Why Permanent Daylight Saving Time Remains Stalled in Congress

Congress Weighs Year-Round Daylight Saving Time as Clock Change Nears

Sunday morning marks the return of standard time for the bulk of the nation, and lawmakers on Capitol Hill could determine as early as next month whether citizens will be adjusting their timepieces for the final time. President Donald Trump wants year-round daylight saving time, and the U.S. House voted overwhelmingly in July for the change, yet the legislation remains stalled in the U.S. Senate with little progress anticipated immediately.

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changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter. Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch…

— https://x.com/SenTomCotton/status/2106431601685020768

Senators are scheduled to return to Washington from a lengthy recess on Nov. 9, at which point a push for year-round daylight saving time is expected. Yet the measure encounters heavy resistance from lawmakers representing rural districts and states where children run the risk of walking to school in pitch blackness throughout the bulk of the winter months.

The Legislative Stalemate and Senate Hurdles

The path forward in the Senate is narrow and fraught with procedural roadblocks. Lawmakers are scheduled to be in session for 22 days for the remainder of the year. During that period, the Senate must pass legislation to pay government bills beyond Dec. 11, when funding expires, and are expected to take up other major legislation, notably defense policy.

If the daylight bill does reach the floor, it would need 60 votes to proceed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., remarked to reporters during the summer that it remains to be seen whether such a large number of senators would get behind the legislation, pointing out that a legislator’s position is largely shaped by geography. His office did not respond to a request for further comment.

Supporters and opponents are deeply entrenched. Senator Tom Cotton voiced sharp opposition to permanent changes, pointing to historical precedent.

“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changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Saving Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” Sen. Tom Cotton said in a tweet referencing an Oct. 3 post.

Cotton’s office referred to a past period when Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter if daylight saving time were used. Children would start school in darkness for most of the winter if daylight saving time were used.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, noted that her state often experiences winter darkness before 4 p.m., making residents eager for permanent Daylight Saving Time.

President Trump has taken to Truth Social to voice his frustration, posting earlier this month that people are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year. In a subsequent post, Trump criticized Cotton and apparently gave out the senator’s cell phone number.

A Century-Old American Debate Over Time

The federal struggle over timekeeping dates back to the mid-19th century expansion of railroads, which necessitated standardized time zones to replace local solar time. Based on findings from a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the Standard Time Act of 1918 created five distinct time zones across the United States—including the region that was then the Alaska territory—while giving individual states the freedom to utilize daylight saving time.

Let Me Explain: Permanent Daylight Saving vs. Standard Time | NBCLA

That patchwork of localized scheduling systems came to a close when the Uniform Time Act became law in 1966, mandating that the majority of states shift their clocks forward and backward on the final Sundays of April and October every year. During portions of the winters in 1974 and 1975, the unfolding energy crisis prompted the temporary adoption of daylight saving time. Because sunrises occurring after 8 a.m. in certain regions meant schools had to open while it was still pitch dark, the policy proved deeply unpopular.

A 1975 report to Congress by the federal Transportation Department concluded that lengthening the period for daylight saving time would produce “modest overall benefits,” but added they were “small and difficult to isolate completely from the larger effects of seasonal patterns and changes in energy availability and prices.”

Why Permanent Daylight Saving Time Remains Stalled in Congress — Photo: newsfromthestates.com

Today, proponents argue the country has modernized significantly. An AP-NORC poll conducted a year ago found that 56 percent of Americans prefer daylight saving time year-round. During the July debate in the House over the Sunshine Protection Act—which ultimately passed in a 308-17 vote—supporters argued the current system is obsolete.

“For decades, Americans have been asking a simple question: Why are we forcing families, businesses, and communities to adjust their schedules every spring and fall? The twice-yearly clock change is a relic of the past that no longer reflects the way Americans live, work, and conduct business in the 21st century,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., chairman of the House subcommittee on commerce, manufacturing and trade. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., added that extra evening sunlight would provide a boost to tourism, restaurants, and outdoor recreation.

Opponents like Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., countered that early morning light is an important environmental cue to set our bodies’ internal clocks and promote alertness. For the time being, standard procedures will apply as the majority of the nation rolls clocks back by an hour at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, with a strong likelihood that those exact same clocks will spring forward again on March 8, 2027.