Overview
- The House approved the Sunshine Protection Act 308–117 in July to make daylight saving time permanent, but the measure has not advanced in the Senate.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Oct. 5 there is no clear path to the 60 votes needed to overcome procedural hurdles, and senators adjourned for the midterm recess without voting.
- President Donald Trump has escalated public pressure on holdouts, posting what appeared to be Sen. Tom Cotton’s cellphone number and urging constituents to demand his support.
- Opponents, led publicly by Sen. Cotton and senators from northern and rural states, cite dark winter mornings, school-bus safety and circadian‑health research that many sleep experts say favors permanent standard time.
- If the Senate stays away until after the midterms, clocks will revert to standard time on Nov. 1 and the bill would need reintroduction next year to have another chance, recalling a 1974 experiment that Congress reversed within months after public backlash.