Trump DOT threatens to yank millions from Washington unless its truckers speak English

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy is calling out Washington—alongside California and New Mexico—for failing to properly enforce English proficiency rules for commercial truck drivers. The states now have 30 days to come into compliance, or Duffy says the Department will withhold up to 100% of funding from the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program.

According to the Department of Transportation:

Washington has adopted the ELP [English Language Proficiency] regulation but is failing to enforce it. From June 25, 2025 through August 21, 2025, of the more than 6,000 inspections resulting in at least one reported violation, only four inspections involved an ELP violation resulting in a driver being placed out of service. Moreover, two inspections resulted in ELP citations but the driver was not placed out-of-service—contrary to Federal requirements. In addition, at least 4 drivers with documented ELP out-of-service violations in other states were later inspected in Washington – yet the state failed to honor those violations or enforce ELP, undermining federal safety standards and leaving dangerous gaps in enforcement.

Federal inspectors say the state is endangering public safety by letting drivers who fail to demonstrate English skills on the road. Duffy’s office issued a Notice of Proposed Determination of Nonconformity to the state, triggering a 30‑day countdown to compliance.

“States don’t get to pick and choose which federal safety rules to follow,” said Duffy said in a statement. “As we saw with the horrific Florida crash that killed three, when states fail to enforce the law, they put the driving public in danger. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking aggressive action to close these safety gaps, hold states accountable, and make sure every commercial driver on the road is qualified to operate a 40-ton vehicle.”

Why Washington is in the spotlight

🚨BREAKING: WA STATE HAS 30 DAYS TO COMPLY WITH CDL ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY STANDARDS OR LOSE $10.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING

California, Washington and New Mexico could lose millions of dollars of federal funding if they continue failing to enforce English language… pic.twitter.com/HMKOqUrbpr

— Lynnwood Times (@LynnwoodTimes) August 26, 2025

A deadly Florida truck crash that claimed three innocent lives sparked a federal investigation that put Washington state at the center of the scandal.

According to Fox News, Harjinder Singh entered the United States illegally. In 2020, his work authorization was rejected under the Trump administration, but then approved under the Biden administration. And then Washington state comes into play.

At issue is that, Duffy says, Washington improperly issued Singh a full-term Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Federal law prohibits asylum seekers or illegal aliens from obtaining one. Yet Washington’s Department of Licensing handed it out anyway, placing an unqualified driver behind the wheel of a 40-ton truck, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“This cannot happen again,” Duffy said on X. “States MUST FOLLOW THE RULES. If they had, this driver would NEVER have been behind the wheel and three precious lives would still be with us.”

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