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A top US official has threatened to strip California, New Mexico, and Washington of millions in federal funding unless they begin fully enforcing English proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers.

Some shit you should know before you read: Earlier this month, a car accident in Florida made national news after a semi-truck driven by Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant from India, attempted to make an illegal U-turn through a restricted “Official Use Only” access point on a highway, resulting in a collision that killed three people. Singh, who did not speak English and lacked legal authorization to be in the United States, had received a commercial driver’s license in California despite failing an English proficiency assessment. Authorities say the language barrier likely prevented him from understanding road signs, contributing to the crash. Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and is at the center of a broader national debate over immigration, road safety, and federal enforcement of truck driver qualifications.

What’s going on now: In response to the deadly crash, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a warning to California, New Mexico, and Washington: enforce federal English-language proficiency rules for commercial truck drivers within 30 days or lose federal funding. Under the threat, California stands to lose $33 million, Washington $10.5 million, and New Mexico $7 million (all funds that are intended to help states enforce commercial vehicle safety standards). Federal law already requires that all commercial truck drivers be able to read and understand road signs, communicate with law enforcement, and follow safety instructions in English. This rule was relaxed under the Obama administration but was reinstated with full enforcement power under a Trump executive order back in April.

Duffy cited a federal investigation showing that all three states had failed to consistently remove drivers from service for English-language violations, despite conducting thousands of inspections. California, for example, conducted over 34,000 inspections since the rule took effect but pulled only one driver from service for not meeting language standards.

California officials have pushed back hard against the warning. A spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the Trump administration for deflecting blame, pointing out that it was the federal government that approved Singh’s work permit in the first place.

All three states have not confirmed whether they intend to comply with the federal directive, while Washington and New Mexico have not publicly responded.