Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy vowed to cut off millions of dollars in federal funding to California if it misses the January 5 deadline to comply with the law on licenses for illegal aliens.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is pretending that a lawsuit has forced them to extend commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) for around 17,000 illegal aliens, saying the licenses will last through March 6. Duffy said there is no extension for compliance with the law, and if Democrat-run California doesn’t terminate the licenses on the federally-established deadline, it’s in for some serious financial hurt.
Responding to the DMV deadline extension that Fox26 announced, Duffy addressed California’s governor directly: “Gavin Newsom is lying. The deadline to revoke illegally issued, unvetted foreign trucker licenses is still January 5. California does NOT have an ‘extension’ to keep breaking the law and putting Americans at risk on the roads,” he stated.
California Democrats might not give a snap about federal law, but they will care if they miss out on a large chunk of money. “Miss the deadline, Gavin, and the @USDOT will act — including cutting nearly $160 million in federal funding,” Duffy threatened.
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As of this budget period, California is reportedly facing an $18 billion budget shortfall. Massive spending on illegal aliens, boondoggle projects, bureaucratic payoffs, and more has put Newsom and co. into an unenviable financial situation. Duffy has the perfect opportunity to apply monetary leverage.
The Trump administration already tightened federal funding for California, and won a struggle with the state over the administration’s refusal to provide $4 billion to a high-speed rail project that has sucked up $14 billion without making any meaningful progress.
The lawsuit, which the California DMV is using as an excuse to defy federal law, was filed on behalf of five illegal aliens by the Asian Law Caucus, Sikh Coalition, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. “This is an important step towards alleviating the immediate threat that these drivers are facing to their lives and livelihoods," pontificated Munmeeth Kaur, the legal director of the Sikh Coalition.
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What about the livelihoods of American truck drivers who can’t find jobs because leftist politicians and companies are more interested in paying less money for foreign drivers? Or what about the victims of deadly crashes caused by illegal alien drivers?
In October, Jashanpreet Singh caused a deadly crash that killed at least three people in Ontario, California, while he was driving a semi-truck under the influence. Earlier this year, another illegal Indian, Harjinder Singh, claimed three victims after he made an illegal U-turn in his semi-truck in Florida. California Democrats issued CDLs to both of them.
Then there’s also the illegal alien driver who ran over an 11-year-old at Thanksgiving, but whom California refused to surrender to ICE.
Duffy absolutely needs to drop the hammer on California officials for their illegal and dangerous actions.
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