Trump blames Cotton for daylight saving delay amid wider Senate opposition

Donald Trump urged Senate Republicans in a Truth Social post on 2 October to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, saying permanent daylight saving time would bring wide-ranging health, safety and economic benefits. The House did pass the bill on 14 July, by 308 votes to 117. But ending twice-yearly clock changes does not, by itself, make the case for keeping daylight saving time year-round: permanent standard time would end the changes too. [1] [2] [7]

Daylight saving time already applies for 238 days, or about 65% of the year, under the published rules. The House bill would change the arrangement chiefly during months now spent on standard time, moving an hour of daylight by the clock from winter mornings to evenings. It would not create more daylight. Areas already exempt from daylight saving time could retain their standard-time arrangements. [2] [4]

Trump said studies had shown “conclusively” that his preferred change would help reduce robbery, murder, crashes and cardiac problems, while saving energy. The findings are less uniform. A 2026 review of 157 studies reported increased heart-attack risk after the spring clock change and possible benefits from daylight saving time in summer, but found far fewer studies comparing the effects of living under different time regimes. A US study estimated fewer robberies around the spring change, but found no statistically significant reduction in murder. An Indiana study found higher residential electricity use during daylight saving time, while also describing an earlier government estimate of savings from extending it. Those findings concern different places and periods, not the full effects of permanent daylight saving time through winter. [8] [9] [10]

Trump’s assertion that nobody wants to keep changing clocks also goes further than the polling. In February, YouGov found 64% wanted the changes eliminated, while 16% did not and 21% were unsure. On a separate question, 52% supported permanent daylight saving time. A Gallup survey in January 2025, using a different question, found 48% preferred permanent standard time and 24% permanent daylight saving time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine also advocates permanent standard time, citing alignment with body clocks. [5] [6] [7]

Trump said Senator Tom Cotton was holding up the measure “for reasons unknown”. Cotton had publicly explained his opposition in October 2025, pointing to darker winter mornings for schoolchildren and workers. CNN reported in July that Cotton opposed expedited passage by unanimous consent and that other senators had concerns too; opposition to that route is not a veto over every possible Senate vote. [1] [3] [11]

Trump presents Senate passage as a bipartisan victory still to be won. Under the published 2026 timetable, places observing daylight saving time are due to turn their clocks back on 1 November. Whether the Senate will pass the House bill remains unsettled. [1] [4] [11]

Update

President Donald Trump is pressing Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton to support permanent daylight saving time, accusing him of holding up the Sunshine Protection Act for months. Cotton blocked a fast-track Senate attempt in 2025, but other Republicans also oppose the policy. [12] [15] [22]

Trump’s afternoon Truth Social post on 3 October 2026 followed Cotton’s renewed public objection earlier that day. Trump asked whether “ego” explained Cotton’s opposition and presented passage as an easy Republican political win. In a separate post that morning, he had urged Arkansans to call a number he described as Cotton’s mobile number. [12] [13] [22]

The earlier Senate block came on 28 October 2025, when Cotton objected to Senator Rick Scott’s request to pass S. 29 by unanimous consent, a procedure that any senator can block. The House later passed a separate bill, H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, by 308 votes to 117 on 14 July 2026. That bill was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee two days later. [15] [2] [14]

Cotton says he dislikes changing clocks but opposes permanent daylight saving time because children could face dark winter journeys to school. He made the same argument in his 2025 Senate speech. Ending twice-yearly clock changes leaves a choice between permanent daylight saving time and permanent standard time. Keeping daylight saving time through winter would move sunrise and sunset an hour later by the clock, shifting light from morning towards afternoon. [22] [15] [19]

Trump also attributed an earlier retreat from year-round daylight saving time to legislative bargaining, without identifying the episode. In 1974, Congress restored standard time for part of the winter; officials cited concerns about dark school mornings and a public preference for daylight saving time from March to October. The US Department of Transportation’s contemporary assessment found no significant overall traffic-safety effect attributable to year-round daylight saving time. [12] [16]

Trump cited a 65–35 polling advantage without naming a survey and described avoiding clock changes as a “100%” issue. An October 2025 Economist/YouGov poll found 65% support for ending clock changes, with 13% opposed and 21% unsure. Among those supporters, 46% chose permanent daylight saving time and 29% permanent standard time. Separately, the Associated Press reported that most Americans in a 2025 AP-NORC poll preferred evening light when forced to choose. [12] [17] [22]

The policy has backing from the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Golf Course Owners Association. Trump also shared a letter dated 1 October 2026 from PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp supporting the bill and citing golf-industry forecasts of extra rounds and revenue. [18] [12]

Later evening light may also affect crime. Researchers using 2005–08 data from 558 US jurisdictions estimated fewer robberies after the spring switch to daylight saving time, especially near sunset. They cautioned that effects could vary across seasons and regions. [19]