President Donald Trump, left; Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, right. (Getty Images; Getty Images)
Duffy’s office said PennDOT wrongly issued licenses to "ineligible foreigners without verifying their legal status."
"Under President Trump, this Department is taking every measure to ensure dangerous foreign drivers aren’t illegally operating 40-ton vehicles on American roads," Duffy said.
"Joe Biden allowed tens of millions of illegals to pour into our country through open borders, including a suspected terrorist who Pennsylvania then allowed to get behind the wheel of a semitruck."
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Fox News Digital also obtained a copy of the letter Duffy will send Thursday to Shapiro and PennDOT Secretary Michael Carroll, a fellow Democrat and former state representative from Lackawanna County.
"Pennsylvania is an important partner in FMCSA's mission to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses, and the agency makes this preliminary determination to help Pennsylvania come into substantial compliance," the letter read, in part.
The Department of Transportation cited Bozorov’s arrest, noting he was in the country illegally, and said Pennsylvania’s decision to issue him a CDL as recently as July highlights the need for a federal audit of non-domiciled commercial licenses nationwide.
The FMCSA review found that Pennsylvania failed to require proof of lawful presence in the U.S. before issuing CDLs and was granting licenses with expiration dates extending beyond recipients’ authorized stays.
In order not to have the $75 million withheld, PennDOT and the Shapiro administration must immediately pause all new, renewed, transferred or upgraded non-domiciled CDLs and big-rig learners permits known as CLPs.
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Harrisburg must also conduct a "comprehensive internal audit" to identify every wrongfully issued CDL that violates current federal policy, and void or rescind all unexpired noncompliant licenses and "remove unqualified drivers from the road."
Duffy’s announcement follows official proclamations by President Donald Trump making English the official language of the U.S. and on a renewed focus on highway safety.
The Department of Homeland Security and some police forces have also worked in tandem at weigh stations and the like to vet foreign nationals driving big rigs for English proficiency, proper legal documentation and understanding of highway laws.
Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Shapiro, who provided comment from PennDOT spokesperson Alexis Campbell.
Campbell said that PennDOT previously paused all non-domiciled CDLs and fully cooperated with FMCSA’s regularly-scheduled audit – which she said did not reveal any cases of licenses issued to ineligible applicants.
"All non-citizens who apply for driver’s licenses, including CDLs, must provide PennDOT with proof of identity and must have their legal presence in this country verified through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database – a database maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
"PennDOT follows the established federal process for confirming that the applicant was lawfully present using the SAVE database in every case," Campbell said.
In comments to Fox News Digital, Coleman called the situation "not just bureaucratic delay – it’s stonewalling, and it's dangerous."
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"Public safety is not negotiable," said Coleman, who chairs the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee – Harrisburg’s lawmaking liaison between the upper legislative chamber and the executive branch.
Pennsylvania House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, R-McConnellsburg, told Fox News Digital the fact Bozorov was able to obtain a REAL ID and CDL from Pennsylvania was "egregious."
"Pennsylvanians need real answers and the Shapiro administration needs to be accountable for this serious lapse in judgment and security," he said.
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Topper also wrote a letter Wednesday to Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday and Auditor General Timothy DeFoor – both Republicans -- demanding an investigation into licensing and voter registration systems to "find out how this happened and prevent reoccurrence."
In a response to legislative leaders reported Thursday by Fox News Digital, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Republican who oversees elections, and Carroll, disputed such contentions, saying that noncitizens who apply for licenses are not presented with the same motor-voter options as U.S. citizens.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-threatens-cut-75m-from-pennsylvania-over-illegal-immigrant-cdl-scandal