Why Americans Keep Changing Their Clocks
The United States has observed Daylight Saving Time under federal law since the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Clocks spring forward one hour on the second Sunday in March and fall back on the first Sunday in November. The original rationale -- energy savings by shifting daylight into evening hours -- has been largely discredited by modern research: the Department of Energy estimated in 2008 that DST saves roughly 0.5% of total electricity, while later studies found it can increase energy use in hotter climates by shifting morning cooling loads. The twice-yearly clock change disrupts sleep, increases workplace accidents, and has been associated with short-term spikes in heart attacks and strokes. Public support for ending the time change consistently runs above 60% in polls -- but agreement on what to replace it with remains elusive.
The Sunshine Protection Act: A Senate Surprise
On 15 March 2022, the US Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act by unanimous consent -- meaning no senator objected. The bill, sponsored by Marco Rubio (R-FL) and co-sponsored by senators from both parties including Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Rick Scott (R-FL), would have made Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide, eliminating the spring and autumn clock change entirely. The unanimous passage made headlines, and proponents expected a quick House vote to follow. It never came. The bill was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where it languished for the rest of the 117th Congress. Some senators later admitted they had not fully considered the implications -- in northern states like Maine and Michigan, permanent DST would mean winter sunrises after 8:30 or even 9:00 a.m., with children commuting to school in complete darkness.
S.29: Reintroduced Again in January 2025
On 8 January 2025, Senators Whitehouse and Scott reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act as S.29 in the 119th Congress, this time with 15 original co-sponsors -- the broadest initial support the bill has ever had. The list spans the political spectrum: Patty Murray (D-WA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Rand Paul (R-KY), Alex Padilla (D-CA), James Lankford (R-OK), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Katie Britt (R-AL), and others. Senator Rick Scott highlighted the bill again at the Senate Commerce Committee in April 2025. As of May 2025, no floor vote has been scheduled in either chamber, repeating the pattern of previous sessions.
President Donald Trump Weighs In
On 13 December 2024, President-elect Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation." The statement was notable because President Donald Trump did not specify whether he meant permanent standard time or permanent DST -- and the two are not the same thing. In 2019, he had tweeted "Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me," suggesting the opposite preference. By March 2025, President Donald Trump had softened his public stance, describing the issue as "a 50-50 issue" and saying "It's hard to get excited about it." The White House has not formally backed either S.29 or a permanent-standard-time alternative.
Nineteen States, Zero Enforcement
At least 19 states have passed legislation declaring that they would observe permanent Daylight Saving Time year-round -- if federal law allowed it. Florida was the first, in 2018. More have followed: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Delaware, Oregon, and others. In 2025, Maine and Texas joined the list. The critical constraint is the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which allows states to opt out of DST entirely (observing permanent standard time) but does not allow them to observe permanent DST without Congressional approval. So all 19 state laws are currently dormant -- they cannot take effect until the Sunshine Protection Act or equivalent federal legislation passes. Two states -- Arizona (since 1968) and Hawaii (since 1967) -- already legally observe permanent standard time year-round and do not change their clocks at all.
What Sleep Researchers Actually Recommend
The medical community has reached a different conclusion from Congress. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) published a position statement in 2023, backed by the Sleep Research Society, the National Sleep Foundation, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the National Safety Council, recommending permanent standard time -- not permanent DST. The circadian logic: standard time keeps solar noon (when the sun is highest) closer to clock noon, aligning the body's internal clock with the light-dark cycle. Permanent DST shifts solar noon to 1 p.m. by the clock, meaning morning light -- the primary circadian signal -- arrives an hour later. A 2023 Stanford study estimated that permanent standard time would prevent approximately 300,000 additional strokes and 2.6 million obesity cases compared to the current biannual switching, and outperforms permanent DST on health outcomes. Roughly 85% of the population are estimated to experience less circadian burden under permanent standard time; the other 15%, who are strong "morning larks," would do better under permanent DST.
What Happens Next
The practical path to ending clock changes in the US requires either Congress passing the Sunshine Protection Act (permanent DST) or an alternative bill enshrining permanent standard time -- or the Uniform Time Act being amended to give states broader discretion. None of these has a clear legislative calendar as of mid-2025. The bipartisan sentiment in favour of ending clock changes is genuine, but the permanent-DST-vs-permanent-standard-time divide prevents consensus. The 450-plus state bills introduced in recent years show that pressure from the public and state legislatures is sustained. Whether federal action follows before the next spring time change remains to be seen.
Sources
- S.29 -- Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 (Congress.gov)
- Sen. Whitehouse press release -- S.29 reintroduction
- NCSL: Daylight Saving Time State Legislation
- AASM position statement: permanent standard time (PMC)
- Trump Truth Social post, December 13 2024 (NBC News)
- Permanent time observation in the United States -- Wikipedia
- Why Arizona and Hawaii do not observe DST (HISTORY)