HISTORY

In 2005, Congress passed an unconstitutional law requiring all American citizens to be issued a “National Identification card” (U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander’s words on the Senate floor) – a REAL ID. In 2008, the Department of Homeland Security issued a rule requiring all states to conform to the unconstitutional federal law and issue REAL IDs for driver’s licenses and identification cards.

More than half of the states REFUSED this usurpation of states’ rights—25 states passed laws prohibiting compliance and 12 states passed resolutions opposing REAL ID. Federal deadline after deadline passed with little state compliance. In 2016, President Obama issued the “You can’t fly” lie. In 2017, U.S. Senator Rand Paul sponsored a bill to repeal REAL ID, but it did not advance (Senator Paul is now the chair of the U.S. Senate’s Homeland Security committee).

The news media parroted the “you can’t fly” lie, and Americans began pressuring state legislators to comply. By 2018, most states were in compliance with the federal rule, but a majority of cards were not.

Today 44 percent of all IDs and driver’s licenses are not in compliance. For the sake of protecting our constitutional rights and freedoms, we need to increase that number. People with REAL IDs should switch to a standard ID or DL in the 45 states that do not require you to have a REAL ID.

Under the U.S. Constitution, no one is required to submit to REAL ID, or any National ID system.

To pressure Americans, on January 14, 2024, TSA released a rule mandating “progressive enforcement” starting on May 7, 2025 and ending on May 7, 2027. However, under the new administration, during the first 60 “legislative days,” Congress can write a simple bill to withdraw this rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

To make this happen, CCHF is working with members of Congress and other organizations around the nation to oppose this National ID card and its federal identification and tracking system and use the CRA to stop the rule.