Trump Pushes for Permanent Daylight Saving Time as Senate Stalls Sunshine Protection Act

The Sunshine Protection Act proposes permanent daylight saving time. This legislation ends the biannual practice of changing clocks. The House passed the bill on July 14, 2026, by a 308-117 vote. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation received the measure on July 15, 2026. Nineteen states have passed measures to adopt this change, but they await federal approval.

Daylight saving time ended on November 1, 2026, when clocks moved back one hour. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has not advanced the bill. The legislation has remained in that committee since July 15, 2026.

1. On November 4, 2026, President Donald Trump urged the Senate to pass the Sunshine Protection Act. He stated that he avoided making the legislation a major focus before the 2026 midterm elections because he did not want certain senators to lose their races.

2. Nineteen US states have passed laws to adopt permanent daylight saving time. These state-level mandates require federal approval to take effect. The US House of Representatives passed the "Sunshine Protection Act" in the summer of 2026. The bill remains stalled in the Senate.

3. Donald Trump cited early sunsets as a primary reason for supporting the bill. On November 5, 2026, he noted the sun set at 5:06 p.m. Darkness fell by 5:31 p.m.

4. Trump argued on Truth Social that Americans should not be required to adjust their schedules twice annually due to clock changes. He criticized the Senate for failing to move forward with the Sunshine Protection Act.

1. Researchers at the University of Washington estimated in a study published on October 29, 2026, that permanent daylight saving time would result in at least 2 billion additional school commutes occurring in darkness nationwide. The study noted that fatal crashes involving school-aged pedestrians are roughly twice as likely to occur during dark mornings compared to after sunrise.

2. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas opposes the "Sunshine Protection Act" due to concerns about children commuting to school in the dark. Tom Cotton stated that Arkansans do not want children traveling to school before sunrise.

3. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 prohibits individual states from adopting permanent daylight saving time. Although states retain the legal right to opt out of the practice by choosing permanent standard time, current federal law denies them the authority to establish permanent daylight saving time on their own.

4. On average, schools in Mississippi and Alabama start before 8 a.m. Permanent daylight saving time would increase dark school commutes in these states. The number of dark commutes would rise from 2 million to over 20 million annually per state. Researchers studied 14 states. Georgia would experience the largest increase with 71 million additional dark trips.