Missouri governor says Trump might intervene on Real ID Act

Published 9:46 am Wednesday, March 29, 2017

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said Tuesday that President Donald Trump may be considering whether to halt or delay a federal identification requirement that could soon prevent residents from Missouri and some other states from using their driver’s licenses to board airplanes.

Greitens told Missouri reporters that he spoke with members of Trump’s administration about the federal Real ID Act during a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

The law, passed in 2005 under former President George W. Bush, mandates more stringent proof-of-identity requirements in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The 9/11 hijackers obtained valid identification cards from various states, according to the FBI, and a commission that reported on the attacks recommended the federal government develop standards for issuing identification cards as a way to help prevent terrorism and fraud.

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But it has spurred controversy in some states, including Missouri, where a separate state law prohibits the Real ID Act from being implemented.

Missouri is one of several noncompliant states where its standard driver’s licenses are no longer accepted as valid ID at military bases. The federal government has said that driver’s licenses from non-complaint states won’t be accepted as identification at airports starting Jan. 22, 2018.

But Trump’s administration “actually may be considering a change,” Greitens said. “If that change happens, then the IDs that we have today will actually be functional for people to fly.”

Bills pending in the House and Senate would give Missourians the option to get Real ID Act compliant or noncompliant state driver’s licenses and identification cards.