Overview
- Federal officials said California missed a mutually agreed Jan. 5 deadline to rescind non‑domiciled CDLs that auditors flagged as unlawful.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cast the funding hold as a road‑safety step and criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of the issue.
- FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said the agency will not accept any corrective plan that keeps thousands of noncompliant drivers on the road.
- A federal audit found more than one‑quarter of a sample of California’s non‑domiciled CDLs were unlawful, including licenses valid beyond work authorization.
- California already faces a separate $40 million hold tied to English‑proficiency enforcement as nationwide audits continue and proposed limits on noncitizen licensing remain on hold in court.