12% of Adults Back Current Clock Changes, but Senate Stalled
Senate leaders expect the bill to die before the year ends, leaving the twice-yearly shift in place despite presidential pressure and public frustration.
By Layla Richardson ·
Only 12% of American adults support the current system of changing clocks twice a year, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted last year. Despite this low approval rating and a House-passed bill to make daylight saving time permanent, the Senate is unlikely to vote on the measure before the end of 2026.
The legislation would end the biannual time change by keeping the country on daylight saving time year round. Supporters argue this shift provides more daylight in the afternoon, when most Americans are active. However, opponents point out that in some northern states, residents would not see the sun until after 9 a.m. in the winter.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has emerged as the most vocal opponent of the change. In a statement, Cotton noted that Congress has enacted permanent daylight saving time before and repealed it when Americans experienced late winter sunrises. He is not the only Republican holding up the bill. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said, “You’d be sending kids to school in the dark.”
President Donald Trump has aggressively pushed for the bill’s passage. He criticized the Senate on social media, writing that the body is letting the bill die when a vast majority of the country wants it. Trump, an avid golfer, argued that the change allows for more time outdoors and that criminals dislike working in the light. He also mentioned the danger of working on steeples and churches when the time shifts.
The presidential pressure has not changed the stance of key Senate leaders. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, bluntly stated, “No way,” when asked if he believed the bill would pass soon. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., described the House bill as a “non-starter” for Senate Republican leaders. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not publicly weighed in on this specific bill, though he voted against similar versions in the past.
The current debate echoes a historical experiment. In the winter of 1973, Congress passed a law instituting permanent daylight saving time during an energy crisis. That law was repealed by October of the same year as public support dropped, driven by concerns about children walking to school in the dark.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., has led recent efforts to make the change permanent. He signed state legislation in 2018 allowing Florida to stay on daylight saving time year round, pending federal approval. Scott said, “I hear from Americans constantly that they are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year.”
Several Democrats support the measure. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., called the time change a ritual with a real impact on the economy, health, and happiness. He urged the Senate to say goodbye to 4 p.m. winter sunsets. The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine also back proponents of a single time standard.
