WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is resetting federal fuel standards that were used by President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration to impose severe regulations on American car manufacturers.
The president unveiled the changes in the Oval Office, promising that the reset of the Biden-era fuel economy standards will save American families a combined $109 billion. The president said he will realign the standards with real world market conditions.
&#8220;Combined with the insane electric vehicle mandate, Biden&#8217;s burdensome regulations helped cause the price of cars to soar more than 425%, and in one case, they went up 18% in one year,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Today, we&#8217;re taking one more step to kill the Green New Scam.&#8221;
The president added that his administration&#8217;s action &#8220;is expected to save the typical consumer at least $1,000 off the price of a new car, and we think substantially more than that.&#8221;
Trump was flanked by Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as well as Republican lawmakers and the CEOs of major American carmakers Ford and Stellantis.
“Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg illegally twisted mileage standards to create an electric vehicle mandate — jacking up car prices for American families and forcing manufacturers to produce vehicles no one wanted,” said Duffy. “I’m proud to stand with President Trump in the Oval Office today to say that those days are over. This administration understands the freedom of every American family starts with affordable cars. That’s why our new standards will make that dream more achievable by letting auto manufacturers produce the cars that fit families&#8217; needs at a lower price.”
Trump&#8217;s move was praised by auto leaders, including Ford CEO Jim Farley, who said in a statement ahead of the announcement, “As America’s largest auto producer, we appreciate President Trump’s leadership in aligning fuel economy standards with market realities. We can make real progress on carbon emissions and energy efficiency while still giving customers choice and affordability. This is a win for customers and common sense.”
Farley said in the Oval Office that Trump&#8217;s move will allow Ford to &#8220;invest in affordable vehicles made in the U.S.&#8221;
&#8220;We believe that people should be able to make a choice&#8221; between gas-powered, hybrid, and electric cars, Farley added. &#8220;And we will invest more in affordable vehicles.&#8221;
Under Biden&#8217;s rules, auto manufacturers were required to increase fuel efficiency to an average of around 50 miles per gallon for vehicles by 2031. The Trump administration took immediate action to eliminate the former president&#8217;s policies of fuel efficiency, and shortly after Duffy was sworn in as Transportation secretary in January, he signed an order to roll back Biden&#8217;s fuel economy standards.
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Biden&#8217;s stringent rules, which were imposed under the 1975 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, worked as a &#8220;backdoor electric vehicle mandate,&#8221; according to the Trump administration. The White House argues that the reset of fuel economy standards &#8220;will realign&#8221; the Corporate Average Fuel Economy program with what Congress initially intended and will take a major burden off of car manufacturers.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said the Trump administration&#8217;s move would also give Americans more freedom when shopping for vehicles.
&#8220;We look forward to working further with [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] on environmentally responsible policies that also allow us to offer our customers the freedom to choose the vehicles they want at prices they can afford,&#8221; Filosa said.
A spokesperson for General Motors said in a statement on Wednesday that it supports the goals of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration&#8217;s proposed rules as well as its &#8220;intention to better align fuel economy standards with market realities.&#8221;
&#8220;We have long advocated for one national standard that upholds customer choice and provides the auto industry long-term stability,&#8221; the spokesman said. &#8220;As we review the proposal, we remain committed to offering the best and broadest portfolio of electric and gas-powered vehicles on the market.&#8221;

President Trump Makes An Announcement On New U.S. Fuel Economy Standards

‘Historic Reset’: Trump Terminates Biden’s Fuel Standards That Squeezed Auto Companies

Auto Companies

Cars

Department of Transportation

Donald Trump

Sean Duffy

WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation is giving Minnesota an ultimatum, The Daily Wire can first report: revoke illegally issued licenses given to non-domiciled commercial drivers, or face losing over $30 million in federal highway funding.
A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit found that one-third of Minnesota’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses were issued illegally, the Transportation Department shared with The Daily Wire. Minnesota will be given 30 days to revoke the illegally issued licenses, Duffy says, or else it will pay a significant price.
“Our audit exposes yet another example of foreigners taking advantage of Minnesota services under Governor Walz’s watch,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy explained. “Minnesota failed to follow the law and illegally doled out trucking licenses to unsafe, unqualified non-citizens — endangering American families on the road. That abuse stops now under the Trump Administration.&#8221;
&#8220;The Department will withhold funding if Minnesota continues this reckless behavior that puts non-citizens gaming the system ahead of the safety of Americans,&#8221; he promised. 
Walz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
The move comes after a number of <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/08/21/ice-arrests-illegal-alien-involved-fatal-18-wheeler-crash-caused-illegal-aliens">reports showing that illegal foreign drivers</a> caused deadly crashes, prompting the Transportation Department to zero in on states that refuse to follow the law.
In a letter sent Monday, first reviewed by The Daily Wire, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration informed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz that his state had issued an alarming number of non-domiciled commercial driver&#8217;s licenses illegally. The administration also outlined that its audit had found that the state issued these licenses to drivers whose &#8220;licenses were valid long after their lawful presence in the U.S. expired&#8221; and drivers who were &#8220;prohibited from holding a non-domiciled commercial CDL.&#8221;
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The state also failed to initially verify that some drivers were lawfully in the U.S.
The Transportation Department wants Minnesota to pause issuance of the non-domiciled commercial driver&#8217;s licenses, identify all unexpired non-domiciled licenses that fail to comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations, revoke and reissue all the noncompliant licenses that failed to comply with their regulations, and conduct an internal audit to figure out how these massive errors were allowed to happen in the first place.
“Minnesota is openly and blatantly defying our rules, plain and simple,” Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Derek D. Barrs said on Monday. “Under the Trump Administration, states have two choices: meet our standards or face the consequences. Following the law is not optional.”
The move comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring proficiency in English for American truck drivers.
&#8220;They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense.&#8221;
Following Trump&#8217;s order, the Transportation Department launched an audit of non-domiciled commercial driver&#8217;s licenses and has highlighted severe violations in a number of blue states, including California.

