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Trump wants to give America a clock that never turns back. Much to his dismay, the Senate may simply run out of time to let him.
President Donald Trump is at it again. He now laments that Americans must stop changing their clocks twice a year. But he would have to wait as the Congress has to beat a deadline of its own.
Trump wants clocks to stay forward
The next major clock change is scheduled for Nov. 1, when daylight saving time is set to end and clocks across most of the US will move back one hour. The POTUS wants that to be one of the last such changes, reports USA Today. Yet the legislation that would make his vision permanent faces a hindrance: the Senate is currently in recess and key lawmakers remain unsure whether there are enough votes to pass it.
Much to his glee, The House has already approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent and eliminate the twice-yearly ritual, said USA Today. But the Senate is not scheduled to return until Sept. 14, leaving lawmakers less than two months to act before Americans are expected to “fall back.”
Trump has been straight- up about his demand from the get-go—a trait not known to present in the POTUS. In an Aug. 4 post on Truth Social, he described the twice-yearly clock changes as “foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly,” arguing that Americans are tired of repeatedly adjusting their schedules. His preferred solution is straightforward: keep the clocks where they are now and never change them again.
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Senate may not pass the bill
Trump has also pointed to what he sees as potential benefits of permanent daylight saving time, including fewer traffic accidents, lower crime, energy savings and more opportunities for families to spend time outdoors.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, has questioned whether the legislation has enough support among senators. If the Senate does approve the measure, it would go to Trump for his signature. Until then, however, the existing system remains in place. And that means Americans should still expect the November clock change.
Experts debate the best time
The debate is also more complicated than a simple fight between people who like changing clocks and those who do not.
Sleep and health researchers broadly agree that switching clocks twice a year can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, which regulates sleep and other biological functions. The springtime shift, when clocks move forward, has been associated with sleep disruption, traffic crashes and other health risks. But that does not mean experts necessarily support Trump’s solution.
Some specialists argue that the US should adopt permanent standard time instead. Erik Herzog, a biology and neuroscience professor at Washington University in St. Louis and former president of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, has argued that permanent standard time would better match the body’s natural biological clock.
Why Nov. 1 matters
Religious groups have raised another concern. Rabbi Josh Joseph of the Orthodox Union has said that Jewish religious practices tied to sunrise and sunset could become harder in some regions if winter mornings became darker for longer. Some Muslim communities have similar concerns because certain daily prayers must be completed by dawn.
Public frustration with the clock-changing ritual, meanwhile, is real. A 2023 YouGov survey found that 62% of Americans favored eliminating clock changes. A January 2025 Gallup poll put support at 54%, although Americans were split over whether permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time was the better alternative.
Unless Congress acts, daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. local time on Nov. 1, 2026, when clocks move back to 1 a.m.
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