Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are contemplating axing Daylight Saving Time. According to New York Magazine, Musk posted the following tweet on his platform X — formerly Twitter — in response to another account’s poll on if Daylight Saving Time should be eliminated.
Musk wrote, “Looks like the people want to abolish the annoying time changes!”
Shortly afterward, Ramaswamy chimed into the conversation on X, saying, “It’s inefficient & easy to change.”
The system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States was established by the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that have opted out of changing the clocks, though other states — including New York — have been pondering whether or not to opt out of the practice in recent years.
During the fall 2023 legislative session, lawmakers introduced a pair of bills in the New York State Assembly and Senate to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Both bills remained trapped in committee, however, and no vote took place. So, neither has become law.
The bill passed the Senate in March 2022, and State Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, author of the bill, reintroduced the bill in March 2023 with bipartisan support. But the House never voted on it, citing more pressing matters at hand.
Rubio and other supporters of a permanent switch to Daylight Saving Time have argued that the clock change practice is antiquated. They say “locking the clock” in Daylight Saving Time will result in better sleep for all, especially for young parents — because babies’ internal clocks don’t change.
Many others say setting the clocks back an hour in the fall denies us precious sunlight during the darkest time of the year, making winter days even shorter at a time when depression and anxiety peak.
A change to permanent Daylight Saving Time will help those in the agriculture business, some say.
