2 weeks Ago By Joe Killer
This illustrative image showcases a clock in the background of a smartphone indicating the time after daylight saving time was implemented in Los Angeles, California, on March 15, 2022. Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images President Trump is calling on Congress to approve legislation that would permanently establish daylight saving time, potentially ending a long-standing discussion on twice-a-year time changes in the U.S.
The president urged both the House and Senate to “push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day,” in a post on Truth Social on Friday morning.“This is very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of clocks, which is a significant inconvenience and a costly event for our government!!!,” Trump added.His latest comments follow ongoing efforts in Congress to adopt daylight saving time, including the Sunshine Protection Act, which was reintroduced in January by Florida Republicans Rep.
Vern Buchanan and Sen. Rick Scott. Previously, another Florida Republican, then-Sen.
Marco Rubio, had pushed for the bill, first introducing it in 2018 and reintroducing it in 2021. The Senate passed the bill in 2022, but it didn’t reach a vote in the House. Except for two states, Hawaii and Arizona (excluding the part of the Navajo Nation located in Arizona), every state observes daylight saving time.
U.S. territories such as American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands also do not adjust their clocks.
Trump has been a long-time advocate for this change and remarked in a tweet in 2019 that making it permanent was “O.K. with me!” However, he recently seemed to adjust his position, labeling it a “50/50 issue” just days before clocks in most regions moved forward for the summer.
In the Oval Office, he mentioned, “I assume people would prefer more light later in the day, but some individuals value having earlier light for activities like taking their kids to school in daylight...
Different people have varying preferences,” he stated.The topic was discussed during a Senate hearing where Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas criticized the twice-yearly clock shifts, calling the practice “outdated and detrimental.
” Cruz added that while such changes may have made sense in the early 1900s, modern advancements have drastically changed the cost of energy.“When we analyze the repercussions of clock changes on our economy, health, and daily lives, we realize it’s more than just a nuisance,” Cruz, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, emphasized. “The disturbance to sleep patterns and subsequent fatigue can impact productivity, mental health, and general well-being,” he noted.
Democratic Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware echoed concerns about the adverse effects of changing clocks and asserted, “It’s time we find a resolution to this issue.” “The continual swapping between daylight saving time and standard time must cease,” she stated.
“We need to make a definitive decision and adhere to it.”While there are valid concerns among sleep experts regarding the biannual time shifts’ health impacts, some medical professionals argue that a permanent daylight saving time solution may not be optimal either.According to Dr.
Karin Johnson, medical director of the Baystate Regional Sleep Medicine Program, a consistent standard time is more beneficial.“The scientific and medical communities advocate strongly for a transition to permanent standard time, which aligns more closely with natural light patterns and is thus better for overall health and well-being,” Johnson mentioned..
