Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) commended the Department of Transportation for cracking down on illegal alien truck drivers, noting that "the message is simple: no shortcuts when it comes to American safety."
"Keeping Americans safe on our roads is common sense," Rep. Mast wrote in a blog post. "All of us who rely on our highways and interstates deserve to know that every vehicle is operated by someone who's qualified, lawfully licensed, and at the very least, proficient in the English language," he shared, evidently referencing the case of Harjinder Singh, an illegal alien from India who could not speak English.
Singh allegedly killed three people in a traffic accident while driving a semi-truck. In addition to lacking English-speaking abilities, Singh failed to correctly identify road signs and was later found to have failed his commercial driver's license exam ten times.
Rep. Mast commended Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for announcing a nationwide audit of all commercial driver's licenses issued to non-citizens, as Singh received a license while residing in California.
"The result? Unqualified foreign drivers were getting behind the wheel of 80,000-pound vehicles and causing deadly accidents," the Florida Congressman continued.
Mast further praised the Transportation Department for "requiring every state to verify immigration and employment status before issuing or upgrading a commercial license."
Moreover, he argues that "these rules also work to strengthen background checks and close loopholes that have allowed states to bypass federal safety standards."
"The message is simple: no shortcuts when it comes to American safety," Mast concluded.
In September, Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) introduced the Weigh Station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act, which requires all weigh stations along interstate highways to review truckers' commercial driver's licenses for irregularities and ensure they are proficient in English.
Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) recently predicted such legislation would be a party-line vote.
