The implementation of daylight saving time has always been controversial, with many Americans disliking the biannual time adjustment. There have been numerous studies showing that the time change period has more disadvantages than benefits on human health, and whether daylight saving time actually saves energy remains inconclusive. Therefore, the abolition of daylight saving time or its permanent implementation has been a topic of ongoing discussion across various sectors.
Recently elected President Trump has appointed Tesla founder Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to oversee the operations of the Department of Government Efficiency, aimed at finding ways to improve the efficiency of the U.S. government. One of their potential goals is to put an end to the unpopular biannual time transitions.
Last week, Musk wrote on the social platform X, “Looks like people want to abolish the annoying time difference (daylight saving time adjustment)!” Musk linked this issue to an online poll where the majority of respondents expressed a desire to end daylight saving time.
“It’s inefficient and easily reformable,” Ramaswamy replied to Musk.
It remains unclear whether the two will take further action once the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is officially operational, as the U.S. Congress controls national time transitions.
Daylight saving time has been in practice in almost all regions of the United States since the 1960s, following its initial trial in 1918. Since 2015, about 30 states have proposed legislation to terminate the biannual time switch. Some states have suggested that they will only end the time change if neighboring states also do so.
In subsequent posts, Musk informed Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee that he indeed hopes to end the time transitions.
Americans and U.S. politicians continue to debate whether to implement permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time. In March 2022, the U.S. Senate passed legislation hoping to make daylight saving time permanent starting in 2023. However, there was no unanimous view within Congress, and the House of Representatives never voted on the bill. In March of this year, 12 bipartisan senators once again pushed for new legislation to make daylight saving time permanent and end the biannual time transitions but without progress.
Secretary of State nominee and Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio has long advocated for ending clock adjustments in favor of year-round daylight saving time. He is also the proponent of the Senate’s push for a permanent daylight saving time bill this year.
“For a developing nation, adjusting clocks is simply meaningless,” said Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward J. Markey in a statement to The Washington Post, “but we need permanent daylight saving time, as more daylight in the evenings means more time to get work done.”
Politicians in the central U.S. region are hesitant about this idea, warning that year-round “springing forward” could result in sunrise times during winter extending beyond 9 a.m. in cities like Indianapolis and Detroit.
Meanwhile, public health organizations have indicated that permanent standard time is more natural for the human circadian rhythm, citing studies that show clock changes can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other health issues.
In March 2023, a YouGov poll found that 62% of Americans wish to end clock adjustments, but there is almost no consensus on the next steps. Half of the respondents expressed a desire for year-round daylight saving time, slightly less than a third preferred permanent standard time, while the rest were uncertain or had no opinion.
President Biden’s stance on time transitions remains unclear. Over the past two years, the White House has not responded to questions about whether Biden supports Congress adopting year-round daylight saving time.
“I have no problem with making daylight saving time permanent!” President-elect Trump wrote on social media in March 2019.
“Can we stop the biannual clock adjustments?” Jim O’Neill, Trump’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, wrote on X in 2022. “The only industry that doesn’t need interruption is daylight saving time.”
(This article references reporting from The Washington Post)