Appeals Court Rules US DOT Wrongly Withheld M in Highway Money From NY

Appeals Court Rules US DOT Wrongly Withheld $74M in Highway Money From NY

by

Nearly 33,000 questionable commercial driver’s licenses for immigrants became the center of a federal appeals court ruling on Friday.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan concluded in a written decision that the U.S. Transportation Department wrongly decided to withhold nearly $74 million in highway money from New York state. The money was held back after the state refused to revoke the licenses when an audit revealed problems last year, according to the court.

According to the appeals court, New York cannot be blamed for not revoking credentials when a commercial motorist’s residency status expired, since mandatory revocation regulations were non-existent at that moment. The dispute involves commercial vehicles such as trucks, trailers, limousines, and buses.

The penalty followed actions by Sean Duffy, who tightened rules governing when immigrants can obtain a commercial driver’s license. Authorities discovered that several credentials stayed active long past an immigrant’s legal residency period, prompting federal measures against states including New York. Authorities said that New York provided credentials that remained active for an eight-year span, independent of the expiration date on a driver’s visa.

When the legal action was initiated in April, New York Attorney General Letitia James voiced her frustration that federal authorities were improperly withholding funds essential for the state’s bridge and road maintenance. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in the spring called the federal cuts “devastating” and characterized them as “political payback.”

“devastating” and “political payback,” Hochul said in the spring.

Roughly 20% of all truck drivers are immigrants, whereas the non-domiciled credentials available to immigrants comprise approximately 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses, equating to about 200,000 motorists. Immigrant groups have said they believe that many drivers are being unfairly targeted.

The Transportation Department had no immediate comment on Friday. A message seeking comment from the New York attorney general’s office was not immediately returned.

Worth a look

Read next