New York sued the Trump administration, accusing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy of risking public safety by withholding over $73 million in highway funding the state was promised.
The lawsuit filed April 24 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Court seeks to prevent the administration from withholding funding because the state refused to revoke hundreds of bus and truck licenses issued to foreign-born drivers.
“By cancelling this funding, the federal government is putting jobs and communities at risk,” state Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “New Yorkers are counting on these investments, and we will not let the president jeopardize our communities’ safety.”
Why NY filed the lawsuit
Duffy has promised to hold states accountable that refuse to revoke commercial learning permits illegally issued to individuals born outside the US.
But Gov. Kathy Hochul accused Duffy of singling out Democrat-led states, warning that the decision could disrupt industries that rely on commercial drivers and lead to school bus driver shortages.
“Once again, New York is facing devastating federal cuts for nothing more than political payback. Here’s the truth: New York has always followed federal rules when issuing CDLs, something even the previous Trump administration verified year after year,” Hochul said.
A December audit of drivers’ licenses issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles found that over half of 200 licenses reviewed should not have been issued to foreign-born drivers, Duffy noted.
The $73.5 million in funding being withheld comes through a federal grant program states use to maintain roads, bridges and infrastructure.
What NY’s lawsuit says
State officials say to qualify for a commercial driver’s license, individuals must have legal immigration status and pass rigorous safety tests.
The lawsuit says the federal government’s determination “is predicated on an erroneous reading of its own long-standing regulations governing the issuance of CDLs to nondomiciled individuals, and the relevant standards for establishing a finding of substantial noncompliance.”
Another $147 million in annual funding could be in jeopardy if the decision is not reversed, James noted.
A hearing on the litigation has not been scheduled.
Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA TODAY Network’s New York State team. He’s won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that’s included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@lohud.com
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: New York suing Trump admin over $73M in withheld transportation funds
Reporting by Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
