On May 7, 2025, says the federal government, U.S. travelers must be Real ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. The program stems from post-9/11 legislation signed by then-President George W. Bush. The website for the Department of Homeland Security offers a brief online questionnaire allowing U.S. citizens to determine if they are "Real ID ready."
Last week, Fox News published a story saying conservatives are concerned about Real ID. Examples included Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska).
Twila Brase, RN and president/co-founder of Citizens' Council for Health Freedom, has been sounding the alarm to AFN for years. In most if not all interviews, Brase has explained Americans don't need Real ID to fly.
"But it will be easier if you have a document that the [Transportation Security Administration] finds acceptable," she says, "and that will include your passport and about 16 different identification options."
As for why an organization concerned about health freedom is chiming in about identification and flights, Brase warns Real ID (or something similar) could lead to a future administration implementing a China-like social credit system in which the government tracks an individual's transactions.
"Real ID does not stop with commercial airlines," Brase predicts. "It can be required for anything that the Secretary of Homeland Security decides it has to be required for – for instance, access to medical care, getting a marriage license, renting a hotel, buying guns."
In fact, CCHF suggests anyone who has a Real ID turn it in for a standard driver's license.
