Senate likely to let daylight saving bill die as clocks fall back Sunday

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 1, giving most Americans an extra hour of sleep and moving sunset an hour earlier in the afternoon ¹. In Boston, for example, sunset goes from 5:39 p.m. Saturday to 4:37 p.m. Sunday, according to National Weather Service figures cited by CBS News ¹.

The twice-yearly clock change is again the subject of a fight in Congress. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, passed the House in July and went to the Senate ¹. It has not passed the Senate, and the Senate is unlikely to act before the end of the year, the Associated Press reported ².

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a member of GOP leadership, is the most vocal opponent ². He has argued that Congress has tried permanent daylight saving time before and repealed it each time.

Cotton is not alone. Several other Republicans, particularly from Northern states that would see much later sunrises, also oppose the bill ². Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., put it this way:

From Channel GOPTrump insults NBC reporter over abuse allegations questionDonald Trump · 175 plays · captioned, with the source named

You’d be sending kids to school in the dark

President Trump supports the bill and has pressured Senate Republicans to pass it ². Earlier this month he posted what he said was Cotton's cellphone number on social media and urged people to call the senator ¹. This week he wrote on Truth Social that the "United States Senate is letting the Daylight Saving Bill die, when a vast Majority of the Country want it" ².

Trump has argued that changing the time can be dangerous, especially when "you have high and dangerous steeples to reach, like on churches and municipal buildings," and that "nobody wants to spend their precious time running all over the place, turning Clocks back twice a year" ². An avid golfer, he has made clear that adding daylight hours would mean more time to hit the links ².

The pressure has not changed many votes. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said it is his understanding that the House bill is a "non-starter" for Senate Republican leaders ². Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not weighed in publicly on the House bill, but he has voted against similar versions in the past ².

Supporters include Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who signed legislation as governor in 2018 allowing Florida to stay on daylight saving time year round, pending federal approval ². "I hear from Americans constantly that they are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year — it's an unnecessary, decades-old practice that's more of an annoyance to families than benefit to them," Scott said ².

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., made the health and economic case when Scott introduced his own bill last year: "The head-spinning ritual of falling back and springing forward has a very real impact on our economy, our health, and our happiness," Markey said. "Let's say goodbye to 4pm winter sunsets." ²

There is a ticking clock. The legislation and any other bills awaiting approval are set to expire in early January when the new class of lawmakers elected in Tuesday's midterm elections takes office ¹. If the bill dies, the effort to change daylight saving time will have to start over and be approved by the House and the Senate before it can go to the president ¹.

That matters because the debate is not abstract for older readers. The change disrupts sleep routines, and the earlier sunsets mean darker afternoons through the winter ¹. Daylight saving time is observed in every state except Hawaii and most of Arizona, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also do not observe it ¹.

Daylight saving time is set to begin again in 2027 on Sunday, March 14, at 2 a.m. local time ¹.

The Record

1. Jul 1, 2026The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House in July and went to the Senate ¹.
2. Oct 29, 2026The Associated Press reported the Senate is unlikely to act before the end of the year on the House-passed daylight saving bill ².
3. Nov 1, 2026Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time ¹.

Sources

1. CBS News, “Daylight saving time is almost over. Here's what to know.” (2026-10-30). cbsnews.com/news/daylight-savings-time-ends-2026/
2. AP News, “Senate skeptical about permanent daylight saving time | AP News” (2026-10-29). apnews.com/article/daylight-saving-time-senate-trump-f9e065a

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