SEN. Chuck Schumer isn’t known for holding his tongue, but on the subject of Gov. Spitzer‘s plan to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented New Yorkers, he’s been practically mute. Asked about it recently, Schumer declared driver’s licenses “a state matter” and declined to comment further.
But actions really do speak louder than words – and with the stroke of a pen Schumer has now put himself on a crash course with Gov. Steamroller and his driver’s license lunacy. This week, Schumer signed a letter demanding that $50 million in funds dedicated for the implementation of the REAL ID Act remain part of the 2008 Homeland Security appropriations bill.
The 9/11 Commission said that the “federal government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses . . . At many entry points to vulnerable facilities, including gates for boarding aircraft, sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists.”
In 2005, the REAL ID Act created just such national standards for issuing driver’s licenses and other ID cards. Indeed, New York’s driver’s license was practically the feds’ model. But six years after 9/11, many states, citing cost, have failed to make REAL ID a reality.
In the letter, Schumer, with a bipartisan group of eight other senators, requests that a pool of money be specifically designated to help pay for implementing the stricter standards: “Congress should place the same high priority on funding REAL ID implementation as it did when the authorizing language was passed. By protecting the $50 million . . . [the Senate] conference has the ability to ensure that REAL ID can take necessary first steps toward implementation.”
Problem is, Spitzer has a different plan – to issue driver’s licenses to illegals – which would violate REAL ID. The gov’s plan starts kicking this December: Non-legal residents of New York will be able to apply for a driver’s license without a Social Security card or proof that they have a legal right to reside in New York. That contravenes REAL ID, which says applicants for driver’s licenses need to provide proof of ID including Social Security numbers and proof of legal residency.
If New York driver’s licenses don’t meet the standards of REAL ID by December 2009, New Yorkers will have to provide different ID (such as a passport) when boarding airplanes or entering federal buildings. But that inconvenience isn’t the only problem.
The point of REAL ID was to make all Americans safer from terrorist attacks by making our identification more secure and keeping legal identification out of the hands of would-be terrorists. Spitzer’s plan will make it easier for bad guys to get N.Y. licenses long before the REAL ID deadline.
The gov already had choice words for Mayor Bloomberg when he expressed reservations about the plan: “He is wrong at every level – dead wrong, factually wrong, legally wrong, morally wrong, ethically wrong,” Spitzer exploded.
Now, Schumer has made it clear what he thinks of Spitzer’s plan. The governor may not like it, but the list of opponents to this foolishness gets longer every day.
awschachter@nypost.com