DuffyWalz – 1

EXCLUSIVE: Sean Duffy Warns Tim Walz To Revoke Illegal Licenses Or Lose Highway Funding

EXCLUSIVE: DOT Warns Tim Walz To Revoke Illegal Licenses Or Lose Highway Funding

Minnesota

Tim Walz

BOSTON—On a brisk November morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shipped up to Boston with two goals: making his forgotten Merchant Mariners remember who they were, and bringing home the Secretaries&#8217; Cup.
That&#8217;s the trophy that goes to the victor of an annual college football game that pits the Merchant Mariners against the Coast Guard, a smaller but beloved version of the annual Army-Navy game. Fans, alumni, and family of the &#8220;Kings Point&#8221; mariners and the Coast Guard travel from all over the country to support their teams.
This year, Duffy and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem — whose agency includes the Coast Guard — joined their teams for the final showdown of the season. They had a bet: whoever lost would host the other team at their agency back in the nation&#8217;s capitol. It was a rare non-political event attended for the two high-profile politicians, who were there to cheer on their teams and talk trash to each other.
&#8220;Our Merchant Marine Academy, they&#8217;re excited to play on a on a big venue like this,&#8221; Duffy told The Daily Wire ahead of the game. &#8220;And sometimes they don&#8217;t get the attention that they deserve &#8230; they&#8217;re critical as part of America&#8217;s infrastructure and making sure that we can defend ourselves.&#8221;
&#8220;The Merchant Marine Academy, our young men and women go out and make sure we have the capability of supporting the military in doing sea lifts, making sure products are moving, supplies are moving, and our midshipmen provide those services,&#8221; he explained.
The Merchant Marine Academy is housed under the Department of Transportation, which formerly also housed the United States Coast Guard. The &#8220;Coasties&#8221; were moved under Homeland Security&#8217;s umbrella in 2003. But the reshuffling did nothing to the football rivalry, which dates back to 1949.
The Daily Wire spent the day with Duffy as he wandered around Fenway Park, even down to the locker room, where he aggressively hyped up the mariners before they headed out onto the field. &#8220;You guys have more heart, more grit,&#8221; Duffy told the animated mariners. &#8220;So please go kick some Coast Guard ass today!&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Military Game at Fenway Park You’ve Never Heard Of" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dK1sGZB3qwM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Many of the midshipmen who were at the game were delighted to chat with the transportation secretary, who spent a big chunk of his time hanging out in the stands with them.
&#8220;Oh, yeah,&#8221; Edward Lippert told The Daily Wire, asked if he was a Duffy fan. &#8220;He&#8217;s the man. He&#8217;s the man.&#8221;
&#8220;I love that guy,&#8221; added Christian Meyers. &#8220;I can&#8217;t wait to see him.&#8221;
The two young men, who are both seniors at the academy, responded emphatically when asked what it means to them to be mariners. Meyers will go into Navy aviation after graduation, and Lippert will be sailing on his third mates license in the maritime industry.
&#8220;Oh man, it&#8217;s everything,&#8221; said Lippert. &#8220;I mean, it&#8217;s how cargo moves around the world right? World needs mariners.&#8221;
&#8220;Pretty much everyone here will graduate with a license in the US Coast Guard that&#8217;s capable of operating any boat or vessel in the American fleet,&#8221; he added.&#8221;We move cargo, whatever it be, cars, containers from point A to point B. We&#8217;re what puts food on your shelves.&#8221;
The second mariner conceded that without their work, American lives would be significantly impacted.
&#8220;It&#8217;d be really hard to live,&#8221; he said, asked where Americans would be without them. &#8220;Costs would be insane. I mean, there would be no food in supermarkets. There&#8217;d be nothing. There&#8217;d be nothing without us.&#8221;
Duffy feels that the Merchant Marine Academy has been not only forgotten but downright neglected by other secretaries of transportation, including his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg (&#8220;Boot-edge-edge,&#8221; as Duffy chuckled aside to his kids).
&#8220;They&#8217;ve been shunned,&#8221; Duffy said of the mariners. &#8220;They haven&#8217;t had the investments. They have one of the most beautiful campuses, but no one has  reinvigorated it. No one has invested in it.&#8221;
When Duffy first arrived in Kings Point, New York to visit the Merchant Marine Academy, he found out that these midshipmen had gone four months without hot water. A green energy effort brought in an electric boiler that didn&#8217;t work and ultimately led to the midshipmen going without water for months, he said with a shake of his head.
&#8220;So they&#8217;re taking cold showers. They have mold in in their dorms. Their dishwasher broke. They didn&#8217;t have regular plates and silverware. They had plastic plates, plastic silverware.&#8221;
When he brought it up to the midshipmen, he expected that they would be angry. Instead, he joked, they beat their chests and were proud of their tough situation: &#8220;I said, &#8216;No hot water?&#8217; And they&#8217;re like, &#8216;ROAR!! You&#8217;re damn right we did! No hot water!'&#8221;
He also found out that President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration removed a mural of Jesus Christ on the water from the academy and put it in the basement.
&#8220;Shameful,&#8221; said Duffy. &#8220;It&#8217;s been in the academy for over 50 years!&#8221;
&#8220;I said that&#8217;s it, we are going to we are going to resurrect the painting of Jesus on the water out of the basement and put him back in his place of prominence. And when I mentioned it to the to the midshipman, they lost their minds.&#8221;
He doesn&#8217;t have to &#8220;bring faith back to the academy,&#8221; he said, questioned about the move: &#8220;These are faithful young men and women.&#8221;
One way that he&#8217;s boosting morale is by telling the mariners that the &#8220;black sheep&#8221; is their mascot, leaning into the idea that they are the &#8220;black sheep&#8221; of the academies and need to fight to reclaim their identity. Duffy himself was sporting a Merchant Mariners sweatshirt with the black sheep on it, as were his daughters and son who attended the game with him.
&#8220;I just I think it&#8217;s wrong that we have a great American academy with great young American men and women, that we don&#8217;t respect them,&#8221; Duffy shared. &#8220;They are the black sheep of all the academies, right? And sometimes when you feel a little beaten, you&#8217;re an underdog, you come back, have a little more heart, a little more energy, a little more fight.&#8221;
&#8220;You can see we have our black sheep shirts on,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And we embrace it and we still kick ass. We still have grit. We still crush it like what&#8217;s going to happen today on the football field here at Fenway.&#8221;
The mariners did indeed crush the Coast Guard that day in the very final seconds of the game. Duffy joined them on the field, holding the trophy high above his head as he cheered, exuberantly celebrating with the young men — and even jokingly trash talking Noem, who didn&#8217;t come down to the field for the Merchant Marine Academy victory.
&#8220;Well done man,&#8221; he told the mariners as they left the field, shaking their hands and slapping them on the back. &#8220;Thank you for fighting! Well done.&#8221;

