US President Donald Trump has once again called on Congress to back a bill that would make Daylight Savings Time (DST) permanent across the country.

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In a post shared on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote, “The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day. Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!! DJT”

The debate on whether to stop changing the clocks twice a year has been around for decades. On Thursday, during a Senate hearing, Commerce Chair Ted Cruz said that most lawmakers agree on ending the current system, but there’s no consensus on what should replace it. Some prefer permanent DST, which brings more light in the evening. Others want permanent standard time, which gives more light in the early morning.

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What is Daylight Saving Time?

Daylight Saving Time runs from March to November. Most states move the clocks forward by one hour, meaning the sun sets later in the evening, but people lose an hour of sleep when the change happens.

The idea was first introduced during World War I to give workers more daylight hours and cut down on energy use. That early law also created the five time zones the US still follows today.

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The ongoing debate

Efforts to get rid of DST have been going on for over a century. The original World War I version lasted just over a year before being scrapped in 1919. It returned during World War II under the name “wartime” but was again removed once the conflict ended.

After that, different parts of the country did things their own way, leading to widespread confusion. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act to bring order to the system. It created a national start and end date for DST, but gave states the option to opt out. Only Arizona and Hawaii chose to stay on standard time year-round.

Why do people want to end clock change?

Many people support ending the twice-yearly clock shift. For people, the concern is mostly about health. Changing the clocks can throw off sleep schedules, raise the risk of accidents, and even increase the chance of heart attacks and strokes, at least temporarily.

Others argue that keeping clocks in line with “natural” time, the natural rhythm of daylight and darkness, is better for overall well being.

The National Council of State Governments says more than 750 bills and resolutions have been introduced in state legislatures, most of them pushing for permanent daylight saving time.

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Trump first showed support for ending the clock change last December. But in March, he noted that the issue still divides public opinion, “If something is a 50/50 issue, it’s hard to get excited about it. I assume people would like to have more light later, but some people want to have more light earlier because they don’t want to take their kids to school in the dark.”