US DOT to Withhold $73M from NY Over Unauthorized CDLs

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Friday that it will withhold $73 million in federal highway funding from New York unless the state immediately halts the issuance of commercial driver's licenses to noncitizens without proper work authorization and revokes any invalid ones already issued. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the statement during a press conference in Washington, D.C., following a federal audit that identified significant violations in the state's licensing practices.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's review examined 200 nondomiciled commercial driver's licenses issued by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles and found that 107 had been granted unlawfully to individuals lacking sufficient proof of legal work status. Officials reported that New York routinely issues eight-year licenses to applicants with short-term work authorizations, such as 30 days or one year, without always verifying their immigration status or visa validity. In some cases, licenses were approved even after an applicant's work permit had expired. "What New York does is if an applicant comes in and they have a work authorization for 30 days, 60 days,...