The U.S. House of Representatives voted 308-117 on Tuesday, July 14, to pass legislation that would allow states to adopt daylight saving time on a year-round basis. This move aims to eliminate the long-standing practice of "springing forward" and "falling back," which requires Americans to adjust their clocks twice each year.
If the measure clears the Senate and receives the signature of President Donald Trump, it would result in later sunrises and sunsets for a significant portion of the year across much of the nation. The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Florida, has received support from President Trump, who recently characterized seasonal clock changes as a "ridiculous, twice-yearly production." A similar proposal previously passed the Senate in 2022 but failed to become law at that time.
Proponents of the change argue that ending the custom would provide various benefits. During a committee meeting on July 13, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky, stated that locking the clock would have positive impacts on the economy, energy conservation, motor vehicle safety, and sleep schedules. He noted that the policy is overwhelmingly supported by the American public. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, also indicated that the President remains firm in his support for the legislation and is eager for Congress to send it to his desk.
However, the bill does not have universal support within Congress. Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, expressed criticism toward his GOP colleagues for prioritizing this issue over other urgent national concerns, stating that they were "fiddling with the clocks while the country burns."
Currently, daylight saving time is observed between March and November, with clocks moving forward one hour to extend evening daylight. Certain regions, including Arizona, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico, do not participate in the practice. Unless states choose to opt out, the new legislation would effectively end the decades-long habit of switching back to standard time each fall.
Advocates of the change, which would end the decadeslong custom in the United States unless states preemptively opt out of it, have said changing the clocks contributes to negative health effects and traffic accidents.
