Congress has taken its most significant step in years toward ending the twice yearly ritual of changing the clocks, though the path forward remains far from settled.
The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 by a vote of 308 to 117, a bipartisan margin that included support from both parties, even as 22 Republicans and 95 Democrats voted against it. The bill, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida, would make daylight saving time the permanent national standard, eliminating the requirement to fall back each November. States that currently opt out of daylight saving time, such as Hawaii and most of Arizona, would retain the ability to choose standard time for their regions.
A push years in the making
This is not the first time Congress has come close to ending the clock change. A similar measure passed the Senate by unanimous consent in 2022, only to stall without a House vote. This time, momentum has shifted, with the House delivering a decisive vote while the Senate’s path remains genuinely uncertain.
President Trump has publicly backed the legislation, framing it as a straightforward reform that saves money and effort tied to the biannual adjustment. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington has pushed Senate leadership to bring the bill to the floor quickly, pointing to her home state’s early winter sunsets, which can arrive before 4 p.m., as a reason for urgency. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has indicated the chamber is still weighing the proposal, and Sen. Tom Cotton has signaled continued opposition, raising real doubt about whether the bill will reach a vote anytime soon.
What permanent daylight saving would change
The overall amount of daylight in a day would remain unchanged under the bill, but the timing would shift, resulting in later sunrises during winter months. Projections show Seattle’s sunrise landing around 8:38 a.m. on December 1, with Cleveland around 8:31 a.m. and Atlanta around 8:25 a.m. under the new system.
Supporters argue that ending the clock change could reduce daily disruptions, encourage more outdoor activity in the evenings, and potentially lower traffic accidents and crime rates tied to the seasonal shift. Buchanan and other backers have pointed to public safety and economic activity as central benefits of locking the clock permanently.
Where lawmakers and experts disagree
Not everyone views permanent daylight saving as the right fix. Some House Democrats, including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, have raised concerns about darker winter mornings affecting children’s commutes to school. Rep. Nanette Barragán of California has cited medical research suggesting that later winter sunrises could disrupt sleep patterns rather than improve them.
A 2025 analysis from Stanford Medicine found that both permanent standard time and permanent daylight saving time would likely be healthier than the current system, since biannual clock changes disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm regardless of which direction the country ultimately lands on. That finding has fueled a competing proposal, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act of 2026, which would make standard time permanent instead, resulting in earlier sunrises and sunsets year round.
For now, the Sunshine Protection Act must still clear the Senate before reaching the president’s desk, and with opposition already surfacing among key senators, Americans should expect to keep changing their clocks each spring and fall for at least one more cycle.
