Full Breakdown
Senate Blocks Permanent Daylight Saving Time Amid Presidential Push
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In this breakdown
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Senate Blocks Permanent Daylight Saving Time
The Senate is unlikely to advance the House-passed bill that would make daylight-saving time (DST) the year-round standard. Republican senators, led by Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, have signaled that the measure will not be brought to a vote before the chamber returns from the November midterm elections. Their opposition counters President Donald Trump’s public campaign urging Congress to “GET IT DONE!” and to let the “vast Majority of the Country” keep the change.
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Background & Context
Congress previously enacted permanent DST in 1973 as an energy-crisis measure, but repealed it the same year after public backlash over dark winter mornings. More than five decades later, the historical memory of that experiment has faded. An AP-NORC poll conducted last year found that only 12 % of American adults favor the current system, while nearly half oppose it. Proponents of a single time include the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Florida’s former governor, now Sen. Rick Scott, signed a 2018 state law that would allow Florida to stay on DST year-round pending federal approval, and he now leads a Senate effort to extend that option nationally.
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Key Figures & Groups
- Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. – GOP leadership member, vocal opponent of permanent DST.
- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D. – Warns that permanent DST would send children to school in darkness.
- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. – Advocates for permanent DST, citing public fatigue with clock changes.
- President Donald Trump – Has repeatedly urged Senate Republicans to pass the bill, citing safety and leisure benefits.
- American Medical Association – Supports a single time to improve health outcomes.
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Official Statements & Responses
Sen. Sen. Todd Young described the House bill as a “non-starter” for Senate leadership, while Sen. Bernie Moreno bluntly said there is “no way” it will pass soon.
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Verbatim Quotes
- “No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” — Sen. Tom Cotton
- “You'd be sending kids to school in the dark,” — South Dakota Sen. Mike
- “I hear from Americans constantly that they are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year — it's an unnecessary, decades-old practice that's more of an annoyance to families than benefit to them,” — Florida Sen. Rick Scott
These statements illustrate the clash between presidential advocacy and Senate skepticism, leaving the fate of permanent daylight-saving time uncertain.