Trump Plans to End $430 Million Daylight Saving Time Tradition

President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to abolish Daylight Saving Time, citing its inconvenience and $430 million annual cost to the U.S. economy. Supported by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the move aims to end the biannual clock changes established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Critics have long argued that the practice is outdated and linked to adverse health effects, including increased risks of heart attacks and strokes.

CONTENTS:

• Trump Vows to End ‘Costly’ Daylight Saving Time: What It Means for the US
• Donald Trump Aims to End Daylight Saving Time in the U.S.
• Donald Trump Vows to End Daylight Saving Time, Calling It Costly and Inconvenient

Trump Plans to End $430 Million Daylight Saving Time Tradition

Trump Vows to End ‘Costly’ Daylight Saving Time: What It Means for the US

Trump Plans to End $430 Million Daylight Saving Time Tradition President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to eliminate the practice of Daylight Saving Time (DST), calling it an “unnecessary financial burden” on the country. In a post on Truth Social on December 13, Trump stated, “The Republican Party will work hard to end Daylight Saving Time. It’s inconvenient and very costly for our Nation.”

DST, first introduced in the US during World War I, was repealed shortly after due to opposition from farmers. While various states experimented with their own versions, the practice wasn’t reinstated nationwide until 1967.

The idea of abandoning the biannual clock adjustments has been discussed before. In 2022, the Democratic-led Senate proposed the Sunshine Protection Act, which aimed to make DST permanent, ensuring brighter evenings year-round and safer commutes for children and workers during winter evenings. However, the bill failed to progress in the Republican-controlled House, leaving the practice unchanged.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, now Trump’s incoming secretary of state, originally introduced the bill in 2021. Rubio cited studies suggesting permanent DST could benefit the economy, reduce heart attacks, and lower road accidents following the springtime clock adjustment.

If implemented, a permanent time system—whether standard or daylight saving—would end the need for Americans to “spring forward” and “fall back” each year.

Support for permanent DST has grown, especially in the Northeastern US, where politicians emphasize the challenges of harsh winter mornings. Rubio argued, “Cutting back on sunlight in fall and winter drains Americans and serves no real purpose.”

Regions like Hawaii, most of Arizona, and territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands would remain unaffected as they do not observe DST.

Donald Trump Aims to End Daylight Saving Time in the U.S

Trump Plans to End $430 Million Daylight Saving Time Tradition President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to abolish Daylight Saving Time (DST), describing the practice as both inconvenient and costly. In a social media post on December 13, Trump stated that the Republican Party would work to eliminate the biannual clock changes when he takes office.

“Daylight Saving Time has a small but strong following, but it shouldn’t! It’s inconvenient and very costly to our Nation,” Trump wrote on his platform.

Originally introduced in 1942 as a wartime measure to maximize daylight during summer, DST involves setting clocks forward by an hour in spring and back an hour in fall. Despite its long history, the practice has faced criticism and calls for its removal.

One of the most significant efforts to address DST was the Sunshine Protection Act, a bipartisan bill that sought to make DST permanent. Proposed by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is set to lead the State Department in Trump’s administration, the bill gained Senate approval but ultimately stalled.

Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who supported the bill, called the twice-yearly time changes “outdated and unnecessary.”

However, health experts argue that lawmakers are prioritizing the wrong approach. Organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advocate for making standard time, not DST, permanent. They highlight that standard time is more closely aligned with human biology and the natural solar cycle.

Globally, most countries do not observe DST. Among those that do, the dates for clock changes vary, creating inconsistent time differences. In the U.S., states like Arizona and Hawaii, along with some territories, have opted out of DST altogether and do not adjust their clocks.

Donald Trump Vows to End Daylight Saving Time, Calling It Costly and Inconvenient

Trump Plans to End $430 Million Daylight Saving Time Tradition President-elect Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration plans to abolish Daylight Saving Time (DST), a practice he described as both inconvenient and expensive. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient and very costly to our Nation,” Trump stated.

The move comes after suggestions from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-heads of the Department of Government Efficiency, who have advocated ending the biannual clock changes. Musk recently supported the idea in a post celebrating the possibility, while Ramaswamy referred to the practice as “inefficient and easy to change.”

Under current rules, Americans adjust their clocks twice a year: moving forward one hour on the second Sunday in March and moving back one hour on the first Sunday in November. These dates, set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, replaced previous schedules. Not all states follow DST; Hawaii and most of Arizona remain on standard time year-round.

The origins of DST in the U.S. date back to emergencies, with early variations during the 1970s energy crisis. In 1986, the starting date was moved to the first Sunday in April, and the 2005 legislation further shifted the schedule to its current format. Despite its historical rationale, many critics argue that the practice is outdated.

A 2016 study by Chmura Economics & Analytics estimated that DST costs the U.S. over $430 million annually. Health experts have also raised concerns, linking the time change to increased risks of heart attacks and strokes, further fueling calls for its elimination.