Overview
- The House, which approved the Sunshine Protection Act on July 14, passed the bill 308–117 to let states observe daylight saving time year‑round.
- President Donald Trump has endorsed the measure and said he would sign it if the Senate approves it.
- Senators from northern and western states, led by Sen. Tom Cotton and supported by Senate leaders, are prepared to slow or block the bill on procedural grounds because later winter sunrises could force children and workers to travel in darkness.
- Medical groups and sleep researchers argue permanent daylight saving time would worsen circadian misalignment and teen sleep loss, and they favor permanent standard time as the healthier option.
- Federal law now bars states from adopting year‑round daylight saving time without Congress, many states have conditional laws or ballots ready, and history shows a 1970s experiment with permanent DST was repealed after public backlash.