[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H4744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION CARD BAD IDEA FOR AMERICA

  (Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, the American people strongly oppose the 
instituting of a national identification card. The authority was given 
for a national I.D. card in 1996. I have been working very hard to try 
to repeal this authority.
  Today, we would have had an opportunity under the transportation bill 
to repeal this authority and to prevent a national I.D. card from 
coming into existence.
  Unfortunately, that will not be permitted, due to the rule that is 
coming up for the transportation bill. I think this is a serious 
mistake. It is not just 30 or 40 or 50 percent of the American people 
who reject a national I.D., but almost all Americans reject this idea. 
I find it a shame that we are not able to vote on the repeal authority.
  It was never intended that the Social Security number would be the 
universal, national identifier. It is given to a child at birth and one 
cannot even be buried without it. So the national I.D. card, when 
instituted, will be used for everything: To get on an airplane, to get 
a job, open up a bank account; whatever we want to do, we will have to 
show our papers.
  This is un-American. It is something that we should not be doing, and 
unfortunately, we will not get to vote on it today.

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