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Sean Duffy Wants To Put The Merchant Mariners On The Map — Starting With A Football Win.

Boston

College Football

Football

Kristi Noem

The Biden administration pressured at least 11 American airports to house illegal immigrants despite security warnings, a shocking new Senate report revealed Tuesday.
The Biden White House directed the Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to identify airports where illegal migrants could be held and processed, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/bombshell-report-alleges-biden-team-pushed-airports-house-migrants-risking-safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News, citing the 47-page report, entitled &#8220;Flight Risk.&#8221; In some instances, the Biden administration asked federal agencies to &#8220;divert &#8230; resources&#8221; to support the illegal migrants.
&#8220;The Biden-Harris administration made airports and aviation less secure,&#8221; the report states, &#8220;by allowing and encouraging aliens to shelter at U.S. airports, by allowing improperly vetted aliens to fly into and throughout the United States, and by diverting needed federal air marshals to the border.&#8221;
Officials tasked with the effort, however, weren&#8217;t shy about their concerns, internal emails showed.
&#8220;We have received a request from the WH to determine if there are available facilities on airport or surrounding areas… This is an immediate ask so please prioritize this effort,&#8221; one FAA official wrote to the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Boston Logan Airport, on October 6, 2023.
A Department of Transportation official responded: &#8220;Yikes, this is definitely Fox News fodder in the making.&#8221;
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FAA officials recognized they needed federal approval to house migrants in terminals and other airport facilities under grant-assurance rules, but &#8220;ignored them most of the time when airports used their facilities to house aliens,&#8221; the report stated.
The airport authority also pushed back on the request, saying they&#8217;re &#8220;not designed or resourced to manage the intake of migrant populations,&#8221; adding that it &#8220;would create a host of unintended safety and security consequences.&#8221;
Still, the Boston airport accommodated 352 migrants, shelling out $779,000 on security, cleaning, and transportation.
The targeted airports included Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, and New York’s JFK. And they were asked to shelter migrants inside terminals, hangars, or auxiliary buildings.
In Chicago, O&#8217;Hare Airport hosted up to 900 migrants, housing them in a shuttle terminal.
The effort resulted in 329 service calls to police and 26 arrests between April 2023 and February 2024 for crimes that included thefts, disorderly conduct, and a death investigation.
The &#8220;asylum seekers [we]re not restricted to the staging area,&#8221; Chicago officials said at the time.
At JFK airport, the migrant issue resulted in a security breach, after Kleber Loor-Ponce, &#8220;an alien from Ecuador&#8230; ran past a security post into ‘the secure area at [JFK],’ toward two runways.&#8221;
When he was arrested, officers &#8220;found a box cutter and pair of scissors on his person.&#8221;
Department of Transportation officials were also instructed to step in, with some told to create a &#8220;Know Your Rights&#8221; guide for migrants while working with states that track buses delivering border crossers across the country.
Some officials were also &#8220;encouraged to remind local transit agencies that federal grants could be used to move migrants.&#8221;

