WASHINGTON, D.C. — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Thursday that California could lose its ability to issue commercial driver’s licenses and face further federal funding cuts if it continues to violate federal transportation and safety regulations.

Duffy said the Transportation Department has already withheld more than $40 million in funding from the state after an investigation found California failed to meet federal English-language proficiency standards for truck drivers. In a post on X, he said another $160 million could be pulled if the state refuses to comply.

“I’m doing a quick review of their lack of compliance with our rules,” Duffy told Fox News. “I have the ability and I’m going to pull almost another $160 million. And if California continues to ignore federal safety standards, we’ll revoke their ability to issue commercial driver’s licenses altogether.”

In a Sept. 26 letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) detailed that California had issued CDLs to nondomiciled drivers whose federal work authorizations had already expired. The agency ordered California to take corrective actions, including pausing CDL issuance to noncitizens, identifying invalid licenses, and conducting an internal audit of its CDL program.

Failure to comply, FMCSA warned, could result in loss of federal highway funding and decertification of the state’s CDL program.

The investigation into California’s licensing practices began after a fatal Florida crash on Aug. 12 involving Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant from India who entered the U.S. in 2018. Singh allegedly made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike, causing a minivan crash that killed three people. He had been granted CDLs in both California and Washington despite failing English and road tests.

The issue intensified this week after another Indian national, Jashanpreet Singh, was charged in Ontario, California, for a DUI semi-truck crash that killed three people on Tuesday. ICE has since placed a detainer on him, identifying him as “a criminal illegal alien from India.”

Duffy’s warning aligns with recent Trump administration actions to tighten oversight of foreign commercial drivers. On Aug. 21, the administration paused all worker visas for truck drivers, citing safety and job concerns.

California’s Department of Transportation responded with an emergency ruling last month, halting the issuance and renewal of limited-term CDLs for noncitizens.

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