A national ID would presumably be available, or obligatory, to everyone. But countries can and do deny passports or rescind them < the passport is a letter asking the govt of a foreign country to let its citizen in. Sometimes you don’t want a citizen to leave or vouch for him.
Anyways all states I’ve lived in have IDs that are solely IDs
This doesn't solve the issue of people lacking a drivers license but might solve a few others along the way.
Passports should be issued to citizens free of charge, and could carry driving endorsements as physical and digital metadata (I don't suggest that harmonizing driving credentialing and administration across all 50 states and other US territories is an enormous undertaking, just one that should be done).
While true, it’s also hilarious as they do indirectly regulate speed limits, road composition, vehicle safety features, and emission standards. So basically everything except the person operating the vehicle.
The issue of course is that their driver's license is the only government-issued photo ID they possess so if they want to fly or enter a federal building without a driver's license, they would need to get a federal ID such as a passport issued which has both monetary and time costs. (And isn't available for everyone.)
Of course, we also have a national ID in the form of passports, but a lot of people don't have one.