The House of Representatives passed a bill that would preserve daylight saving time and end twice-yearly clock changes, but the bill faces opposition in the Senate.
President Trump asks Congress to support permanent daylight saving time
President Trump addressed a crowd in Michigan and urged the Senate to pass legislation to make daylight saving time permanent.
President Donald Trump has supported abolishing daylight saving time, sidestepping the requirement to change clocks to one hour twice a year for “forward” and “backward” periods.
“Let’s get rid of daylight saving time, okay?” President Trump said at a rally at a General Motors plant in Michigan on July 27.
He noted that the House approved a bill that would allow states to eliminate time-shifting. The bill is pending in the Senate, which has approved a similar bill in 2022.
But Senate Minority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said it’s not clear the bill has the support of the 60 senators needed to overcome procedural challenges.
“I hope the Senate approves it,” President Trump said. “The House approved it, so we’re going to repeal it.”
During daylight saving time, which runs from March to November, most Americans set their clocks one hour ahead, extending daylight hours into the evening. This switch is designed to provide more evening sunlight in the warmer months and more morning sunlight in the winter.
The argument against time changes is that changing sleep patterns can lead to health problems and road accidents.
The states of Arizona and Hawaii and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico do not observe daylight saving time. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 additional states have approved legislation to end clock changes as soon as federal law allows them.
“Locking our clocks year-round will have a positive impact on sleep schedules, energy savings, vehicle safety, and the economy,” Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) said on July 13.
But Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) opposes the change and could block the bill with procedural hurdles. He argues that if daylight savings time were made permanent, the sun would rise “dangerously late”.