Untitled design – 2025-11-25T114722.404

Biden Admin Pressured U.S. Airports To House Illegal Immigrants, Bombshell Senate Report Reveals

airport

Illegal Immigration

Joe Biden

Politics

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-warns-pennsylvania-75-million-line-if">announced</a> that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has determined that Pennsylvania violated federal safety regulations by illegally issuing non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), including to individuals who were not legally eligible to receive them.
FMCSA found that PennDOT failed to verify lawful presence and, in some cases, issued licenses that extended beyond the individual’s authorized stay in the United States. As a result, the Transportation Department is threatening to withhold nearly $75 million in federal funding unless Pennsylvania revokes all improperly issued CDLs and corrects the systemic failures that allowed the violations.
The findings emerged amid a nationwide audit of non-domiciled CDLs initiated in June, shortly after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/11/17/ice-arrests-uzbekistan-criminal-illegal-alien-and-wanted-terrorist-driving-18">arrested</a> a suspected terrorist who had illegally entered the United States and received a Pennsylvania CDL earlier in the summer. Secretary Duffy cited this case as evidence of the national-security implications of lax CDL standards and criticized prior immigration policies for enabling such risks. He stated that the Department, under President Donald Trump, is committed to preventing unqualified foreign drivers from operating heavy commercial vehicles on American roads.
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USDOT has ordered Pennsylvania to take several immediate steps: pause all issuance or renewal of non-domiciled CDLs and commercial learner’s permits (CLPs); conduct a thorough audit to identify all noncompliant licenses and the procedural failures behind them; and revoke any unexpired, improperly issued licenses to ensure unqualified drivers are removed from service.
This enforcement action follows a broader series of transportation safety initiatives under the Trump administration. Earlier in the year, President Trump issued an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/enforcing-commonsense-rules-of-the-road-for-americas-truck-drivers/">executive order</a> directing the Department of Transportation to strengthen roadway safety, with a particular emphasis on enforcing long-standing English-language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers. The order argues that English proficiency is essential for reading traffic signs, communicating with law enforcement and inspection officials, and performing basic safety and reporting functions. It instructs the FMCSA to rescind its 2016 guidance and implement updated inspection procedures, ensuring that non-English-proficient drivers are placed out of service.
The executive order also directs FMCSA to review irregularities in states’ issuance of non-domiciled CDLs and improve verification of domestic and international driving credentials.
In recent months, Secretary Duffy has introduced several related actions, including emergency restrictions on eligibility for non-domiciled CDLs, a nationwide audit exposing widespread non-compliance, a pro-trucker initiative to reduce regulatory burdens, and new guidelines mandating out-of-service orders for drivers who fail English-language requirements. These steps align with President Trump’s March order designating English as the official language of the United States.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Marks Newark Airport Runway Reopening

Duffy Says Dem State Is Breaking Law By Giving Driver’s Licenses To Illegals

Duffy Says Pennsylvania Broke The Law By Issuing Driver’s Licenses To Ineligible Applicants

Drivers Licenses

Immigration

Pennsylvania

California has illegally issued thousands of commercial trucking licenses to foreign-born applicants, according to the Department of Transportation.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Wednesday that California has admitted that it issued 17,000 non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses to “dangerous foreign drivers,” according to a Transportation Department press release.
“After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” said Duffy in a statement. “This is just the tip of [the] iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.”
All holders of illegal CDLs from California have received notices that their licenses will expire in 60 days, according to the Transportation Department. Duffy’s department will also monitor and review California’s audit of its CDL system to “verify that every illegally issued license has been revoked and that the failures that allowed these licenses to be issued are corrected.”
Duffy moved to crack down on illegal CDLs after an Indian national made an illegal U-turn in Florida, causing a wreck that killed three Americans. Authorities arrested 28-year-old Harjinder Singh in August over the crash. Singh is in the United States illegally and obtained his trucking permit from California.
Florida <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/florida-sues-california-over-sanctuary-policies-trucker-licenses-for-illegal-immigrants">responded</a> to the crash last month by filing a lawsuit against California for illegally issuing Singh’s CDL.
“Here in Florida, we can do everything right, we can back the blue, we can enforce the law, we can combat illegal immigration, but we still suffer when Gavin Newsom and liberals on the West Coast allow these illegals in, encourage them, enable them to get these driver’s licenses and then they cross the country and ultimately take lives,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said at the time.
Thousands of illegal CDLs have been issued in the United States, allowing thousands of illegal commercial trucking drivers to carry cargo across the country. The problem has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-illegal-immigrant-truck-drivers-ended-up-on-americas-roads">fueled</a> by states that do not follow federal rules for issuing commercial licenses, such as allowing driver’s tests to be conducted in a language other than English.

Gavin Newsom

California Has Issued Thousands Of Illegal Trucking Licenses To Foreigners

California

Crime

U.S.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blasted Democratic senators on Friday for continuing to hold out on a deal to reopen the government as Americans face a wave of flight cancellations and delays this weekend.
Duffy said at an event that the 10% reduction in domestic flights imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration this week could be ramped up to 20% reductions if the government remains shut down.
“If this continues, and I have more controllers who decide they can’t come to work, can’t control the airspace, but instead have to take a second job — with that, you might see 10 percent would have been a good number, because we might go to 15 percent or 20 percent,” Duffy warned, according to <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5595194-transportation-sean-duffy-flight-reductions-shutdown/">The Hill</a>.
Speaking to reporters at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Duffy said the Senate needs to remain in Washington, D.C., to pass a spending bill and reopen the government so air traffic controllers can receive their pay.
“Let&#8217;s open the government up, let&#8217;s pay our controllers, and reduce the pressure,” Duffy said. “That&#8217;s not happening. The Senate is actually going home this weekend. As many people here can&#8217;t get home, the Senate goes home. They should be here every day, every weekend, every week trying to find a deal, so we can open the government back up.”
“I’m getting sniped at by some Democrats,” he added. “I don’t like it. I didn’t put us in this situation. They did.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/07/congress/senate-eyes-likely-weekend-work-amid-shutdown-stalemate-00641739">said</a> on Friday that he would likely keep the Senate in session over the weekend as Republicans urge their Democratic colleagues to come to an agreement on a short-term spending bill. Thune added that the Senate would likely vote on another stopgap bill over the weekend.
Duffy urged passengers who are upset over their flights getting delayed or canceled to “call your Democrat senator.”
“Fourteen times they voted no to open up the government,” he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
“They should be here every day, every weekend, every week, trying to find a deal so we can open the government back up.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calls out Democrats in Congress for repeatedly failing to end the government shutdown, warning that the pain air travelers… <a href="https://t.co/1LJO0Eyfep">pic.twitter.com/1LJO0Eyfep</a>
— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1986833158310883472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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More than 1,200 flights nationwide have been canceled so far on Friday, with another 16,000 flights delayed, according to <a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today">FlightAware</a>. Friday’s flight disruptions come as the FAA is requiring airlines to reduce domestic flights at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/40-airports-face-major-flight-disruptions-from-democrat-shutdown-heres-the-list">40 of the nation’s busiest airports</a>. Duffy, along with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, said on Wednesday that the flight reductions are being imposed to ensure air travel safety due to a shortage of air traffic controllers caused by the government shutdown.
Americans are growing more concerned that the flight disruptions could continue into the Thanksgiving holiday, which is typically the busiest travel weekend of the year.

