By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump on Friday called on Congress to make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice yearly practice of switching clocks.
Trump’s comments came a day after lawmakers held the first hearing in more than three years on a long-running debate on whether to make daylight saving time permanent or remain on standard time year round.
“The House and Senate should push hard for more daylight at the end of the day,” Trump said.
The Senate unanimously voted in March 2022 to make daylight saving time permanent, but that effort stalled in the House of Representatives, which never took up the issue.
Trump said last month there was no consensus and action was unlikely.
“There are very real and complicated issues and countervailing arguments on both sides,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz. “There is widespread agreement on locking the clock, but where to lock it?”
Some say Congress could let states choose which time they want to remain on, but others worry that would lead to a patchwork.
Daylight saving time – putting the clocks forward one hourduring the summer half of the year to make the most of thelonger evenings – has been in place in nearly all of the UnitedStates since the 1960s, but proponents have pushed to make ityear-round.
Supporters of remaining on daylight saving time argue itwould lead to brighter evenings and more economic activityduring the winter months. Critics say it would force children towalk to school in darkness.
Proponents of eliminating daylight saving time saytwice-annual changing of clocks causes sleep disturbance, healthissues and more car crashes.
Year-round daylight saving time was used during WorldWar Two and adopted again in 1973 in a bid to reduce energy usebecause of an oil embargo, but was unpopular and was repealed ayear later.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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