Politics

US House Passes Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

Would this benefit American citizens or is permanent Standard Time a better alternative?

Published JUL 15

US House Passes Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

Story

Above: Pedestrians walks along Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol during sunrise on Nov. 5, 2025. Image credit: Tom Brenner/Getty Images

The Facts

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent — a move that, if approved by the Senate, would end the practice of changing the clocks twice a year.
Reuters
Politico
Known as the Sunshine Protection Act, the bill passed by 308-117 in a vote that defied party lines. If it becomes law, it would put most of the U.S. on the time observed between March and November, with states having the option to opt out before the bill takes effect.
CBS News
NBC
Politico
CNN
BBC News
Its prospects in the Senate are unclear. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has long objected to making daylight saving time permanent and aides suggest he would ask Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) not to bring a vote on the legislation.
Politico
NBC
The Standard Time Act of 1918 established daylight saving time in the U.S., only to be repealed the following year. It was again introduced as an energy-saving measure during World War II between 1942 and 1945, before again coming into force with the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
United States Navy
Historic Geneva
In 1974, in another energy-saving initiative during the Arab oil embargo, legislation by President Richard Nixon made daylight saving time permanent but it was repealed within the year. The dark mornings were cited as the cause for returning to the previous configuration.
NBC
The Mercury News
The New York Times
Most recently, the Senate passed a resolution to make daylight saving time permanent in 2022 but the measure subsequently failed in the House of Representatives.
CNN
Independent

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Changing the clocks twice a year is an outdated measure and most Americans support the idea of moving to permanent daylight savings time. Giving people an extra hour of sunlight in the evenings would make Americans healthier, and reduce crime as well as traffic collisions.

Congressman Vern Buchanan

Narrative B

If permanent daylight saving time were adopted, the darker mornings in winter would have detrimental impacts on construction workers, farmers and others who have an early start to their day. It would also cause more hazardous commutes for workers and school children, posing a safety risk to many Americans.

Tom Cotton's U.S. Senate Office

Narrative C

While it's true that most Americans hate the biannual clock changes, instead of permanent daylight saving time, which puts us out of sync with our natural body clock and has a host of negative health repercussions, Congress should instead be looking at permanent standard time.