Politics
Trump Revives Push for Permanent Daylight Saving Time After House Passage, Senate Inaction
President Trump renewed his call to make daylight saving time permanent, criticizing the Senate for not taking up a House-passed bill. The push comes after Americans set clocks back on Nov. 1, with supporters citing more evening daylight and opponents warning of dark winter mornings.
President Donald Trump on Monday renewed his push to end the twice-yearly clock change, calling on the Senate to pass legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent. In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized the Senate for not acting on the Sunshine Protection Act, which he jokingly referred to as the "I Don't Want to Change My Clocks Anymore Act."
"It's so dark outside, so early (Sunset was 5:06 P.M., and it was dark by 5:31 P.M. â Isn't that ridiculous?)," Trump wrote.
The House passed a bill in July to make daylight saving time permanent by a vote of 308-117, but the Senate did not take it up before Americans switched their clocks back on Nov. 1. Trump said he had deliberately avoided pressing the issue before the midterm elections to protect certain senators from political fallout.
"I didn't want to make a big deal out of this prior to the Election because I didn't want to have certain Senators lose their Race, in a landslide, but it is too bad they can't get it done," he said. "The House sent it over to the Senate with great bipartisan support, numerous times (308-117), but the Senate didn't take it up. We have far bigger priorities, but I will keep fighting for this!"
Daylight saving time is the period between spring and fall when clocks in most of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time. Supporters of making it permanent argue that ending the time change would provide more daylight when Americans are most active. Opponents counter that in some states, commuters and schoolchildren wouldn't see the sun until after 9 a.m. during winter months.
Congress previously experimented with year-round daylight saving time in 1973, with the change taking effect in 1974. Lawmakers ended the experiment early as public support waned, partly due to concerns about children walking to school in the dark.
The renewed push comes as the GOP navigates the aftermath of a shaky midterm election. Trump's comments suggest the issue remains a personal priority even as he acknowledged other legislative matters take precedence.