Elon Musk has hinted at the possibility of ending Daylight Savings Time. On a post regarding the same on social media, Musk commented in the affirmative. Under Donald Trump, the SpaceX CEO has been assigned to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
DOGE is meant to cut costs where possible and help the government work more efficiently. It is an outside role and not an official part of the government. Musk has been talking about bringing in big changes and regularly posts about the government’s plans once Trump assumes the role of president next year.
Musk’s plans also include getting rid of Daylight Savings Time.
A user on X posted, “I hope that D.O.G.E can delete daylight savings time.”
To this, Musk replied, “Yes.”
Daylight Savings Time is a method to utilise more daylight not just in the United States, but several other countries as well. It begins on the second Sunday of March every year in the US when people move their clocks forward one hour.
It ends on the first Sunday of November when people are required to move their clocks back by an hour again.
The topic has been a constant point of stress for several Americans. People argue that the change makes managing things harder, besides affecting their sleep cycles. But the main idea behind DST was to utilise daylight for a longer time when the sun sets later.
Daylight Savings Time has divided people
DST was first used in the US during the First World War. Officials felt the need to conserve energy during the war years and so came up with the idea of changing clock cycles in summer and winter.
While a lot of people want it to be completely removed, others argue making it a permanent fixture. This way only one cycle is followed all year round while getting in more light.
Musk might be going all out with ideas to change things in the US. But people are sceptical about the power he holds, considering DOGE is not even an official wing of the government.
A social media user wrote, “DST starts and ends with an act of Congress, so nothing D.O.G.E can do about it.”
The proposal to end daylight savings has reached Congress in the past. A 2022 measure would have made daylight saving time permanent. However, it could not reach a conclusion.
A 2022 CBS News/YouGov poll found that nearly 80 per cent of Americans wanted to change the current format. About 46 per cent of them wanted to make DST permanent, while 33 per cent wanted it to end.
Some states and territories in the US do not follow daylight saving time. Hawaii and most of Arizona are among those. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands also don’t observe daylight saving time.