Here’s what President Trump wants.
President Donald Trump is turning up the pressure on a fellow Republican over an issue that affects millions of Americans every year — changing the clocks.
Trump publicly singled out Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas while urging the Senate to approve legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent across most of the United States.
The disagreement has created an unusual Republican dispute over something far removed from taxes, immigration or foreign policy. Instead, the fight centers on a question Americans have debated for decades: Should the country finally stop changing its clocks twice a year?
Trump believes the answer is yes.
Cotton agrees that changing clocks can be frustrating, but he strongly disagrees with Trump’s preferred solution.
Trump Points Finger At Tom Cotton
Trump addressed the issue in a lengthy Truth Social post, telling Senate Republicans to move forward with the Sunshine Protection Act.
The president specifically identified Cotton as an obstacle to getting the legislation through the Senate.
Trump said Americans are tired of changing their clocks twice every year and noted that the House already approved the legislation with significant bipartisan support.
The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act on July 14 by a vote of 308-117, with Republicans, Democrats and an independent supporting the proposal.
But passage in the House does not make the legislation law.
The Senate would also have to approve the measure before it could reach Trump’s desk.
That is where the legislation has encountered resistance.
What Would The Sunshine Protection Act Do?
The proposal would end the traditional spring and fall clock changes for most Americans by making daylight saving time permanent.
Under the existing system, clocks move forward by one hour in March before moving back by one hour in November.
That means Americans receive later sunsets during the warmer months but earlier sunsets once standard time returns.
Permanent daylight saving time would keep the later schedule throughout the winter.
For millions of Americans, that could mean noticeably more daylight after work or school during the darkest months of the year.
Supporters say that extra evening light could provide more time for families, outdoor recreation, shopping, restaurants, tourism and sporting activities.
Opponents point to the other side of the equation: later sunrises.
And that is where Cotton’s argument comes in.
Cotton Says Winter Mornings Could Become Too Dark
Cotton has publicly explained why he opposes making daylight saving time permanent.
The Arkansas senator argues that keeping clocks permanently shifted forward would result in children and workers beginning their days in darkness during parts of the winter.
In some areas of Arkansas, Cotton has said, sunrise could come after 8 a.m. under permanent daylight saving time.
That could mean children traveling to school before sunrise and people working in farming, construction and other early-morning professions beginning their jobs while it is still dark.
Cotton has also argued that human sleep patterns generally correspond more closely with standard time than with daylight saving time.
That places him in an interesting position.
He is not necessarily defending the act of changing clocks twice every year. Instead, much of the disagreement is about which time the country should keep if Congress decides to eliminate the clock changes.
Trump Wants More Daylight In The Evening
Trump sees the issue differently.
The president argues that later sunsets would provide practical benefits for American families and businesses.
In his social media post, Trump said additional evening daylight could benefit sports, restaurants, retailers, tourism and other activities.
He even mentioned golf tournaments, arguing that additional evening sunlight could allow events to continue later during the winter months.
For many Americans who finish work in the late afternoon, that argument is easy to understand.
Under standard time, sunset can arrive remarkably early in northern parts of the country during December.
Permanent daylight saving time would shift that daylight from the morning into the afternoon and evening.
The total amount of daylight would obviously remain unchanged. The debate is simply about when Americans would receive it.
The Health Debate Is More Complicated
Trump also pointed to health and safety arguments in making his case against changing clocks.
Researchers have studied whether the spring and fall time changes are connected with temporary disruptions in sleep, traffic accidents and certain health problems.
There is evidence that abrupt time changes can interfere with sleep and the body’s internal clock.
However, eliminating clock changes does not automatically mean permanent daylight saving time is the option favored by medical experts.
Several sleep and medical organizations have instead supported permanent standard time, arguing that morning light and earlier darkness more closely match the body’s natural circadian rhythm.
As a result, there are actually two separate questions in this debate.
First: Should Americans stop changing their clocks?
Second: If they do, should the country permanently keep daylight saving time or standard time?
Those questions do not necessarily have the same answer.
America Has Tried Permanent Daylight Saving Time Before
Cotton has another argument on his side: history.
The United States experimented with year-round daylight saving time during the energy crisis of the 1970s.
Congress approved the temporary change as lawmakers searched for ways to reduce energy use.
But what initially sounded attractive became controversial once Americans experienced dark winter mornings.
Concerns grew about children traveling to school before sunrise, and public enthusiasm for permanent daylight saving time declined.
Congress ultimately ended the experiment earlier than originally planned.
Supporters of today’s legislation argue that American lifestyles, transportation patterns and economic conditions have changed considerably since the 1970s.
Opponents say the fundamental problem remains exactly the same: moving an hour of daylight into the evening inevitably means losing an hour of morning light.
House Vote Shows Significant Bipartisan Support
Whatever happens next, the proposal has already demonstrated an unusual degree of bipartisan support in Washington.
The House approved the Sunshine Protection Act by 308 votes to 117.
A total of 193 Republicans voted for it, along with 114 Democrats and one independent.
That is a considerable margin at a time when Congress remains deeply divided on many major issues.
Trump highlighted that bipartisan support while urging senators to act.
But Senate procedure makes the situation more complicated than simply holding a quick vote.
An objection from a senator can prevent legislation from advancing through unanimous consent, potentially forcing supporters to take the longer legislative route.
That can require committee action, floor time and enough Senate support to overcome procedural obstacles.
Americans Will Still Change Their Clocks This November
Whatever lawmakers ultimately decide, one thing is already clear for 2026.
Americans will still have to change their clocks this fall.
The Senate left Washington without passing the House-approved legislation, meaning daylight saving time is scheduled to end as usual on Sunday, November 1.
Clocks will move backward one hour.
That will give Americans an additional hour that morning, but it will also bring sunset an hour earlier that afternoon.
For people who dislike driving home from work in darkness or losing evening daylight, that is precisely the situation Trump wants Congress to change.
A Rare Trump-Cotton Disagreement
The disagreement is particularly notable because Cotton and Trump are members of the same party and have shared positions on numerous Republican priorities.
On this issue, however, there is a clear difference.
Trump wants permanent daylight saving time.
Cotton believes the country should not permanently adopt a schedule that would create darker winter mornings.
Both are also participating in a much larger national debate that does not always break neatly along Republican and Democratic lines.
People living in different parts of the country can experience the issue very differently.
Someone living farther north may face extremely early winter sunsets, making additional evening daylight attractive.
Someone who works early mornings or has children leaving for school before sunrise may view the same proposal very differently.
Geography, work schedules and personal routines can all shape opinions on the issue.
What Happens Next?
The Sunshine Protection Act remains stalled in the Senate for now.
That means the familiar ritual of adjusting clocks twice every year will continue unless Congress eventually reaches an agreement.
Trump is clearly hoping public pressure will help change that.
By specifically naming Cotton, the president has brought considerably more attention to a debate that might otherwise have remained a relatively obscure congressional fight.
Whether that pressure changes the outcome remains to be seen.
But the dispute highlights a surprisingly complicated question beneath what appears to be a simple proposal.
Most Americans may understand the frustration of changing their clocks twice a year.
The harder question is deciding which clock the country should keep.
Permanent daylight saving time would provide later sunsets but darker winter mornings. Permanent standard time would offer earlier morning sunlight but earlier evening darkness.
For now, neither side has prevailed in Congress.
And unless lawmakers eventually reach an agreement, Americans will continue doing exactly what they have done for decades — moving their clocks forward in the spring and turning them back again in the fall.