Transportation Secretary Rips Dems, Says Flight Cancellations Could Double If Gov’t Isn’t Funded

Air and Space

Government Shutdown

Senate

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday that “mass chaos” and potential airspace shutdowns will affect air travelers if the government shutdown continues into next week, with shortages of air traffic controllers and TSA agents reaching a critical level.
“If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays,” Duffy told reporters at a Tuesday news conference held by Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick (R) and Sen. John Fetterman (D), one of only three Democrats who have repeatedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wire-sits-down-with-john-fetterman-who-doesnt-hear-from-democrats-anymore">voted</a> to end the shutdown.
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BREAKING: The Department of Transportation might be forced to shut down airspace in certain parts of the country if the government shutdown continues into next week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Tuesday.
Read more: <a href="https://t.co/8OnWWD1VUl">https://t.co/8OnWWD1VUl</a> <a href="https://t.co/dHrYJVreDQ">pic.twitter.com/dHrYJVreDQ</a>
— ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1985763806228988307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”
Nearly 50% of major air traffic control facilities across the country already face critical staffing shortages as the shutdown extends into its 35th day, with approximately 13,000 controllers currently required to work without paychecks during the shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/delays-safety-concerns-shortages-air-traffic-controllers/story?id=127055961">reported</a> on Friday that 80% of aviation staff in the New York area had called out, a problem Duffy only expects to worsen as the shutdown continues.
“If this shutdown doesn’t end now, air traffic controllers will receive another $0 paycheck,” Duffy wrote Monday on X. “Many controllers are not coming to work because they have to find a job that WILL pay them so they can survive.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Yesterday saw another horrible record set: 84% of delays were due to staff shortages.
If this shutdown doesn’t end now, air traffic controllers will receive another $0 paycheck.
Many controllers are not coming to work because they have to find a job that WILL pay them so they… <a href="https://t.co/PHK4gwaPzt">pic.twitter.com/PHK4gwaPzt</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1985420348687516025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Delays and disruptions have already <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/flight-delays-shutdown-air-traffic-control-staffing-issues">impacted</a> airports in the Los Angeles area, Newark, and Denver over the past month, with Duffy stating that staffing shortages were the cause of 84% of the delays over the weekend.
The staffing shortages have led to many controllers working overtime or covering roles that other controllers would otherwise fill, in addition to their own.
“There is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that’s doing two jobs instead of one,” Duffy warned on Saturday amid a ground stop that was in effect at Newark Liberty International Airport due to staffing issues. “We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe.”
The shutdown shows no sign of resolution in the near future, as nearly every Senate Democrat has <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/04/us-news/trump-admin-may-be-forced-to-close-parts-of-us-airspace-if-shutdown-lasts-into-next-week-duffy-says/">voted</a> 14 times against a stopgap measure that would fund the government until November 21, using it as leverage to force concessions from Republicans to extend Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of this year.
The Obamacare tax credits were expanded under former President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the New York Post.
In an interview with The Daily Wire on Monday, Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman said he didn’t buy his party’s justification for the shutdown.
“I think shutting our government down simply because we have to ‘fight,’ or because that’s part of this resistance, I don’t agree with it,” the senator said. “And I think we’re gonna hurt the kinds of people who are at the center of our party.”

