President Donald Trump endorsed a growing movement to make time permanent and disregard daylight saving time, in a Monday morning tweet.
Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 11, 2019
Trump’s comment comes after clocks moved an hour forward Sunday. Making time permanent in the continental U.S. is a growing movement that caught steam in Florida last year when then-Gov. Rick Scott signed the “Sunshine Protection Act” into law, which would negate the moving of clocks one hour between the months of March and November (summertime).
The law was a symbolic gesture, which is not allowed to take effect until the federal government sponsors similar legislation at the national level.Scott, now a senator, later co-sponsored national legislation to this effect in the U.S. Senate with fellow Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, noting in a press release, “the bill would simply negate the need for Americans to change their clocks twice a year. Many studies have shown that making DST permanent could benefit the economy and the country.”
Scott and Rubio listed the benefits of making daylight saving time permanent, including:
- Reduces car crashes and car accidents involving pedestrians
- Reduces risk for cardiac issues, stroke and seasonal depression.
- Reduces the number of robberies by 27 percent
- Reduces childhood obesity and increases physical fitness
- Benefits the agricultural economy
- Reduces energy usage