A legislative push to end the twice-a-year ritual of changing clocks has stalled in the U.S. Senate, leading to a public clash between President Donald Trump and one of his top congressional allies, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. Although the House passed a bill this summer to allow year-round Daylight Saving Time, the policy has divided lawmakers across geographic lines and ground to a halt in the upper chamber. [1]
Cotton has vowed to block any attempts to fast-track the legislation on the Senate floor. His resistance prompted Trump to publish a post on Truth Social sharing the senator's personal phone number to pressure him into changing his stance. Trump argued that the Sunshine Protection Act is widely popular and would deliver a bipartisan win for the Senate. [1]
Defending his position, Cotton pointed to historical precedent from the 1970s when Congress enacted permanent Daylight Saving Time only to repeal it shortly afterward because Americans grew frustrated with absurdly late winter sunrises. Cotton stated that families in Arkansas do not want children walking to school in pitch darkness. [1]
The debate has split lawmakers along geographical rather than strict political lines, pitting coastal and southern states against mountainous and western states where sunrise would occur drastically later in the morning. With the Senate facing limited floor time following the November midterm elections and competing priorities like government funding and defense legislation, the future of the measure remains uncertain. [1]
Sources
- Battle over Daylight Saving Time erupts as push to stop changing clocks hits Senate wall — 2026-10-06T06:15:03-04:00
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