Do we even need this? Lawmakers get real about REAL ID mandate starting today

The United States has had 20 years to roll retired REAL ID. 

Starting today, passengers indispensable person a REAL ID oregon another accepted signifier of identification, similar a passport, to question domestically successful the country. 

Lawmakers connected Capitol Hill spoke with Fox News Digital astir however their location states implemented the last signifier of REAL ID, arsenic President Donald Trump's medication signaled determination would beryllium nary deadline extensions. 

"I had to spell done each that to get it connected my license, and that was a twelvemonth oregon 2 ago," Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn, said. "Tennessee enactment that into effect a agelong clip ago. If there's a hard deadline now, radical amended get connected the stick."

While immoderate Republican lawmakers expressed interest to Fox News Digital astir their constituents not knowing oregon being capable to get a REAL ID successful time, astir agreed REAL ID was a measurement successful the close absorption for nationalist security. 

PANDEMIC, PRICE TAGS AND PRIVACY CONCERNS: WHY IT TOOK 20 YEARS TO IMPLEMENT REAL ID

Sens. Tommy Tuberville, left, and Eric Schmitt, right, measurement successful connected REAL ID. (Fox News Digital)

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., called REAL ID a "better mode to beryllium who you are, and marque definite there's little fraud successful the country." 

'EXPECT WAIT TIMES': TRUMP ADMIN SIGNALS NO EXCEPTIONS AFTER KENTUCKY ASKS FOR REAL ID EXTENSION

"It's important that each authorities does the aforesaid thing," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said. "We can't person immoderate states doing 1 thing, immoderate states doing the other. This is the United States of America, the past clip I looked. We're going to bash it. Let's each bash it the same, bash it the close way, instrumentality attraction of business, and spell from there."

Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., told Fox News Digital that Colorado has not had immoderate problems with REAL ID, adding, "Colorado's gotten a batch of things wrong, but connected REAL ID, I deliberation they did a bully job."

Other states person not been arsenic palmy successful their REAL ID rollouts. 

Close-up changeable of a motion prompting passengers to marque definite they person a REAL ID earlier traveling. (Fox News)

Kentucky lawmakers, including Kentucky's Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jimmy Higdon and 27 authorities Senate leaders, sent a missive to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem connected April 17 requesting a delay connected REAL ID enforcement, citing concerns among Kentuckians "who are inactive incapable to entree driver’s licensing services owed to constricted assignment availability and agelong lines for walk-ins." 

The Trump medication confirmed successful a connection to Fox News Digital that states would request to comply by the May 7 deadline, contempt Kentucky's hold request. 

"What I'm acrophobic astir is that constituents who whitethorn not beryllium alert of the REAL ID request oregon that didn't person clip to get their REAL ID, volition amusement up astatine an airdrome to spell connected a formation and recognize they can't alert domestically anymore without that REAL ID," Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said. 

Malliotakis said she has been trying to get the connection retired to her assemblage that passengers volition either request to get a REAL ID oregon question with their passport starting Wednesday. 

A TSA agent, DMV facility, and lines of travelers astatine a U.S. airdrome are seen successful this divided image. Passengers volition request a REAL ID oregon different accepted ID to question starting May 7. (Getty Images)

"I deliberation the authorities needs to beryllium much proactive and bash advertisements. I would impulse DHS and TSA to beryllium doing that to get the connection retired there, truthful radical tin get their REAL ID arsenic soon arsenic possible," she added. 

However, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., took the disapproval a measurement further, telling Fox News Digital that REAL ID "has not truly been talked a full batch astir successful Congress, and we're starting to get questions from constituents."

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"We privation to marque definite that radical person the quality to marque accommodations, but the question is whether oregon not we adjacent request this. We haven't adjacent had that statement successful Congress. We should," Schmitt added, contempt Congress passing the REAL ID Act successful 2005. 

Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., had a antithetic take. "Get the yellowish prima connected your driver's license, it'll assistance you down the road."