{"id":39996,"date":"2025-04-28T10:22:44","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T10:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/28\/were-simply-not-ready-real-id-rollout-could-trigger-national-headache-state-lawmaker-warns\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T10:22:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T10:22:44","slug":"were-simply-not-ready-real-id-rollout-could-trigger-national-headache-state-lawmaker-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/28\/were-simply-not-ready-real-id-rollout-could-trigger-national-headache-state-lawmaker-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We’re simply not ready’: REAL ID rollout could trigger national headache, state lawmaker warns"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Kentucky lawmaker is urging the federal government to delay its forthcoming REAL ID deadline<\/a> as his state and others face a whirlwind of logistical issues.<\/p>\n

“Kentucky wants to comply with REAL ID, but we’re simply not ready. And we’re not alone. At least 17 other states are still below 50% compliance, and 30 states are below 70% compliance,” Republican Kentucky state Sen. Jimmy Higdon told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

“If we flip the switch now, millions of Americans could be denied access to air travel and federal buildings. We need more time, and that’s a reasonable request.”<\/p>\n

REAL ID was first created by law in 2005, but the federal government has delayed its implementation multiple times \u2013 most recently in 2022. But the Trump administration<\/a> has made clear that the current May 7 deadline is final.<\/p>\n

NO ‘REAL ID’ APPOINTMENTS OPEN IN NEW JERSEY AS RESIDENTS SOUND OFF: \u2018GET WITH THE TIMES, NJ’<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Higdon and his colleagues in the Kentucky state Senate wrote to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secretary Kristi Noem last week seeking an extension.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I can tell you for a fact, I’m hearing from constituents and my fellow legislators, \u2018Hey, this is a problem. This is a real problem,\u2019” he told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

The Kentucky Republican called on other state officials to reach out to Noem and ask for a delay as well.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re not alone here in Kentucky. We’re not the lone ranger when it comes to non-compliance. We’re at 40%,” he said. “We\u2019re simply not ready.”<\/p>\n

Indeed, a recent CBS News<\/a> analysis found that Pennsylvania, Maine and Washington were among the states that came in under 40% compliance. New Jersey\u2019s compliance rate was just 17% as of April 18, according to the study.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has argued that finally acting on REAL ID helps the White House\u2019s crackdown on illegal immigrants, millions of whom have entered the country since President Donald Trump<\/a> was last in office.<\/p>\n

But Higdon said there was confusion over what REAL ID is. He described long lines and a dearth of appointments as Kentuckians have scrambled to meet the deadline.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s almost a panic of sorts trying to get the REAL ID, a lot of people don’t understand it,” Higdon said. “The media’s done a good job of letting people know the deadline’s approaching. But a lot think they need a real ID, and they don’t if there’s other means of real ID \u2013 a passport, passport card, military ID \u2013 all those things work.”<\/p>\n

“And if you don’t plan to travel, if you’re not going to get on a commercial airline flight or visit a military base or federal courthouse, you really don’t need that REAL ID-compliant ID”\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘MASS SURVEILLANCE’: CONSERVATIVES SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP ADMIN’S REAL ID ROLLOUT<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Starting May 7, a REAL ID will be needed for domestic airline travel \u2013 rather than a normal state-issued license \u2013 as well as in areas where federal identification is required, but having a REAL ID itself is not required.<\/p>\n

Higdon suggested giving Americans another year to catch up<\/a>, noting that people had grown used to the government delaying the deadline over the last two decades.<\/p>\n

“I think we’ve trained people to ignore that deadline,” he said. “So, if we’re going forward in a year to get the word out, \u2018Hey, this is it. We’re either going to do away with REAL ID or we’re gonna make it mandatory this time next year,\u2019 I think that would definitely help.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

But it appears the Trump administration is not budging.<\/p>\n

In response to Kentucky legislators\u2019 request, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told Fox News Digital, “Beginning on May 7, passengers will need a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification to fly, like a passport or military ID.\u00a0TSA\u00a0is committed to enforcing the law, as directed by Congress.”<\/p>\n

“Non-compliant passengers may expect wait times or additional measures at airports. If you are an illegal alien without a REAL ID, the only way you will be permitted to fly is if you are self-deporting,” TSA said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Kentucky lawmaker is urging the federal government to delay its forthcoming REAL ID deadline as his state and others face a whirlwind of logistical issues. “Kentucky wants to comply with REAL ID, but we’re simply not ready. And we’re not alone. At least 17 other states are still below 50% compliance, and 30 states … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39996\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2shorts.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}