The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on Thursday, trying to come up with a solution to the problem of the twice-yearly clock turning that most Americans don't like, but that some powerful interests insist on maintaining.
The solution favored by a majority of Americans would be to make Standard Time permanent. A recent Gallup survey found that 54% of Americans want to end Daylight Saving Time (DST), while 40% want to keep it. This represents a 30-point drop in support for DST since 1999.
Gallup asked a separate subgroup to choose one of three scenarios: having standard time year-round, daylight saving time year-round, or maintaining the current switching system between the two.
The survey found that 48% say they would prefer to have standard time all year, including summer. Just 24% preferred having DST all year, including winter. The smallest percentage, 19%, like the status quo of switching between the two each year.
The president wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning, "The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day. Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!"
Trump has been mostly consistent on the issue, although he called the debate over DST a "50-50 issue" last month. His statement on Friday was unambiguous.
Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said there’s general consensus that the twice-annual changing of the clocks should end, but there’s disagreement on whether to switch to daylight saving time or standard time. Advocates for permanent daylight saving time, including the golf industry, have argued the extended evening sunlight would reap benefits for recreation and exercise, while advocates for permanent standard time have argued their favored alternative would lead to better sleep.
Trump’s endorsement for making daylight saving time the norm — rather than changing clocks twice a year or conforming to standard time, which would mean more daylight in the morning hours and less in the evening — could help settle the debate for lawmakers. While it’s consistent with Trump’s previous positions, he wavered slightly last month, calling it a “50/50 issue” during remarks in the Oval Office.
Dr. Karin Johnson, a practicing sleep medicine specialist and neurologist at UMASS Chan School of Medicine-Baystate in Massachusetts, urged the committee to support permanent Standard Time, saying it promotes better sleep health and brain health.
“I echo President Trump’s call to end daylight saving time,” Johnson said. She called Permanent Standard Time “the natural, healthy choice offering multiple long-term benefits to physical health, mental health, safety and performance,” especially for children.
Committee Chairman Senator Ted Cruz laid out the basic conundrum facing Congress when trying to decide the issue.
Cruz stated: "I personally struggle with the two choices here, because it's a question of what do you care about more: sunshine and joy and fun and money, or health, mental health, physical health. And the honest answer for most people, gosh, I care about all that stuff."
Some states already have permanent Standard Time. Should they be forced to change?
Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana thinks a "one-size fits all" time policy would be a mistake.
“Hoosiers would begin their day in darkness for much of winter," Young pointed out. "What works for East Coast states, I’m hearing from many of my constituents, may not work for states like Indiana,” he said.
“A one-size-fits-all national policy of time changes doesn’t take into account the regional differences that significantly impact daily life," the Senator added.
The original purpose of DST was to extend daylight hours during World War I, thus reducing the need for artificial light in the evening, and, theoretically, conserving energy. Now, perhaps the only reason to keep DST is tradition.
It's one tradition that we can do without.
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