'Stop the clock': GOP, Dems come together to end Daylight Saving over health, economic risks

In 1957, Rockabilly vocalist Bob Ehret repeated, "We’ve got to halt the clock, baby; to walk much clip with you" – and successful a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, lawmakers from some sides of the aisle powerfully considered the benefits of doing so, successful a way.

Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Daylight Saving was grounded successful good-faith efforts to trim vigor consumption, but that alternatively it has led to accrued car accidents successful the dark, workplace issues, and objections from the agriculture assemblage that relies connected early-morning sunlight.

"We find ourselves adjusting our clocks… springing guardant and falling backmost successful the fall. For galore Americans, this biannual ritual is simply a insignificant inconvenience… But erstwhile we instrumentality a person look astatine the implications of changing the clocks, its interaction connected our economy, our wellness and our mundane lives, we tin spot that this signifier is much than an annoyance," Cruz said.

"The thought was simple. Fewer hours of acheronian meant little energy depletion for lighting and heating."

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Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee proceeding successful Washington connected March 8, 2022. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

However, dissimilar the aboriginal 1900s, erstwhile the U.S. system was heavy reliant connected vigor depletion tied to daylight hours, today’s effects from sunrise and sunset timings are "de minimis," helium said.

Cruz, on with Massachusetts neurology doc Dr. Karin Johnson, spoke astir the wellness concerns associated with changing the clip doubly a twelvemonth and with the permanence of Daylight Saving Time, versus Standard Time.

"Research has shown that the abrupt displacement successful time, particularly the outpouring modulation erstwhile we suffer an hr of sleep," Cruz said, arsenic Johnson spoke astir the effects connected people’s circadian rhythm, vascular strategy and slumber deprivation.

The sheet besides hosted an authoritative from the National Golf Course Owners Association, arsenic helium and different lawmakers spoke of the accrued gross from evening tee times and different tourer activities lone imaginable during daylight hours.

In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Chairman Ted Cruz and lawmakers from some sides of the aisle powerfully considered the costs of Daylight Saving Time. (Ap/Getty)

On the Democratic side, Sen. Lisa Blunt-Rochester of Delaware agreed that it was clip to see a "permanent clip for our country."

She noted a measure from then-Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to abolish DST stalled successful the House.

"This assemblage [then] took a harder look astatine however clip changes enactment state-by-state," she said.

"What works successful my location authorities of Delaware whitethorn not enactment successful Washington state, but I cognize I talk for galore Americans erstwhile I accidental it's time. It's clip to fig this out."

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Witnesses to the proceeding noted that it is so confederate states similar Florida and Texas wherever the antagonistic effects of a imperishable Daylight Saving Time would beryllium astir felt.

Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., spoke astir his enactment shifting Daylight Saving Time doubly to assistance assuage immoderate of the issues that were brought up each time, including amended guaranteeing trick-or-treating happens astatine worst astatine dusk.

Markey quipped that his decades-long enactment connected this contented earned him the nickname "the Sun King."

"We request to halt the clock," Blunt-Rochester said. "We cognize that changing the timepiece disrupts sleep, which tin pb to antagonistic wellness outcomes. Several studies person noted issues with temper disturbances summation infirmary admissions, and adjacent bosom attacks and strokes."

Lock The Clock question laminitis Scott Yates testified astir the flawed past of DST, noting a clip during the 1970s vigor situation that the Nixon medication concisely made DST permanent.

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Nixon signed the instrumentality successful December 1973 portion embroiled successful Watergate – but it took effect the archetypal week the pursuing twelvemonth – Jan. 6, 1974.

"So you tin imagine, the worst Monday of the twelvemonth already is the 1 aft the vacation interruption wherever you person to spell backmost to schoolhouse and everything – to person an other hr of slumber robbed distant close earlier that. You tin recognize wherefore it was truthful unpopular and wherefore it was repealed," Yates said, noting that months later, Nixon resigned.

The burglary by the "Plumbers" astatine the Watergate Hotel besides notably occurred during nighttime hours.

"So possibly – if we had much daylight, the Watergate break-in doesn't happen," Cruz quipped successful response.

"And past would beryllium different."