Senate Recess Stalls Trump's Permanent Daylight Saving Push
Senate Recess Stalls Trump's Permanent Daylight Saving Push
The News
A bill to end the twice-yearly clock change and make daylight saving time permanent has passed the House and is sitting untouched in the Senate, where lawmakers are out on recess until Sept. 21.
The House approved H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, on July 14, 2026, by a vote of 308-117, according to congressional records. The Senate received it the next day and referred it to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where it has drawn no recorded action since.
Americans are currently scheduled to set their clocks back on Nov. 1, KCRA reported.
What Would Actually Change
The bill does not add daylight. It moves it from the morning to the evening.
Under permanent daylight saving time, more winter days would have sunsets after 5 p.m., and many cities across the lower 48 states would see sunsets after 6 p.m., according to KCRA. A syndicated Nexstar Media Wire report published Sunday and carried by The Hill and several local stations raised the prospect of winter sunsets after 7 p.m. for some places.
The trade-off comes at the other end of the day. The same change would produce more days with sunrises after 7 a.m., and some cities would see the sun come up as late as 9 a.m., KCRA reported.
The Congressional Research Service summary of the bill states that it makes daylight saving time the new permanent standard time, and that states with areas currently exempt from daylight saving time may choose standard time for those areas.
Timeline
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., introduces H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025.
The House passes the bill 308-117 on Roll Call 238. The House Energy and Commerce Committee announces the vote the same day, noting the measure was included in the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, which cleared the committee 48 yeas to 1 nay.
The Senate receives the bill, reads it twice, and refers it to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
KCRA reports the bill awaits Senate action with the chamber in recess until Sept. 21, and that lawmakers appear divided over whether it can pass in time to take effect this year.
The Nexstar Media Wire explainer on how permanent daylight saving would reshape winter evenings runs on The Hill and Nexstar stations.
Reactions
President Donald Trump has pushed the change hard. In a Truth Social post in August, quoted by KCRA, Trump wrote that "This is an issue that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can unite behind." In an earlier post this year he called the twice-yearly clock change "very costly" for the government.
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said in a statement that the "bipartisan vote to 'lock the clock' is a response to the advocacy of our constituents and the evidence that year-round daylight saving time boosts economic activity and improves public safety," and said he looked forward to the Senate's consideration.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., chairman of the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade subcommittee, said the biannual change "disrupts daily routines, inconveniences families and businesses, and no longer reflects the needs of our modern economy." He added: "Americans are ready to ditch the switch."
Buchanan, the sponsor, said permanent daylight saving time "will improve public safety, promote healthier and more active lifestyles and give families more daylight to enjoy after work and school," and urged the Senate to send the bill to the president's desk.
Not everyone in the Senate is sold. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has said the change would "make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans," according to KCRA, which reported that other senators have raised safety concerns for commuters, farmers, and students waiting for the school bus in the dark.
The Hill has reported that many health experts argue that if the country is going to stop changing the clocks, it should settle on permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time.
What's Next
The Senate returns from recess on Sept. 21, per KCRA. For the change to take effect before this year's time change, the Commerce Committee would have to move the bill, the full Senate would have to pass it, and Trump would have to sign it — all before the Nov. 1 fall-back date.
If that does not happen, clocks go back an hour on Nov. 1 as scheduled, and the fight carries into next year.
More
The Sunshine Protection Act has been a recurring piece of business in Washington rather than a one-off. Buchanan first introduced this version on the opening day of the 119th Congress in January 2025, and it took 18 months to reach a House floor vote. The July tally — 308-117 — was bipartisan, and the underlying committee vote was 48-1, but the Senate has repeatedly been where the effort stops.
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