Senate Republicans block permanent daylight saving bill

The Senate is unlikely to vote on a House-passed bill to make daylight saving time permanent before the end of the year, a move that defies President Donald Trump and leaves the current twice-yearly time change in place for another cycle.

As the country turned its clocks back an hour on Sunday, several senators signaled they would block legislation that would end the longstanding U.S. practice. Supporters of the change argue it provides more afternoon daylight when Americans are most active. Opponents counter that the shift would push sunrise past 9 a.m. in several northern states.

Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a member of Republican leadership, emerged as the most vocal opponent. He noted that Congress has tried and repealed permanent daylight saving time in the past due to complaints about late winter sunrises. Cotton’s resistance drew public ire from Trump earlier this month, when the president posted his personal cell phone number on social media and ordered Cotton to “GET IT DONE!”

Cotton is not alone in his opposition. Senator Mike Rounds, R-S.D., argued that the change would mean sending children to school in the dark. Several other Republicans from northern states, where sunrises would be significantly later, share this concern. Senator Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, stated bluntly this month that he does not expect the bill to pass the Senate anytime soon, saying “No way.”

President Trump has aggressively pushed the bill, arguing that sunshine is better in the afternoon and that “CRIMINALS DON’T LIKE WORKING IN THE LIGHT.” He renewed his call for action on Truth Social this week, claiming a vast majority of the country wants the change. The president, an avid golfer, also cited the dangers of changing time when maintaining high steeples on churches and municipal buildings.

Senator Todd Young, R-Ind., said he understands the House bill is a “non-starter” for Senate Republican leaders. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not weighed in publicly on the specific House measure, but he has voted against similar versions in the past. Several Republicans predict the bill will not reach a floor vote before the Senate returns after the Nov. 3 midterm election.

The push for a permanent time zone follows a 1973 law that instituted permanent daylight saving time as a trial during an energy crisis. That law was repealed by October of that year as public support dropped, largely due to concerns about children walking to school in the dark. An AP-NORC poll last year found that only 12% of American adults favored the current system, while almost half opposed it.

Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., has led Senate efforts to make the change permanent, noting that he signed state legislation in 2018 to keep Florida on daylight time pending federal approval. He said Americans are “sick and tired” of changing clocks twice a year. Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., supported the effort last year, arguing the time change ritual impacts the economy, health, and happiness.