Full Breakdown
Trump Pushes Senate Over Permanent Daylight Saving Time
By Drooid · · How we work
The Senate Standoff Over the Sunshine Protection Act
President Donald Trump urged Arkansas voters to contact Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., demanding his support for the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight-saving time (DST) permanent nationwide. Trump posted what appeared to be Cotton’s personal cellphone number on Truth Social and called the measure a “great bipartisan win.” Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has refused to back the legislation, arguing that permanent DST would create dark winter mornings for schoolchildren and commuters. The House passed the bill in July with a bipartisan 308-117 vote, but the Senate has not scheduled a floor vote before the November 1, 2026 clock change.
Legislative Background
The Sunshine Protection Act was first introduced in the Senate in 2022 and again in 2026. Earlier attempts to adopt year-round DST were repealed after public backlash in the 1970s, when children had to travel to school before sunrise. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established the current system of advancing clocks in March and retreating them in November, while allowing states to opt out. Proponents say permanent DST would extend evening daylight for activities; opponents note it would shift sunrise later in winter, raising safety concerns.
Numbers and Public Opinion
A 2025 AP-NORC poll found that 12 % of U.S. adults favor the existing twice-yearly clock changes, 47 % oppose them and 40 % are neutral. A majority said they would prefer to keep the extra hour of evening daylight. The House vote reflects broad bipartisan support, yet Senate leaders doubt the measure can reach the 60-vote threshold needed for passage.
Official Statements & Responses
- Cotton responded on X, stating, “No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Saving Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter.”
- Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Republican Sens.
Criticism & Opposition
Sleep-medicine experts from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine warned that year-round DST would misalign daylight exposure with human circadian biology, potentially reducing alertness and increasing health risks.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the Senate’s timeline. Some reports say the Senate has adjourned until after the November midterm elections, making a floor vote unlikely before the November 1, 2026 change. Other outlets note that leaders have not placed the bill on the agenda but have not ruled out a post-election vote. No public statement from Cotton’s office addresses the timing of a potential vote.
What’s Next
The Senate is not scheduled to consider the Sunshine Protection Act before the November 1, 2026 “fall back” to standard time. Under current law, clocks will move back one hour at 2 a.m. local time on that date, and DST will resume on March 14, 2027. Unless the Senate acts after the midterms, the biannual clock change will continue as usual.