No Licenses for Illegal Drivers or Truckers Act of 2026

Mr. President, I come to the floor to express the beliefs of so many Americans, and that is that illegal immigrants should never be given a driver's license in the United States of America. It is just common sense. These are people who are here illegally.

So, today, I am introducing legislation to stop States from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, and that includes regular licenses as well as commercial driver's licenses.

Every U.S. Senator needs to say where they stand on this critical issue. It is time to make it clear that giving State-issued licenses to illegal immigrants is not in the best interest of our Nation's safety or our Nation's security. In February, President Trump called on Congress to ban States from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. My legislation does just that, and then it goes further.

The bill I am introducing today--the No Licenses for Illegal Drivers or Truckers Act--requires States to verify that every person who applies for a driver's license--every single one--including, certainly, a commercial driver's license, is in this country legally. It is not just for driver's licenses. It also should be for a government ID.

States that refuse are going to be forced to forfeit 10 percent of the Federal transportation funding that they receive from the Federal Government, and that is a lot of money for many States, especially for some of these big, blue States. The funds that we withhold will go to the States that actually follow the law.

So let's put it in plain terms what this means. California: If in California Governor Gavin Newsom continues to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants--and they are doing it right now--California would surrender 10 percent of the money that they get from the Federal Government for highways. They are getting $5.8 billion, so they would surrender $580 million, which would go to States like mine and the Presiding Officer's that comply with the law.

Look, this is a serious and a significant amount of money, and it is a significant penalty. I believe it is worth it in order to keep the American people safe.

Astonishingly, there are 19 States in this Nation--and the District of Columbia--that currently provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. No proof of citizenship is needed. In some of those States, such as Oregon, it is even worse than that because they have laws in place called motor voter laws. So what is a motor voter law? Well, it means that, when an illegal immigrant is given a driver's license, the State then automatically registers them to vote.

I mean, think about that.

As an illegal immigrant, you get a driver's license, and then they register you to vote. Then the Democrats say, oh, they don't try to get illegal immigrants to vote. They make it automatic in the State of Oregon. We know that in Oregon hundreds of illegal immigrants have been registered to vote because of this policy, which is irresponsible, and they know it. They don't seem to care.

This, to me, raises serious questions about election integrity. Allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses make our roads less safe, and it also makes our elections less secure.

The No Licenses for Illegal Drivers or Truckers Act is part of the larger Republican drive to keep our Nation safe. The last administration threw open our borders to illegal immigrants. More than 10 million illegal immigrants flooded into our Nation. Under President Trump and Republicans, the border is now secure, and law enforcement has been restored.

In the last 11 months, absolutely zero--zero--illegal immigrants have been released into this country. President Trump and Republicans stopped this dangerous policy of catch-and-release--catch illegal immigrants and release them into the country. Never again.

Republicans are building on this success, and we are going to fully fund and fully support the men and women of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.

Now, some Democrats wrongly believe that giving official government IDs to illegal immigrants makes America safer. They are wrong, and they know they are wrong.

They ignore every lesson that we have learned from previous deadly crashes. Remember Dalilah Coleman? She was a 5-year-old girl who nearly died in a car accident caused by an illegal immigrant truckdriver. President Trump told her story right here in Congress during his State of the Union. Dalilah's story is sadly becoming all too common.

Just days after President Trump celebrated her remarkable, miraculous recovery during the State of the Union Address, there was another deadly crash in Indiana this time. An illegal immigrant truckdriver caused it. Four American citizens were killed.

Well, what about the driver? The driver entered this country because of the policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats. He received a commercial driver's license because of the radical policies of the Democrat Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro.

This should never have happened, and my bill is written to make sure tragedies like this one will never happen again. My bill gives States a simple choice: protect American citizens or lose Federal funding.

We know that there are illegal immigrants holding commercial driver's licenses all across the United States, and there is no guarantee that all of them--or any of them--meet the same training and safety standards that are required of American truckdrivers. This should concern all of us.

Many States run by Democrats would rather protect illegal immigrant criminals than protect law-abiding citizens. In my home State of Wyoming, we do things differently than what comes out of Washington and so many of these Democrat-run States. We do not issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Furthermore, if an illegal immigrant is arrested driving in Wyoming with a license from another State, it is a crime punishable by up to 6 months in jail.

So let me tell you about Wyoming. Since last October, officers in Laramie County have arrested 40--40--illegal immigrants driving commercial vehicles. Officers in Sweetwater County have arrested 14 more. Officers in Crook County arrested more still.

None of these were issued in Wyoming, but these are truckdrivers going across the country, carrying cargo. They have been stopped because they provide danger.

All of these illegal immigrants were turned over to ICE and removed. That is how the system ought to work. Every State in America should follow Wyoming's lead.

The Senate has a duty to protect American citizens. I have a responsibility to protect the people of Wyoming. I believe the Senate should pass the No Licenses for Illegal Drivers and Truckers Act.

I would like to thank my colleagues Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Senator John Cornyn of Texas for joining me and cosponsoring the legislation.

