Electric Lights Changed The Argument, But Dark Winter Mornings Still Matter
The United States may finally stop changing its clocks twice a year—but Neil deGrasse Tyson is not pretending that moving one hour around creates any additional sunlight.
Appearing on “The Hill on NewsNation” with Kellie Meyer, the astrophysicist called the seasonal clock ritual outdated after the House of Representatives passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent across most of the country.
The Sunshine Protection Act cleared the House on July 14, 2026, in a bipartisan 308–117 vote. It would end the annual “spring forward” and “fall back” by keeping clocks on summer time throughout the year—but it is not law yet. The measure must still pass the Senate before reaching the president.
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One Hour, Two Very Different Trade-Offs
Permanent daylight saving time promises brighter winter evenings, while permanent standard time keeps more morning light aligned with the body clock.
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Tyson’s basic argument is delightfully blunt. Daylight saving time was created for a world far more dependent on natural light. “Before there was electric light, maybe that kind of mattered a lot,” he says. Modern life, however, does not stop simply because the sun clocks out before dinner.
That does not mean Tyson is passionately campaigning for the House bill. In fact, he says the twice-yearly change has never personally bothered him. His position is closer to cosmic indifference: choose a system, understand its consequences and stop acting as though rearranging the clock changes Earth’s rotation.
Humans are not manufacturing more daylight. We are deciding which part of the day receives it according to the clock. Permanent daylight saving time would move an hour of winter light from the morning into the evening, creating later sunsets—and later sunrises.
That trade-off becomes much less adorable in December. Tyson notes that some winter sunrises could arrive around 8:20 a.m., meaning children could be walking to school or waiting for buses in darkness. The extra evening glow comes with a very real morning bill.
The country has tried this before. During the 1970s energy crisis, the United States briefly adopted year-round daylight saving time. Public enthusiasm collapsed after people experienced dark winter mornings, and Congress reversed course before the experiment completed two years.
The current proposal would preserve exceptions. Hawaii, most of Arizona and several U.S. territories already remain on standard time year-round. Under the House bill, states could also choose permanent standard time if they act before the federal measure takes effect.
That distinction matters because the fight is not simply between changing the clocks and leaving them alone. It is also a disagreement over which permanent time the country should choose.
Supporters of permanent daylight saving time prefer brighter evenings for families, recreation and businesses. Sleep specialists generally favor permanent standard time, arguing that morning light more closely aligns the social clock with human circadian biology.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports ending seasonal time changes but opposes locking the country permanently onto daylight saving time. Its position is that standard time provides the healthier alignment between natural light, sleep and the body’s internal clock.
Tyson approaches the entire spectacle with the perspective of someone who spends his life explaining much larger clocks. Earth will continue rotating. The seasons will continue changing the length of the day. Congress can rename the hour, but it cannot negotiate with the sun.
As for his own routine, Tyson’s conclusion is wonderfully unbothered: “I have electric lights.” The rest of the country now has to decide whether brighter winter evenings are worth darker winter mornings—and whether the Senate is prepared to lock the clock after decades of debate.
Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson Explain Why Changing The Clocks Feels Outdated
On “The Hill on NewsNation,” Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses the House-passed Sunshine Protection Act, the origins of daylight saving time, electric light, the failed 1970s experiment and the safety trade-off created by darker winter mornings.
Sources: The Hill on NewsNation; U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce; U.S. Department of Transportation; American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
