Trump praises House committee for daylight saving time legislation
president Donald Trump urged Congress to pass legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent in the United States, backing the “Sunshine Protection Act.” He praised House momentum: a House committee advanced the measure in a bipartisan 48-1 vote by rolling it into a broader transportation package that would bring it to the House floor.
Trump argued that twice-yearly clock changes cost substantial money for individuals, cities, and states.Public support for ending the practice is relatively strong-an AP-NORC poll found most Americans oppose the current system. The year-round daylight saving push has roots in earlier Senate efforts led by Marco Rubio, and Sen. Rick Scott said states would (under the proposal) be able to opt out if Congress makes the change permanent.
Trump also framed the effort as beneficial for Republicans and highlighted his past criticism of clock switching as costly and inconvenient.
President Donald Trump on Thursday pressed Congress to pass a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent in the United States.
The president celebrated a House committee’s move to advance the legislation forward and called on lawmakers to solidify the passage of efforts to end the practice of shifting clocks forward by one hour in the spring and back in the fall. Trump said he would “work very hard” to see the Sunshine Protection Act signed into law.
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“This is so important in that Hundreds of Millions of Dollars are spent every year by people, Cities, and States, being forced to change their Clocks,” Trump wrote. “Many of these Clocks are located in Towers, and the cost of renting, or using, Heavy Equipment to do this twice a year is prohibitive!”
Trump’s post responded to the House energy and commerce committee’s move to advance the measure in a bipartisan 48-1 vote. The committee rolled Rep. Vern Buchanan’s (R-FL) Sunshine Protection Act into a broader transportation package. Now included in Rep. Troy Nehls’s (R-TX) Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, the daylight saving time measure is being brought to the House floor for debate.
There is widespread support for ending the practice of “springing forward” and “falling back” twice a year. An AP-NORC poll conducted in October found only 12% of Americans favor the current system, while 47% oppose it, though there was less consensus about what should replace it.
The effort for year-round daylight saving time was previously championed by Marco Rubio, now the secretary of state, during his time in the Senate.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who co-led the daylight saving time legislation with Buchanan, praised the committee movement as “excellent news” on Friday. States would be able to opt out of the change should Congress pass the measure to permanently advance the nation’s clocks by one hour.
“I look forward to FINALLY passing my Sunshine Protection Act out of the Senate and making this commonsense policy a reality for the American people,” Scott said in a post to X.
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Trump said this week that it would be a “nice win” for Republicans if they could end the practice, after repeatedly railing against switching times over the years, calling it “a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT.”
“It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice-yearly production,” he said. “ It will also be a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it! We are going with the far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter Day — And who can be against that — This is an easy one! “
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