CrowdedAirport

‘We Just Cannot Manage’: Duffy Warns Shutdown Will Force Airspace Closures

Air Travel

Congress

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

John Fetterman

Trump Administration

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Sunday that air traffic controller shortages are causing a “level of risk” that might necessitate flight delays and cancellations to ensure traveler safety as the government shutdown drags on.
Appearing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” with host Martha Raddatz, Duffy was asked about various issues being caused by air traffic control shortages.
“Americans have experienced major delay. There&#8217;s a ground stop this morning at Newark all because air traffic controllers are calling in sick. The FAA is saying that currently, nearly 50% of major air traffic control facilities are experiencing staffing shortages, and nearly 80% of air traffic controllers are out at New York-area facilities,” Raddatz said. “We know that safety is your greatest concern, but at some point, might you have to shut down portions of the U.S. airspace, maybe even airports? What point are we at that possibility?”
After noting that he’s been speaking with air traffic controllers who are understandably frustrated as “Democrats are focusing on illegal health care,” Duffy stated that the administration will do what’s necessary to ensure passenger safety.
“We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe. But there is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that&#8217;s doing two jobs instead of one. We manage that, we look out for it, and safety is the priority. We&#8217;ll take all steps necessary, though, to make sure that you get from point A to point B, and you do it safely,” Duffy said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Transportation Sec. Duffy warns of a “level of risk” when air traffic controllers are stretched too thin, but says that safety is his department’s priority: “We will delay, we will cancel, any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe.”… <a href="https://t.co/CALMD4sufL">pic.twitter.com/CALMD4sufL</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1984995260431323486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Raddatz also pressed Duffy on a timeline: “How close are we to this point where you might have to close airspace or airports as we watch air traffic controllers calling in sick?”
Duffy responded that as expenses pile up for air traffic controllers who aren’t being paid, decisions will have to be made on supplemental employment.
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“And the problem is these controllers, a lot of them are new controllers, or they&#8217;re trainee controllers. They don&#8217;t make a lot of money, and so they may be the only person that is bringing money into the household. They have to make a decision: do I go to work and not get a paycheck and not put food on the table, or do I drive for Uber or Door Dash or wait tables?”
“I hope Democrats are going to come to their senses and open the government back up. But I would just tell you, as bad as it is, the numbers you just gave … if the government doesn&#8217;t open in the next week or two, we&#8217;ll look back as these were the good days, not the bad days. It&#8217;s only going to get worse,” the Transportation Secretary said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;If the government doesn&#8217;t open in the next week or two, we&#8217;ll look back as these were the good days, not the bad days.&#8221;
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks with <a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@martharaddatz</a> about the growing difficulty ATC workers face while going without pay. <a href="https://t.co/x73HSd9XsC">https://t.co/x73HSd9XsC</a> <a href="https://t.co/mZpj7sku0n">pic.twitter.com/mZpj7sku0n</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1984995693518352749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Transportation Secretary: If Shutdown Continues, Flights Will Be Delayed, Canceled To Ensure Safety

