On Wednesday, US President-elect Donald Trump said that his Republican party will put efforts into eliminating Daylight Saving Time (DST). Dubbing it "very costly and inconvenient to America", he said that the Republican Party will push to eliminate daylight saving time in the US. It is to be noted that the Republican Party, in January, will gain control over the two Chambers of the US Congress, including the House of Representatives and the Senate. Trump, who will be sworn in as the 47th President of the US on January 20, added that DST has a small but strong constituency, which he thinks, the US 'shouldn't have'.
Contextually, daylight saving time In the United States begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. The time changes take place at 2:00 am local time. In 2025, the DST will start on March 9 and conclude on November 2.
History of the Daylight Saving Time
Proposed by New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, the idea behind DST is to conserve energy and extend summer daylight hours. However, it is to be noted that it was in line with his hobby of collecting insects after work. During the First World War, the idea gained momentum when Europeans sought to preserve fuel. Germany became the first nation to adopt this idea in 1916 followed by the United States in 1918.
The Daylight Saving Time (DST) was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942, and now it affects almost 400 million people across North America. DST has always been a topic of debate in the US as people continue to remain apprehensive about it. It involves changing the clock twice a year i.e. setting one hour ahead in the spring and back in the fall to maximise daylight during the months of summer.
Current scenario in the US
Under the Uniform Time Act, the DST was brought into permanent practice in 1966. However, certain states decided to opt-out. Currently, Hawaii and a major portion of Arizona do not observe DST.
Senator Marco Rubio, who is Trump's nominee for the post of the US' next secretary of state, has been strongly opposing daylight savings. Rubio, who had introduced a bill named the 'Sunshine Protection Act' had earlier said, "We're 'springing forward' but should have never 'fallen back'. My Sunshine Protection Act would end this stupid practice of changing our clocks back and forth."
Importantly, Trump's supporters like Elon Musk and Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have also been vocal in their opposition to the time changes. Musk calls the practice as "annoying,", while Ramaswamy says it is "inefficient and easy to change."
According to a poll from March 2023, titled 'YouGuv', almost 62 per cent of Americans were in favour of ending the practice of changing clocks. In the United States, the reason for widespread apprehension towards DST originates from potential health impacts, which include strokes, heart attacks, sleep deprivation, and even a sudden surge in deadly road accidents.
