The federal government’s watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), just released a report on progress by the states in developing secure driver’s licenses and ID cards. (Summary available here). In the report, the GAO tracked progress achieved by the states and detailed successful examples of fraud prevention, but it also found that loopholes still exist. The states are currently facing a January 2013 deadline for achieving the secure identity documents prescribed by the REAL ID Act of 2005.
The biggest remaining loophole identified in the report is that the states do not have the ability to check birth certificates issued in other states. This allows a person to use a stolen birth certificate from one state to create a false identity in another. The GAO tried this tactic in three states and succeeded in obtaining false driver’s licenses in all three. As a result, the GAO recommended to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it further engage with the states to assist them in developing the cross-state data access (referred to as inter-operability) that was called for in the REAL ID legislation.
It is almost unheard of that an agency disagrees with GAO recommendations. But in this report, the GAO says that DHS rejected the recommendation. “DHS did not concur with these recommendations, saying its ongoing efforts are sufficient.”
2 Comments
The D.H.S.should be disbanded. And at the least pared down to three groups Law enforcement, Customs&immigration, and a form of Fema that deals with disasters. that are all over seen by the G.A.O. with Congressional oversight. that has real power of the people to deal with every brunch of Government. With the same ability that D.H.S. has been blessed with. No one Czar, but accountable people. Accountable to us not the administrations leaders.
DHS.. doesn’t that stand for Department of Horse Sh_t? These people have NOT ‘kept us safe’, nor are we “secure” with their procedures! They have, in the TSA alone, at least 10% of the “security screeners” and “guards” as either already been determined to be thieves or clearly suspected of same. They call these crooks our “security”?
Right now the most serious threat America faces comes from within. I would start that threat at the WH in the person of one B Hussein O, and continue it down through all of the “Czars” he’s appointed, as well as many, if not all, of those who had their positions approved by the equally corrupt, Democrat controlled, Senate.
We need to clean house. First attempt via the ballot box, the second via that stated and recommended in our Founding Documents. Where the PEOPLE have the right to “alter” OR “abolish” the govenment when it no longer serves the people.