Over the same period Washington reported four out-of-service orders during 6,000 inspections, while New Mexico cited none — despite seven drivers already barred in other states being allowed to continue driving. Data on how the 47 other states were complying with the rule was not given during a press briefing.