Daylight Saving Bill
Clocks across the US still fall back on 1 November as the Trump-backed bill to end the switch stays frozen in the Senate Wavetop/Canva

A Trump-backed plan to lock the clocks on permanent daylight saving time has stalled in the US Senate, where Republicans warn it could repeat a botched 1974 experiment that once sent American children to school in darkness.

The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act on 14 July by a vote of 308 to 117, sending it to the Senate. The bill would make daylight saving time (DST) year-round, though states could opt out. Only Hawaii and most of Arizona currently sit out the twice-yearly switch. For now, the ritual stands, and clocks fall back on 1 November.

Why the Senate Has Frozen the Bill

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas led the resistance, asking Majority Leader John Thune not to bring the measure to a vote. Thune, who represents South Dakota, has said he voted against a similar plan in committee and doubts it can reach the 60 votes needed to clear the chamber.

His home-state colleague Mike Rounds agrees, arguing that permanent DST would push back winter school openings. 'It doesn't work in South Dakota,' Rounds said. A Senate version stalled last year after Cotton blocked a fast-track vote.

The 1974 Experiment Nobody Wants To Repeat

In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon signed a law making DST permanent for two years to save energy during the oil crisis. The trial began in January 1974, and support collapsed within months as the country soured on pitch-black mornings. Congress repealed it before the year was out.

Cotton put the failure bluntly on the Senate floor. 'In January of 1974, millions of Americans travelled to work and school in darkness,' he said. 'Schoolchildren carried flashlights. Tragically, some of these kids were struck by cars and killed while walking to school in the dark.'

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What It Would Mean for the Morning School Run

This is where the bill hits daily life. Under permanent DST, winter sunrises slide an hour later, and in northern and western areas that means near-total darkness at the school gate.

Senator Steve Daines said sunrise in western Montana would not arrive until 9:30am. 'It doesn't work so well for moms and dads putting kids on buses,' he said. Cotton cited sunrises close to 9am in Seattle, 9:15am in Grand Rapids, and almost 9:45am in Williston, North Dakota.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine opposes year-round DST and favours permanent standard time instead, warning darker winter mornings would raise the risk of traffic accidents and pedestrian deaths, 'particularly for children waiting for school buses and walking to school in the dark.'

Trump Presses a Divided Senate

President Donald Trump has pushed hard for passage, telling senators on Truth Social to approve the bill 'ASAP' and claiming it would make it safer for children to walk home from school. Backers say lighter evenings would cut crime, lift the economy, and give families more daylight after work and school. Senator Rick Scott of Florida is carrying the Senate companion bill.

Nineteen states have already enacted laws to adopt year-round DST if Congress acts, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Yet the math in the Senate has not changed. With western and northern Republicans dug in, the bill sits idle, and the twice-yearly clock change remains in force.

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