President Donald Trump renewed his push Wednesday for the United States to make daylight saving time permanent, calling on Republican senators to quickly approve legislation that would end the twice-yearly changing of the clocks.
In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump celebrated the House passage of the Sunshine Protection Act and urged the Senate to give the measure final congressional approval. The House passed the legislation last month in a bipartisan 308-117 vote.
“For many years, the vast Majority of Americans have asked to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but no Administration has been able to get it properly done, until now,” Trump wrote. “I am proud to announce that the House of Representatives has passed the Bill, and it has now gone to the Senate for final approval.”
Trump argued that Americans have grown frustrated with the longstanding practice of adjusting their clocks twice each year and said the change creates unnecessary inconvenience and expense.
“People are sick and tired of having to change their clocks twice a year. It is foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly,” Trump wrote.
The Sunshine Protection Act would effectively establish year-round daylight saving time in states that observe it, eliminating the annual “spring forward” and “fall back” clock changes. States would have an opportunity to opt out and remain on standard time year-round. Hawaii and most of Arizona already do not observe daylight saving time.
Trump devoted much of his post to arguing that permanent daylight saving time would provide benefits far beyond eliminating the inconvenience of changing clocks.
“For Cities and States with Watchtowers, and hard to reach places, it costs Millions of Dollars,” Trump wrote. “A recent case was made that it is also bad for your health in the anxiety it creates.”
The president said studies have suggested that ending the time change and preserving an additional hour of evening daylight could have benefits involving crime, traffic safety, health and economic activity.
“Leading Medical, Crime, and Economic Studies have shown that ceasing the biannual time change, giving us one extra hour of natural sunlight in the evenings, will help Decrease Robbery and Murder Rates, Reduce Car Accidents (especially those involving Pedestrians!), Lower Risk for Cardiac Issues, Stroke, and Seasonal Depression, Make It Safer for Children to Walk Home from School, Increase Time with your Family, Strongly Support Extracurricular Activities, Be a Big Boost to Sports, Fitness, Tourism, Retail, and the Restaurant Industries (and more!), and Save Money on Energy Bills, because everyone will be enjoying an EXTRA HOUR OF DAYLIGHT,” Trump wrote.
Research has found health and safety problems associated with the twice-yearly clock transition, particularly the loss of an hour of sleep during the spring change. However, major medical and sleep organizations that support eliminating the clock changes have generally favored permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time, arguing that standard time more closely aligns with the body’s natural circadian rhythms.
Permanent daylight saving time would also come with a significant tradeoff: later winter sunrises. In New York, for example, the latest sunrise under permanent daylight saving time would occur at approximately 8:20 a.m. rather than 7:20 a.m., while the earliest winter sunset would move from approximately 4:28 p.m. to 5:28 p.m.
That issue has fueled opposition to the proposal among some senators. Critics have pointed to the United States’ previous experiment with year-round daylight saving time during the 1970s. Congress instituted year-round daylight saving time during the energy crisis beginning in January 1974, but the experiment was cut short amid widespread concerns about dark winter mornings.
The current legislation has nevertheless made considerably more progress than most recent attempts to permanently end the seasonal clock changes.
The House approved the Sunshine Protection Act on July 14 by a vote of 308-117, sending the proposal to the Senate. The legislation had previously advanced through the House Energy and Commerce Committee as part of a broader motor vehicle measure by a 48-1 vote.
Congress has grappled with the issue before. In 2022, the Senate passed an earlier version of the Sunshine Protection Act by unanimous consent, but the measure stalled in the House and never became law.
This time, however, the legislation has the strong backing of Trump, who has repeatedly pressed lawmakers to end the clock-changing ritual.
In his latest appeal, Trump portrayed the issue as one capable of attracting support across the political spectrum.
“In other words, leave it as it is now, and never change again,” Trump wrote. “This is an issue that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can unite behind.”
He concluded with a direct appeal to members of his own party in the Senate.
“I am asking Republican Senators to PASS THE SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT, ASAP,” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
The measure now faces its crucial test in the Senate. If senators approve the House-passed legislation, it could move to Trump’s desk, putting the United States closer than it has been in years to ending the familiar ritual of changing clocks every spring and fall.
