So, apparently, it’s now “controversial” to expect an 80,000-pound semi-truck barreling down the interstate to be operated by someone who can read the road signs. Welcome to 2025, where common sense has to be federally enforced — and, in the case of California, New Mexico, and Washington, threatened with a $47 million wake-up call.
On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy dropped a truth bomb that sent shockwaves through three blue states clinging to their sanctuary-style driver policies: Enforce the Trump administration’s English proficiency rules for truckers, or kiss your federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding goodbye.
Why? Because one tragic crash on the Florida Turnpike blew the lid off a dangerously ignored issue. A driver — in the country illegally — allegedly pulled off an illegal U-turn and killed three innocent people. And guess what? This driver had been granted a commercial license by both California and Washington, with New Mexico shrugging off the English proficiency check during a previous traffic stop.
Yes, this is real life.
Duffy didn’t mince words. “We are not going to tolerate states that don’t comply with the rules,” he said at a press conference that probably gave a few Sacramento bureaucrats a migraine. And let’s just pause for a second: this is what it’s come to. The federal government has to threaten liberal states with losing millions just to make sure their licensed commercial drivers can speak the language of the road signs.
California, the king of “progressive” governance, is on the hook for $30 million. Washington could lose $10 million. New Mexico? $7 million. All because these states apparently think road safety should take a backseat to political correctness.
And the media? Predictably outraged. Accusations of “discrimination,” “cruelty,” and — wait for it — “xenophobia” came flooding in the moment Duffy made the rule official back in June. Because what’s really important to the press is not whether a trucker can read “bridge closed ahead,” but whether that trucker’s feelings have been properly validated.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation’s data is damning. In just two months, California let 23 drivers with documented English proficiency violations in other states stay on the road. Washington let six slide by, and New Mexico seven. And no, this wasn’t a one-off. This is a pattern. A failure of basic, bottom-rung safety checks.
FOX NEWS ALERT: DOT Secretary Sean Duffy announces the federal government will revoke federal funding for California, New Mexico, and Washington if they do not fully enforce English language proficiency for commercial drivers within 30 days.
“We’ve identified several states… pic.twitter.com/nPN4LbQMya
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) August 26, 2025
So when Duffy says this is a safety issue, he’s not playing politics. He’s stating the obvious. You can’t operate a massive commercial vehicle safely if you don’t understand the language of emergency alerts, weigh station signs, or basic police commands. It’s not complicated. But apparently, it is controversial.
And Trump’s administration? Not playing games.
In fact, Secretary of State Marco Rubio just paused the issuance of commercial truck driver work visas — a bold move aimed squarely at countries that keep sending drivers who don’t meet U.S. standards. Of course, that’s being called “anti-immigrant” too. Because apparently, safeguarding American roads is now a culture war issue.
But ask yourself: what happens when political theater overrides road safety?
The answer, tragically, was written in the twisted wreckage on the Florida Turnpike.
Three lives gone. One driver, allowed to slip through cracks the size of California’s budget deficit. And now, finally, a federal crackdown — the kind the Left calls oppressive, but millions of Americans call overdue.
3 innocent lives should have never been lost.
If you don’t speak English or understand road signs, then you can’t drive a big rig. @USDOT won’t allow anyone to put your family’s safety in jeopardy. If states don’t comply, we’ll withhold federal funding. pic.twitter.com/PUtUtkzXoB
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 27, 2025
So now the clock is ticking. Thirty days. That’s all these states get to shape up before the funding cuts hit. And based on their track records? Let’s just say we won’t be holding our breath.
Because enforcing English proficiency for truckers should never have been a debate. It should’ve been a no-brainer.
But apparently, in some states, brains are optional.
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