Lawmakers Eyeing National ID Card

Source: Threat Level

Lawmakers are proposing a national identification card — what they’re calling “high-tech, fraud-proof Social Security cards” — that would be required for all employees in the United States.

The proposal by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina) comes as the states are grappling to produce another national identification card at the behest of the Department of
Homeland Security. Virtually none of the states are in compliance with
this Real ID program — adopted in 2005 — requiring state motor vehicle
bureaus to obtain and internally scan and store personal information
like Social Security cards and birth certificates for a national
database.

Now comes a bid for a second card.

Homeland Security officials pointed to the Sept. 11 hijackers’ ability to get driver’s licenses in Virginia using false information as justification for the proposed $24 billion Real ID program. Schumer and
Graham point to illegal immigration as cause for their plan.

“We would require all U.S. citizens and legal immigrants who want jobs to obtain a high-tech, fraud-proof Social Security card. Each card’s unique biometric identifier would be stored only on the card; no
government database would house everyone’s information,” they said.
“The cards would not contain any private information, medical
information or tracking devices. The card would be a high-tech version
of the Social Security card that citizens already have.”