The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is launching an investigation into the possibility of discriminatory practices by the State of Alabama.

According to a statement released Dec. 8, USDOT will investigate Alabama’s September proposal to close or reduce services at 31 driver license field offices. This proposal and subsequent actions taken, according to the USDOT, could be in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal assistance.

“Preliminary information acquired by the Department suggests the reduction in driver licensing services resulting from these closures may discriminate against Alabama’s African American residents,” the USDOT release reads.

Alabama is one of 17 states that require voters to show a photo ID before they will be allowed to vote. Critics have said this law, passed in 2011, disproportionately targets black and hispanic voters in the state and further reduces the ability of these populations to obtain driver licenses, the most common form of accepted voter identification.

In October, Gov. Robert Bentley acknowledged that the offices targeted for closure affected mostly rural areas of the state. He also said at the time insinuating racial bias in the decision should be considered political agenda. Bentley reiterated that point in a statement released following the USDOT announcement on Dec. 8, adding that all driver license offices in the state are currently operated by full-time employees.

“Prior to this budget decision, these examiners, who are state employees, were traveling to each county level probate office or courthouse once or twice a week to provide the service of examination,” Bentley released. “I made the decision in October 2015 to ensure that an examiner report to each county level office at least once a month to continue providing this service.”

Decisions on consolidation and closure of the state’s driver license offices were made surrounding the debate over a massive budget shortfall for the state for 2016. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency at this time introduced a program offering online license renewals, self-serve kiosks and digital licenses in anticipation of the closures.

During the state’s turbulent fiscal planning, the Legislature included language in its proposed budget to prohibit the closure of driver license offices and limit service reductions during. But according to a report by the Cullman Times from September 2015, Bentley said he believed that language was unconstitutional.

On Dec. 8, Bentley called the legitimacy of the USDOT investigation into question, referring to it as a political gesture by the Obama administration.

“This USDOT investigation is nothing more than a weak attempt to embarrass the people of Alabama and exploit our state in the name of a political agenda,” Bentley released. “I am confident that the USDOT investigation will find no basis for the claims of discrimination.”

USDOT has not reached any conclusions in the investigation, but released that if it determines the state violated the rights of its residents, it could “suspend or terminate Federal funds.” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told CNN that the amount of funding considered would be in the millions of dollars.