The Days are Getting Longer This Weekend
Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 2:00 AM local standard time. At this moment, clocks will spring forward one hour to 3:00 AM local daylight time, extending evening daylight while shortening the morning hours. This annual tradition occurs every second Sunday in March in the United States and many other countries.
The History Behind Daylight Saving Time
The concept of Daylight Saving Time dates back over two centuries, first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century as a way to reduce energy consumption by making better use of natural daylight. However, DST was not widely implemented until World War I, when Germany introduced it in May 1916 to conserve fuel. Other nations, including the United States, followed suit, adopting DST for the first time in 1918.
After the war, the U.S. repealed DST, but it returned during World War II for energy-saving purposes. In 1966, the Uniform Time Act established DST as a standard practice across the U.S., while granting states the ability to opt out.
Which U.S. States and Territories Don’t Observe Daylight Saving Time?
While most of the U.S. follows DST, some regions have opted out. The following areas remain on permanent standard time and do not change their clocks:
- Hawaii – Due to its location near the equator, Hawaii experiences little variation in daylight hours throughout the year, making DST unnecessary.
- Arizona (except for areas under the jurisdiction of the Navajo Nation, which observes DST) – The state’s exemption is largely attributed to its extreme summer heat.
- U.S. Territories – Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands do not observe DST.
Push to End Daylight Saving Time Gains Momentum From Trump
The debate over abolishing biannual time changes has gained traction in recent years. On December 13, 2024, Donald Trump, posted on Truth Social:
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation.”
Elon Musk, now head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also criticized DST on X (formerly Twitter) in November 2024:
“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states have enacted legislation to permanently adopt daylight saving time, pending federal approval. However, current U.S. law does not allow year-round DST, meaning Congress would need to act before any state could implement such a change.
What’s Next for Daylight Saving Time?
It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will push to end biannual clock changes, as Trump himself has suggested. While polls show widespread support for eliminating time changes, there is no consensus on whether the U.S. should adopt permanent standard time or permanent daylight saving time.
For now, Americans should prepare to set their clocks forward one hour on March 9, 2025—unless they live in a state or territory that opts out.
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