March 26, 2020

Chairman DeFazio Applauds DHS for Responsibly Delaying REAL ID Compliance Deadline

Washington, DC –Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) applauded Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf for his decision to delay the REAL ID compliance deadline to October 1, 2021. Last week, DeFazio joined Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Lou Correa (D-CA) to call on Acting Secretary Wolf to delay the October 1, 2020, REAL ID Act implementation deadline amid the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

DeFazio issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement:

“I thank Secretary Wolf for heeding our call to delay the REAL ID compliance deadline as the nation navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. With nearly two-thirds of the country lacking compliant identification, delaying REAL ID enforcement is the only sensible choice and will allow more Americans to obtain compliant identification. This decision will provide millions of Americans who do not yet have REAL ID compliant identification, including many Oregonians, with at least one added layer of certainty around traveling.”

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