We need to stop States from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. We need to keep America safe. It is time for this Senate to stand up for law-abiding American citizens, not illegal immigrants.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I come to the floor to express the beliefs of so many Americans, and that is that illegal immigrants should never be given a driver's license in the United States of America. It is just common sense. These are people who are here illegally.

So, today, I am introducing legislation to stop States from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, and that includes regular licenses as well as commercial driver's licenses.

Every U.S. Senator needs to say where they stand on this critical issue. It is time to make it clear that giving State-issued licenses to illegal immigrants is not in the best interest of our Nation's safety or our Nation's security. In February, President Trump called on Congress to ban States from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. My legislation does just that, and then it goes further.

The bill I am introducing today--the No Licenses for Illegal Drivers or Truckers Act--requires States to verify that every person who applies for a driver's license--every single one--including, certainly, a commercial driver's license, is in this country legally. It is not just for driver's licenses. It also should be for a government ID.

States that refuse are going to be forced to forfeit 10 percent of the Federal transportation funding that they receive from the Federal Government, and that is a lot of money for many States, especially for some of these big, blue States. The funds that we withhold will go to the States that actually follow the law.

So let's put it in plain terms what this means. California: If in California Governor Gavin Newsom continues to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants--and they are doing it right now--California would surrender 10 percent of the money that they get from the Federal Government for highways. They are getting $5.8 billion, so they would surrender $580 million, which would go to States like mine and the Presiding Officer's that comply with the law.

Look, this is a serious and a significant amount of money, and it is a significant penalty. I believe it is worth it in order to keep the American people safe.

Astonishingly, there are 19 States in this Nation--and the District of Columbia--that currently provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. No proof of citizenship is needed. In some of those States, such as Oregon, it is even worse than that because they have laws in place called motor voter laws. So what is a motor voter law? Well, it means that, when an illegal immigrant is given a driver's license, the State then automatically registers them to vote.

I mean, think about that.

As an illegal immigrant, you get a driver's license, and then they register you to vote. Then the Democrats say, oh, they don't try to get illegal immigrants to vote. They make it automatic in the State of Oregon. We know that in Oregon hundreds of illegal immigrants have been registered to vote because of this policy, which is irresponsible, and they know it. They don't seem to care.

This, to me, raises serious questions about election integrity. Allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses make our roads less safe, and it also makes our elections less secure.

The No Licenses for Illegal Drivers or Truckers Act is part of the larger Republican drive to keep our Nation safe. The last administration threw open our borders to illegal immigrants. More than 10 million illegal immigrants flooded into our Nation. Under President Trump and Republicans, the border is now secure, and law enforcement has been restored.

In the last 11 months, absolutely zero--zero--illegal immigrants have been released into this country. President Trump and Republicans stopped this dangerous policy of catch-and-release--catch illegal immigrants and release them into the country. Never again.

Republicans are building on this success, and we are going to fully fund and fully support the men and women of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.

Now, some Democrats wrongly believe that giving official government IDs to illegal immigrants makes America safer. They are wrong, and they know they are wrong.

They ignore every lesson that we have learned from previous deadly crashes. Remember Dalilah Coleman? She was a 5-year-old girl who nearly died in a car accident caused by an illegal immigrant truckdriver. President Trump told her story right here in Congress during his State of the Union. Dalilah's story is sadly becoming all too common.

Just days after President Trump celebrated her remarkable, miraculous recovery during the State of the Union Address, there was another deadly crash in Indiana this time. An illegal immigrant truckdriver caused it. Four American citizens were killed.

Well, what about the driver? The driver entered this country because of the policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats. He received a commercial driver's license because of the radical policies of the Democrat Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro.

This should never have happened, and my bill is written to make sure tragedies like this one will never happen again. My bill gives States a simple choice: protect American citizens or lose Federal funding.

We know that there are illegal immigrants holding commercial driver's licenses all across the United States, and there is no guarantee that all of them--or any of them--meet the same training and safety standards that are required of American truckdrivers. This should concern all of us.

Many States run by Democrats would rather protect illegal immigrant criminals than protect law-abiding citizens. In my home State of Wyoming, we do things differently than what comes out of Washington and so many of these Democrat-run States. We do not issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Furthermore, if an illegal immigrant is arrested driving in Wyoming with a license from another State, it is a crime punishable by up to 6 months in jail.

So let me tell you about Wyoming. Since last October, officers in Laramie County have arrested 40--40--illegal immigrants driving commercial vehicles. Officers in Sweetwater County have arrested 14 more. Officers in Crook County arrested more still.

None of these were issued in Wyoming, but these are truckdrivers going across the country, carrying cargo. They have been stopped because they provide danger.

All of these illegal immigrants were turned over to ICE and removed. That is how the system ought to work. Every State in America should follow Wyoming's lead.

The Senate has a duty to protect American citizens. I have a responsibility to protect the people of Wyoming. I believe the Senate should pass the No Licenses for Illegal Drivers and Truckers Act.

I would like to thank my colleagues Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Senator John Cornyn of Texas for joining me and cosponsoring the legislation.

We need to stop States from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. We need to keep America safe. It is time for this Senate to stand up for law-abiding American citizens, not illegal immigrants.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

I yield the floor.