Trump Backs New Senate Push to End Dreaded Time Changes Forever
A bipartisan group in the U.S. Senate, led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), has reintroduced legislation to make daylight saving time permanent year-round. The proposal is opposed by a coalition of sleep medicine organizations, which advocate “locking the clock” but in standard time.
The legislation, called the Sunshine Protection Act, was unanimously passed in the Senate in 2022 during the 117th Congress, but was torpedoed in the Democrat-controlled House. Now, Scott and 15 other senators have reintroduced the bill, citing President-elect Donald Trump’s backing for an end to twice-yearly clock changes.
Although Trump has advocated locking the clock, his position remains unclear on whether he favors permanent daylight saving time or standard time.
The Senate legislation would establish permanent daylight saving time, meaning clocks would no longer be turned back in the fall. Current federal law allows states to exempt themselves from observing daylight saving time, with Arizona and Hawaii observing year-round standard time.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and other medical organizations oppose the change, arguing that standard time better aligns with the body’s natural clock. Their January 2025 position statement cites research showing increased health risks during daylight saving time, including more strokes, hospital admissions, and traffic accidents.
“Every winter folks in Washington state despair at the prospect of losing an hour of precious sunlight when we are forced off Daylight Saving Time,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said. “This is about public health, it is about our economy, and it’s about just putting a little more light in families’ lives.”
Sleep medicine experts counter that standard time provides better morning light exposure, which is crucial for maintaining healthy sleep-wake cycles.
–The Epoch Times News Service
