Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the REAL ID requirements being implemented in two weeks.
The new measure requires individuals to provide a U.S. birth certificate or a U.S. passport, or a permanent resident card (green card) if they are a non-U.S. citizen, in order to obtain a compliant driver’s license. Applicants may also be asked to provide proof of their Social Security number and proof of residency.
Reed wrote a Thursday letter to the leader urging her to explain how an abrupt change in verifying travelers’ identity would not interrupt services from proceeding effectively.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said about 20 percent of air travelers still use a form of identification that is not compliant with REAL ID requirements, according to the lawmaker. Travelers will need to meet the new requirements to fly domestically.
“Since it seems likely that many travelers will not have a compliant ID by May 7th, please describe how you will ensure that there are not delays at TSA security checkpoints and what steps the TSA is taking to process travelers who arrive at airport security checkpoints without REAL ID compliant identification,” Reed wrote.
Rhode Island’s Division of Motor Vehicles began offering REAL ID-compliant licenses in 2018; however, other states didn’t adopt the policy until two years later.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment on how new requirements may impact travel.
