Earnest Hemingway made sure we all know that the sun also rises. The question swirling through Congress yet again is about when it should do so.
On July 14, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives of the 119th Congress passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, once again bringing America to the brink of adopting permanent daylight saving time. It now heads to the Senate, where the twice-yearly time change will be consigned to the dustbin of the past.
Or will it? Despite enjoying bipartisan support and passing by a comfortable 308-117 margin in the House, the Act to abolish the biannual time change faces an uncertain path in the Senate, even though President Donald Trump has promised to sign it into federal law if it passes. In addition to advocates demanding that daylight saving time (DST) remain in place for public safety, different factions call for other solutions, including adopting permanent standard time (PST) instead.
If it sounds like a giant quagmire, that’s because it pretty much is. Even if the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 becomes law, states will have the option to exempt themselves from the new federal standard. Add into the mix that this was all tried before (and hated), and the prospect of the Act surviving the Senate is in question. Before things become any more chaotic, maybe we should all just sleep on it.
Lock the Clock, Ditch the Switch
For anyone under the age of 50 or so, making sure to spring forward and fall back each year feels like one of those things that has probably been in place since the country was founded. In truth, the system for allocating annual dates for DST/PST wasn’t standardized in the U.S. until the Uniform Time Act of 1966. DST was utilized during World War I and World War II to conserve energy. There was originally a provision for DST in the 1918 Standard Time Act, which recognized the nation’s time zones. However, it was repealed in 1919. Around one-third of the world’s nations use some form of DST.
As Americans who live in parts of the nation that aren’t Hawaii, select areas of Arizona, or certain U.S. territories (which only observe Standard Time) are aware, the government sets dates for the biannual clock change. In the fall, clocks are turned back an hour, while they’re moved ahead the same amount of time in the spring. The time change shifts an hour of daylight during the winter months, ostensibly making activities like getting kids to school and morning commutes easier than in the dark. However, not everyone agrees (especially dogs who like to be fed and walked at a specific time each day — ask us how we know).
If the bill is signed into law, it won’t be the first time the U.S. has adopted permanent daylight saving time. With surveys showing 80% of Americans were excited about no longer changing their clocks, President Richard Nixon signed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act into law in December 1973. Beginning a two-year trial on January 6, 1974, it only made it to October of the same year before President Gerald Ford repealed permanent DST, as roughly half the national support had vanished amid complaints of commuting in darkness and citing concerns over traffic accidents endangering children on their way to school (although studies by the U.S. Department of Transportation revealed no evidence of an increase in such incidents).
Farmers Demanding DST? Yeah, That’s a Myth
The Sunshine Protection Act, introduced by Florida Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) of New Jersey, is the most recent attempt to pass both chambers of Congress. A similar measure introduced by Marco Rubio in 2022 passed the Senate with unanimous consent, only to die in the House. 19 states have already passed legislation that would immediately adopt a permanent DST federal law. The other states would have the choice to join them or to implement PST.
The opposition to adopting permanent DST is both vociferous and varied. Some, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, argue for adopting PST, claiming it’s a better fit for the human circadian rhythm and public health. To further muddy the waters, Congressman Greg Steube (R) introduced the Daylight Act of 2026 in February. It calls for clocks to be permanently moved 30 minutes ahead of standard time, essentially splitting the difference between DST and PST. At this point, it hasn’t moved beyond the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
With some parts of the country not expecting to see sunrises before 9 a.m. during the winter if the Sunshine Protection Act becomes law, the bill’s future in the Senate is uncertain at best.
If you’ve promised yourself to greet each day with a smile, it’s possible regardless. It’s just not clear when you will have to set your alarm clock to do it.
