President Donald Trump renewed his push to eliminate the nation’s twice-yearly clock changes on Monday, calling on the Senate to pass the Sunshine Protection Act and establish permanent Daylight Saving Time. According to a statement posted to social media on March 10, 2025, the former president argued that standard time should be scrapped in favor of year-round daylight hours.
Legislative Background on the Sunshine Protection Act
The push to make Daylight Saving Time permanent centers on the Sunshine Protection Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in Congress. According to legislative records from the U.S. Senate, the measure previously passed the Senate by unanimous consent in March 2022. However, the bill stalled in the House of Representatives and was never enacted into law.
Proponents of year-round daylight time argue that ending the bi-annual tradition of shifting clocks forward one hour in the spring and back one hour in the autumn reduces evening crime rates and boosts economic activity. Critics and medical organizations, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, advocate instead for permanent standard time, pointing to scientific research indicating that standard time better aligns with the human circadian rhythm.
Public Debate and State-Level Actions
Public opinion remains divided over permanent time changes versus maintaining the current system. According to a YouGov poll conducted in March 2023, roughly half of Americans prefer a fixed year-round time, though opinions split evenly when choosing between permanent Daylight Saving Time and permanent Standard Time.
Frustrated by congressional inaction, numerous state legislatures have pursued their own measures. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 19 states have passed legislation or resolutions since 2018 to provide for year-round Daylight Saving Time. However, federal law under the Uniform Time Act of 1966 requires federal approval before states can enact permanent Daylight Saving Time year-round.
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