Trump brings home some major W’s from his Asia trip, the administration looks to crack down on commercial driver&#8217;s licenses for illegal immigrants, and South America trends toward the Right. 
It’s Friday, October 31, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-2501031-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+Show+Episodes+Carousel">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumps-asia-victory-south-americas-right-turn-10-31-25/id1576594336?i=1000734411033" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump And Xi Reach Agreements</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-994029 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Beijing-Breakthrough-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Beijing-Breakthrough-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Beijing-Breakthrough-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Beijing-Breakthrough-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Beijing-Breakthrough-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Beijing-Breakthrough.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Topline: Following his showdown with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Trump has returned from his Asia tour with new deals in hand and perhaps most importantly, reduced tensions with China. 
After the meeting, Xi described the feeling as “warm” and Trump touted what he called an “amazing meeting.” Here he is grading the talk aboard Air Force One. 
“Overall, I guess on the scale of 0-10, with ten being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2hY2qJYtj0">said</a> Trump.
Trump said official terms of a deal are “very close to resolved,” but it appears the big ticket items on his wishlist were met. In a Truth Social post early Thursday, the President said Xi had agreed to “work diligently with us to stop the flow of Fentanyl into our Country.” As a result of those assurances, Trump announced plans to lower the existing tariff that was imposed on China in response to fentanyl trafficking. 
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In addition, Trump said Xi agreed to “purchase American energy,” potentially oil and gas from Alaska. Trump is looking to keep Beijing from buying Russian oil, so that would be a win-win.
On the agricultural front, Trump says China has also agreed to begin purchasing massive amounts of soybeans, sorghum, and other farm products. With that news, he encouraged farmers to “immediately go out and buy more land and larger tractors.” And finally, he said the Chinese would resume the sale of rare earth minerals used for tech products and large magnets.
Trump says the overall tariff rate on Chinese exports will fall from 57% to 47%, leaving significant trade barriers in place, but far lower than the 100% plus rate that was looming without a deal. The two countries also agreed to remove port fees that had been impacting cargo ships from each side. Looking ahead, Trump said the two leaders will continue to meet on a more regular basis — he’ll travel to Beijing in April, and Xi will come to the US shortly after, potentially to Mar-a-Lago.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">How Illegals Keep Scoring CDLs</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-994027 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/The-CDL-Loophole-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/The-CDL-Loophole-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/The-CDL-Loophole-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/The-CDL-Loophole-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/The-CDL-Loophole-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/The-CDL-Loophole.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Topline: The Trump administration has pledged to crack down on illegal immigrant drivers, but Americans have been left wondering: why do these crashes keep happening?
An accident in Florida brought this issue into the national spotlight. An accident was allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant identified as Harjinder Singh, an Indian national. Singh allegedly made an illegal u-turn, blocking a highway, and causing a van to careen into Singh’s trailer. Three people were killed in the crash.
Several similar cases have happened since then, often involving illegal immigrants carrying California-issued commercial driver&#8217;s licenses (CDLs).
Some of the major contributors to this issue of illegal immigrants obtaining CDLs have been the flood of illegal immigration into the United States under former President Joe Biden, and then the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-illegal-immigrant-truck-drivers-ended-up-on-americas-roads">failure</a> of the federal government to ensure that CDL applicants received proper testing before they were handed driver&#8217;s licenses.
In Singh’s case, the Indian national failed an English language proficiency test in the aftermath of the fatal collision, “providing correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying 1 of 4 highway traffic signs,” according to the Department of Transportation.
A Republican-backed bill in Congress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-bill-takes-aim-at-democrat-states-giving-truck-licenses-to-illegal-aliens">aims</a> to crack down on these holes in the system. Under the legislation, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy would have the authority to revoke a state’s ability to grant “non-domiciled CDLs,” or commercial licenses for applicants who live out of state, if the state were found in violation of federal rules around CDLs.
The bill would also standardize some rules about the CDL process by requiring all testing to be conducted in English and that all CDL applicants hold a driver’s license for at least one year.
The Trump administration is taking steps to ensure that all testing is done in English. Duffy is also conducting a nationwide audit of state CDL permitting programs. The worst offender is California, where more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs reviewed by the feds were improperly issued, <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-takes-emergency-action-protect-americas">according</a> to the Department of Transportation.
The Trump administration is also restricting who can get a CDL. Foreigners must have specialized work visas. They can&#8217;t be border crossers who are awaiting the fate of their asylum cases.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">South America Moves Right</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-994025 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/South-American-Shifts-Right-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/South-American-Shifts-Right-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/South-American-Shifts-Right-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/South-American-Shifts-Right-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/South-American-Shifts-Right-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/South-American-Shifts-Right.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Topline: Massive political shifts are taking place in South America – including rightward shifts in multiple countries, such as Bolivia and Argentina – and the Trump administration is playing a key role on several fronts. Morning Wire spoke to Andres Martinez-Fernandez, senior policy analyst for Latin America at The Heritage Foundation, for more on South American governments. (The following interview has been lightly edited.)
Morning Wire: We’ve seen rapidly changing dynamics between the administration and various political leaders in South America. Let’s start with Argentina. We just saw Javier Milei’s party win a landslide victory. How significant is this victory in the country?
Martinez-Fernandez: It&#8217;s really significant because President Milei is representing a major departure from what has been for the past couple decades. Argentine leadership is typically Left, far-Left leaning and socialist in its nature for economic policies. That has brought about generally an anti-American bent. But President Milei has brought an agenda which is really the opposite of all those – very pro-market, individual responsibility, cutting government. As far as relations with the United States, we&#8217;ve likely never had a more aligned leader in Argentina. This victory really solidified what was, with his victory a couple years back for the presidency, a massive shift. But it really solidifies that with this legislative win, which is going to help him with his agenda.
Morning Wire: The U.S. recently helped Argentina with a $40 billion support package – how much of a role did that play in this election?
Martinez-Fernandez: I think a very significant role, and President Trump deserves a lot of credit for the victory that we saw for Milei’s party. What we saw was, just in the days prior to the election, the White House meeting with President Milei and President Trump and the announcement of this package, which is directly aimed at stabilizing the financial crisis, which was generated by the socialist policies which dominated in Argentina for so long. This is a vital economic stability move, but in addition to that, it&#8217;s a major sign of confidence from the United States and from the world, which I think translated into more confidence from Argentines in the president of Argentina&#8217;s ability to stabilize the economy and try a new path forward.
Morning Wire: Turning to Bolivia. We recently saw a monumental election there  – the first conservative president in 20 years. What is the significance of the election there and does it fit into a larger trend in South America?
Martinez-Fernandez: Yeah, absolutely. It does seem to be certainly part of a broader trend that we&#8217;ve seen. In a lot of ways, President Milei was the start of this as far as the current wave of right-of-center leaders coming to power, Bolivia being the most recent. But before that, we saw elections in Ecuador, which solidified a more conservative leader, and also elsewhere in the region. We have upcoming elections in countries like Chile, Brazil, and Peru, where a conservative candidate is well-poised also for victory there. I do think part of that is centering from the impetus that we see from the successes of Argentina, but more broadly, the Trump administration&#8217;s very positive engagement with these partners. The shift in Bolivia specifically is historic. This is a country which has just been completely controlled politically by the socialist movement there, which has dominated institutions and weaponized those to maintain power. The people just overwhelmingly, despite all of that, rejected that movement and now have a more conservative leader who has promised to do a series of shifts – not only as far as domestically aligning with more pro-market economic and stable policies, but also as far as shifting toward the United States and Western alliances.

MRN_251030_V1

Morning Brief: Trump Moves Needle With Xi, Illegals Endanger U.S. Roads, & South America Shifts Right

Morning Brief: Trump-Xi Make A Deal, CDL Loophole For Illegals, And South America Moves Right

