Trump Pushes Senate to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

President Donald Trump is urging the Senate to approve the Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139), which would make daylight saving time (DST) permanent across most of the United States. The House approved the bill by a bipartisan 308-117 vote on July 14 and sent it to the Senate on July 15, where it was referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The Senate is in recess and is scheduled to return on September 14. If the Senate passes the measure and Trump signs it before November 1, the “fall-back” clock change would be averted, leaving the nation on year-round DST.

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The twice-yearly clock change has been a recurring policy issue. Under current federal law, DST begins the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November. The practice is optional for states and territories; Hawaii, most of Arizona, and several U.S. territories already remain on standard time year-round. Earlier attempts to make DST permanent succeeded in the Senate in March 2022 by unanimous consent but stalled in the House. The recent House passage gives proponents a new opportunity to advance the bill.

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• House vote: 308-117 in favor (July 14).

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• Senate timeline: 48 days between the Senate’s return (September 14) and the scheduled November 1 clock change.

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• Current DST schedule: DST began on March 8, 2026 and is set to end at 2 a.m. on November 1, 2026.

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• Senate Majority Leader John Thune has expressed doubt that supporters can secure the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.

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• Senate Commerce Committee staff indicated that, should the Senate amend the bill, the House would need to reconvene, further compressing the legislative calendar.

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Republican senators have voiced concerns about winter darkness:

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• Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) warned that permanent DST would push winter sunrises to “an absurdly late hour,” reducing morning light for children and workers.

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• Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) noted that in western Montana sunrise could be as late as 9:30 a.m., creating challenges for school buses and commuters.

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Democratic opposition includes Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester, Tammy Duckworth, Amy Klobuchar, Gary Peters, and Jacky Rosen, who cite health and safety implications of darker winter mornings.

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• “People are sick and tired of having to change their clocks twice a year. It is foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly,” — Donald Trump, president

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The Senate’s next procedural step will occur after it reconvenes on September 14. Lawmakers must decide whether to bring the Sunshine Protection Act to the floor, amend it, or allow it to lapse. If the Senate does not act before November 1, the nation will revert to the existing schedule and clocks will be set back one hour as usual.

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