President Trump on Saturday called on the U.S. Senate to pass legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States. In a post on Truth Social, Trump referred to the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 as the "NO MORE CHANGING THE CLOCKS ACT" and urged a vote as soon as possible. The president stated that having more sunlight later in the day helps in fighting crime and noted that the current practice of changing clocks twice a year causes "disruption and chaos."
The House of Representatives approved the measure last month in a 308-117 vote. The bill, introduced by retiring Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), seeks to establish daylight saving time as the year-round national standard. While the bill would not require states like Hawaii and most of Arizona—which currently do not observe daylight saving time—to change their practices, it would repeal a specific exemption under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. State legislatures would have until the day before the act's enactment to choose to remain on standard time.
The proposal faces opposition from several high-ranking Senate Republicans. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) stated in a recent interview that permanent daylight saving time would lead to "second-order implications," such as sunrises occurring as late as 8:30 a.m. in parts of his state during winter. Cotton noted that a similar experiment with permanent daylight saving time in 1973 was repealed early after reports of traffic accidents involving children in the early morning darkness. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) also expressed concerns regarding late winter sunrises in his state, noting it remains to be seen if the bill has the 60 votes required to bypass a filibuster.
The scale of the impact involves the entire national transportation, commerce, and energy infrastructure, with the exception of Hawaii and parts of Arizona. While proponents like Rep. Buchanan and President Trump argue the shift would benefit the economy and public safety, critics and some health experts have previously raised concerns about the impact on human circadian rhythms and child safety during dark morning hours. The financial impact on energy consumption and small businesses—such as golf courses that benefit from late light versus industries that rely on early daylight—has been a point of debate in previous legislative attempts.
What happens next depends on the Senate, which is currently out of session until September 14. Upon their return, the chamber must decide whether to bring the House-passed bill to the floor for a vote. To succeed, the bill would need to clear the 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster, a task Leader Thune indicated is uncertain given the geographic divide among senators. If passed and signed into law, the transition would be permanent, though the specific effective date remains dependent on the final legislative text and state-level decisions.