Argentina

Javier Milei

Morning Wire

South America

Xi Jinping

WASHINGTON — Major pilots associations are calling on Congress to end the government shutdown, citing the &#8220;strain&#8221; on the United States aviation system as the shutdown drags into its twenty-fourth day.
During Thursday&#8217;s White House Press Briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted that the Thanksgiving holiday is approaching, warning that the White House fears &#8220;there will be significant flight delays, disruptions and cancellations across the country this holiday season.&#8221;
&#8220;If Democrats continue to shut down the government, they will also be shutting down American air travel,&#8221; Leavitt warned. There are about 13,000 air traffic controllers who are considered &#8220;essential&#8221; workers and are currently working without pay due to the shutdown. TSA agents are also having to work without pay.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (which represents 11,000 Southwest Airlines pilots), the Airline Pilots Association (which represents 80,000 pilots), <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/23/pilot-unions-congress-government-shutdown/86857014007/">the Allied Pilots Association</a> (which represents 16,000 American Airlines pilots), and the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/23/pilot-unions-congress-government-shutdown/86857014007/">NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots</a> (which represents 3,700 pilots who fly for the private company NetJets) are all issuing statements begging lawmakers to end the shutdown ahead of the holidays.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association and the Airline Pilots Association put out public statements, while USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/23/pilot-unions-congress-government-shutdown/86857014007/">reported</a> that NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots and the Allied Pilots Association both called for the shutdown to end as well. Additionally, the Regional Airline Association (RAA) and the Modern Skies Coalition spoke out against the shutdown in late September.
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“Considering the strain on our nation’s aviation system, SWAPA strongly urges Congress to pass a clean Continuing Resolution to fund the government,” said Captain Jody Reven, the president of Southwest Airlines Pilot Association (SWAPA).
“Our air traffic controllers and the broader air traffic system are already operating under immense pressure — a government shutdown only compounds that stress and threatens the efficiency of our skies as we see the impact of reduced controller availability at facilities across the country,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Likewise, TSA professionals continue to show up every day to safeguard the traveling public, even without pay. These men and women deserve our full support and the certainty of a paycheck.”
&#8220;We have seen the stress and tension this year on the National Airspace System due to short-staffed air traffic controllers,&#8221; <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/23/pilot-unions-congress-government-shutdown/86857014007/">argued</a> the Coalition of Airline Pilot Associations in a statement to USA Today. &#8220;This shutdown only compounds the pressures they face as they now report to work without a paycheck.&#8221;
The Air Line Pilots Association also said this week that the shutdown is &#8220;undermining our system&#8217;s safety.&#8221;
&#8220;Resources are stretched thin, negotiations delayed tech &amp; strain grows daily,&#8221; the association said in an X post. &#8220;Show your solidarity with those still on the job—ATC, TSA, techs—keeping aviation safe without pay. It’s time for Congress to end the shutdown.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This shutdown is undermining our system’s safety. Resources are stretched thin, negotiations delayed tech &amp; strain grows daily. Show your solidarity with those still on the job—ATC, TSA, techs—keeping aviation safe without pay. It’s time for Congress to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EndTheShutdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EndTheShutdown</a>. <a href="https://t.co/TXFRiUcrOy">pic.twitter.com/TXFRiUcrOy</a>
— Air Line Pilots Association (@ALPAPilots) <a href="https://twitter.com/ALPAPilots/status/1980715753478259120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
On Thursday morning, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers stressed to The Daily Wire that Democrats believe they are benefitting from the shutdown — and thus refuse to end it.
“Democrats say that every day of the shutdown gets better and that they want to use suffering families as leverage to achieve their radical left-wing agenda — but the people they’re using as ‘leverage’ disagree,&#8221; Rogers said. &#8220;From pilots to flight attendants and air traffic controllers, their message is simple: the Democrats need to stop causing chaos and end the shutdown.”

Landing in sunset hues, airplane landing at sunrise.

Major Pilots Associations Call On Congress To End Government Shutdown

Pilots

Several Republican lawmakers are expected to introduce a bill on Thursday aimed at stopping illegal aliens from getting licenses to drive commercial trucks in deep blue regions.
Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr has partnered with Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee to advance legislation that would authorize the Trump administration to crack down on states found to be granting Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) to illegal aliens, according to documents reviewed by The Daily Wire.
Under the legislation, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy would have the authority to revoke a state’s ability to grant “non-domiciled CDLs,” or commercial licenses for applicants who live out of state, if the state were found in violation of federal rules around CDLs.
“By issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants, states like California are undermining federal law and endangering public safety,” Barr, who is running to succeed Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, told The Daily Wire. “Our bill restores accountability by strengthening President Trump’s authority to hold liberal states in check when they defy federal law and recklessly grant CDLs to illegal immigrants.”
The bill would also standardize some rules about the CDL process by requiring all testing to be conducted in English and that all CDL applicants hold a driver’s license for at least one year.
“For everyone’s safety, you must be able to read and understand English road signs when operating a commercial vehicle. Our bill would require commercial drivers to pass the test given in English,” said Cotton in a statement.
Duffy has taken action to clamp down on California’s CDL program after authorities say an illegal alien trucker <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/08/18/criminal-illegal-alien-recklessly-driving-18-wheeler-kills-three-florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caused</a> a wreck in Florida that killed three Americans. The trucker, Harjinder Singh, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/19/us-news/illegal-migrant-truck-driver-in-deadly-florida-crash-failed-english-road-sign-tests-despite-getting-licenses-from-2-sanctuary-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained</a> a CDL most recently in California and allegedly caused the wreck after attempting an illegal U-turn. Singh is believed to have illegally entered the United States in 2018.
The Transportation Secretary has targeted California’s federal funding. On Wednesday, Duffy’s department <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-announces-consequences-californias" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it had revoked over $40 million in funding for California from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Duffy slashed funding for the deep blue state after the Department of Transportation investigation into California’s CDL program <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-takes-emergency-action-protect-americas-roads#:~:text=Moving%20forward%2C%20non%2Dcitizens%20will,presence%20in%20the%20U.S.%20expired" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that more than a quarter of non-domiciled commercial licenses issued by the state were improperly awarded.
While Duffy can revoke funding, the Republican-led legislation would give the Transportation Secretary further authority to pull a state’s ability to issue commercial licenses altogether.

Semi trucks

Republican Bill Takes Aim At Democrat States Giving Truck Licenses To Illegal Aliens

GOP Bill Takes Aim At Democrat States Giving CDLs To Illegal Aliens

Bill Hagerty

Tom Cotton

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