Trump urges US Senate to act fast on ‘No More Changing the Clocks’ Act to make daylight saving permanent

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) called on the US Senate to vote on the “NO MORE CHANGING THE CLOCKS ACT,” arguing that keeping more daylight in the evening is beneficial and that changing clocks twice a year causes unnecessary disruption and chaos.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote, "The Senate must vote on the NO MORE CHANGING THE CLOCKS ACT as soon as possible. More sun later in the day is better (including for fighting crime!), but, even more importantly, NO MORE RIDICULOUSLY CHANGING CLOCKS AND WATCHES TWICE YEARLY, with all of the disruption and chaos it causes. FINALLY, GET IT DONE!!!"

Trump's remarks came days after he made a similar appeal to the Senate, saying the House of Representatives had already cleared the bill and urging Republican senators to move quickly on what he called an issue capable of attracting bipartisan support.

Earlier in July, Trump made a similar call after the House of Representatives passed the bill to make daylight saving time permanent. He said, "For many years, the vast Majority of Americans have asked to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but no Administration has been able to get it properly done until now. I am proud to announce that the House of Representatives has passed the Bill, and it has now gone to the Senate for final approval." He added, "People are sick and tired of having to change their clocks twice a year. It is foolish, inconvenient, and, in some cases, very costly. For Cities and States with Watchtowers, and hard-to-reach places, it costs Millions of dollars."

US House clears bill to make daylight saving permanent

In July, the House of Representatives approved the bill to make daylight saving time permanent, moving the legislation closer to ending the twice-yearly clock changes.

The daylight saving legislation, called the Sunshine Protection Act, cleared the House with a 308-117 vote. Daylight saving time is observed from spring to fall, when clocks in most parts of the US are moved one hour ahead of standard time. Under the proposed law, states that already have exemptions would be allowed to continue observing standard time.

While it has been a month since the legislation was cleared in the House, it remains unclear whether the Senate will approve it. According to a Reuters report, Republican Senator John Kennedy said Trump called him recently to ask him to support the bill to end the twice-yearly practice of changing clocks that has been observed across most of the United States since the 1960s.

He reportedly informed the US President that while he agrees to support the bill, there is significant opposition in the Senate. He said, "It's going to be a dogfight."

Debate over permanent daylight saving grows

Supporters argue that changing clocks twice a year can disrupt sleep, raise the risk of workplace injuries and contribute to road accidents. They say keeping clocks an hour ahead throughout the year would extend evening daylight and potentially support economic activity during winter.

Opponents, however, point out that permanent daylight saving time would make winter mornings darker, forcing children travelling to school, commuters, construction workers, farmers and others to begin their day before sunrise. In some areas, the sun could rise as late as 9 a.m. or even later during the peak of winter.

The US previously observed daylight saving time year-round during World War II and introduced the practice again in 1974 in an effort to conserve energy.