The House is days away from voting to end Daylight Saving Time. Permanently.
The House Rules Committee cleared the Sunshine Protection Act for a full floor vote on Monday in a 6-4 vote, setting up what could be a historic end to America’s twice-yearly clock-changing ritual. The bill, backed by President Donald Trump, would make Daylight Saving Time the national year-round standard.
“It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice-yearly production,” Trump said earlier this year.
“It will also be a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it! We are going with the far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter Day — And who can be against that — This is an easy one!”
He has also called the clock change “a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT,” and said “Hundreds of Millions of Dollars are spent every year by people, Cities, and States, being forced to change their Clocks” which includes the cost of maintaining and resetting clocks located in towers and public buildings.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and has 34 cosponsors, who are overwhelmingly Republican. It passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in May 48-1 and was folded into a broader five-year transportation package. A companion bill in the Senate is sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL).
“I look forward to FINALLY passing my Sunshine Protection Act out of the Senate and making this commonsense policy a reality for the American people,” Scott posted on X.
The bill has bipartisan support among lawmakers who represent coastal and Sun Belt states. About 20 states have already passed legislation that would automatically lock their clocks on permanent Daylight Saving Time if Congress gives the green light, including Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Oregon, and Maine.
The Senate passed an identical version of the Sunshine Protection Act unanimously in 2022, but it died in the House when lawmakers from northern and interior states raised concerns about what permanent DST would mean in winter for children heading to school before sunrise. This year, the situation has flipped: the House is moving and it’s the Senate where resistance is growing.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) put the opposition plainly on the Senate floor.
“By moving the clock back an hour in winter, permanent Daylight Savings Time would push winter sunrises to an absurdly late hour, depriving Americans of morning sunshine that’s essential for our safety and well-being,” Cotton said. “For many Arkansans, permanent Daylight Savings Time would mean the sun wouldn’t rise until after 8:00 or even 8:30 a.m. during the dead of winter. Three months out of the year, kids in towns like Bentonville, Fayetteville, and Fort Smith would start school ahead of the sun.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) pushed back.
“Changing our clocks twice a year is an outdated, burdensome practice,” he said, urging the House to move fast.
If the House passes the bill this week, it heads back to the Senate where the real battle awaits.