President Donald Trump is pushing the U.S. Senate to end the twice-a-year clock change for good — and he is putting the blame for the delay on a single Republican senator.
In a statement, Trump urged lawmakers to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, the bill that would make daylight saving time permanent and “STOP THE CLOCK CHANGES.” He said the measure cleared the House of Representatives by a vote of 308 to 117 and is now stuck in the Senate.
“For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill and, in the Senate, it’s very easy to do, it only takes one!” Trump wrote, naming Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). He called on Arkansas voters to tell Cotton to “GET IT DONE!” and demanded the chamber “HAVE THE SENATE VOTE, NOW!” Trump argued that the PGA Tour, golfers, hunters, and farmers all want more daylight in the afternoon.
How one senator can stall a popular bill
The Senate often moves bills quickly by “unanimous consent,” a shortcut that lets a measure pass without a full roll-call vote — but only if no senator objects. That is what Trump means when he says “it only takes one.” A single objection, or a procedural hold, forces leadership to find floor time for a full debate and vote, which is scarce. It does not kill a bill outright, but it can keep a widely supported measure from reaching the floor.
What the Sunshine Protection Act would do
The bill would make daylight saving time the year-round standard, ending the spring “spring forward” and autumn “fall back” ritual. Americans would keep the later evening daylight that daylight saving time provides, rather than switching back to standard time each November.
The idea is not new. The Senate passed an earlier version of the Sunshine Protection Act by unanimous consent in 2022, but it stalled in the House and never became law. Supporters say the repeated clock changes disrupt sleep, schedules, and business, and that a permanent setting would end the confusion.
The case for — and the debate over which time to lock in
Backers point to practical and economic benefits: more evening light for outdoor recreation, youth sports, retail, and farm work, and fewer disruptions to daily routines. Trump’s appeal leaned on that everyday argument, citing golfers, hunters, and farmers.
There is a genuine debate, however, about which clock to make permanent. Many sleep scientists, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, favor permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time, arguing that morning light better matches the body’s internal clock. Permanent daylight saving time would mean darker winter mornings in much of the country. Both sides, though, agree on the core point Trump is pressing: the back-and-forth switching should end.
What happens next
For now, the bill needs floor time and a vote. Trump is betting that public pressure — especially from constituents in Arkansas — will move the holdout and force the Senate to act. Whether that happens before the next clock change is up to Senate leaders, who control the calendar.
