President Donald Trump urged the Senate on Wednesday to swiftly approve the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide and end the twice-yearly clock changes. The House of Representatives passed the measure 308-117 in mid-July.
“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,” President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “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. People are sick and tired of having to change their clocks twice a year. It is foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly. For Cities and States with Watchtowers, and hard to reach places, it costs Millions of Dollars.”
He cited health, safety, and economic arguments, stating that leading medical, crime, and economic studies show that ending the biannual switch and providing an extra hour of evening natural sunlight would 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.”
Sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16), the bill would make daylight saving time the permanent standard, while allowing states that already observe permanent standard time (such as Hawaii and most of Arizona) to continue doing so or opt in. It was received in the Senate the next day and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where it remains. A companion Senate bill (S. 29) is led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL).
To date, 19 states have enacted laws or resolutions favoring permanent daylight saving time, contingent on federal approval, reflecting long-standing state-level pressure that federal inaction has blocked.
Where Did Daylight Savings Come From?
Historically promoted for energy conservation, the idea dates back to Benjamin Franklin during his time in France, where he suggested dawn cannons and fines for late risers to curb candle use in a 1784 satirical essay published in the Journal de Paris.
A little more than a century later in 1895, New Zealand amateur entomologist George Hudson, who shared the sentiment to make the most of daylight hours, first proposed the idea to the Wellington Philosophical Society in his paper “On Seasonal Time-adjustment in Countries South of Lat. 30°.” His aim was to “reduce the excessive use of artificial light, which at present prevails.”
Hudson’s proposal met with immediate pushback, records show. One attendee at Hudson’s original presentation noted that although Benjamin Franklin “had long since anticipated” the idea, he found the proposition “wholly unscientific and impracticable.”
Another attendee said that “it was out of the question to think of altering a system that has been in use for thousands years, and by experience found to be the best.”
But less than 25 years later in 1918, the first nationwide daylight-saving law passed. The measure was tied to World War I energy conservation efforts, though it was repealed the following year after proving deeply unpopular.
Then in 1942, DST — dubbed “War Time” — returned again under FDR to help conserve fuel and “promote national security and defense,” and lapsed again in 1945 until President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act into law on April 13, 1966 in order to standardize the practice nationwide. The rationale, then as in 1918, was to save energy.
Next Steps
Whether the bill will pass is in question. Some senators, including Tom Cotton (R-AR), have raised concerns about dark winter mornings, effects on schoolchildren, agriculture, and early-shift workers.
“By moving the clock back an hour in winter, permanent Daylight Saving 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 in a floor speech, vowing he will “always oppose” efforts to make Daylight Saving Time permanent year-round.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated the chamber is reviewing the measure but has not committed to a floor vote.
Nonetheless, Scott has repeatedly pressed colleagues for swift action, writing after the House vote that “the Senate needs to take it up NOW and send it to President Trump’s desk.”
“It’s time for the Senate to pass my Sunshine Protection Act ASAP” because “Americans want MORE SUNSHINE, not less.” he said.
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb.
