WASHINGTON, Dec 12 – California sued the Trump administration late on Friday for withholding more than $33 million in federal funding after the U.S. Transportation Department said the state failed to comply with rules requiring English proficiency for truck drivers.
The state sued Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration over the decision to terminate the grants for California’s commercial vehicle safety programs announced in October.
California said it enforces English-language standards for commercial drivers that are compatible with federal requirements.
The Trump administration has taken a series of steps to address concerns about foreign truck drivers who do not speak English. In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was immediately pausing the issuance of all worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by William Mallard)
