Ted Cruz Makes The Case To End Daylight Saving Time | FULL REMARKS

4/11/2025

At Thursday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called to end Daylight Saving Time.

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Transcript

00:00Good morning, everyone.

00:03Welcome back, Senator Scott.

00:04Good to see you.

00:05The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will come to order.

00:10Twice a year, we find ourselves adjusting our clocks, shifting an hour of daylight forward

00:16in the spring, springing forward, and falling back in the fall.

00:21For many Americans, this biannual ritual is a minor inconvenience, something we endure

00:27without giving it much thought.

00:28But when we take a closer look at the implications of changing the clocks, its impact on our

00:34economy, our health, and our everyday lives, we can see that this practice is more than

00:39an annoyance.

00:40First, let's talk about energy savings, which has long been the most common justification

00:46for daylight savings time.

00:48The original idea behind daylight savings time was to reduce energy consumption by making

00:53better use of daylight during the longer days of summer.

00:57The idea was simple.

00:58Fewer hours of darkness meant less electricity consumption for lighting and heating.

01:04This concept might have made sense in the early 20th century, when our economy and our homes

01:09relied much more heavily on energy consumption tied to daylight hours.

01:14Today, the data show energy savings from daylight savings time are de minimis, if not entirely non-existent.

01:24Advances in technology, particularly in lighting and climate control, and increased domestic

01:29energy production have drastically reduced the relative price of energy compared to the past.

01:36Changing clocks biannually impacts our health.

01:40Research has shown that the abrupt shift in time, especially the spring transition, when we lose an hour of sleep, disrupts our

01:48internal circadian rhythms and causes sleep deprivation.

01:52This leads to increased risks of health problems, including higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and even car accidents immediately following the time change.

02:03In fact, studies have shown that there is a spike in workplace injuries and fatal car crashes during the days after we shift our clocks forward.

02:12The disruption to sleep patterns and the resultant fatigue can have consequences on our productivity, mental health, and well-being.

02:24The time change is also an inconvenience for families.

02:27For parents, especially those with young children, adjusting to the time change is no simple task.

02:34Sleep disruptions can result in cranky children, restless nights, and a difficult adjustment period that can last for weeks.

02:42We also need to consider the economic and social impact.

02:46There are arguments that longer daylight hours in the evening can boost economic activity in certain sectors, such as retail, tourism, and entertainment.

02:56For instance, late afternoon golf leagues account for up to 40% of the annual revenue of some courses,

03:04while a majority of golf instructors reported that nearly 50% of their lessons are taught after 4 p.m.

03:12A golf course would lose an estimated $500,000 annually if it lost the extra hour of daylight in the summer.

03:21Of course, the early birds, who like 7 a.m. tea times, might be a bit annoyed with this shift.

03:28Many states and countries like Mexico and Russia and Turkey have already taken steps to move away from changing clocks twice a year.

03:36Hawaii and Arizona have opted out of the practice, and other countries in the past ten years have either abolished it or are in the process of doing so.