US House votes to make daylight saving time permanent

The US House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to make daylight saving time permanent, passing the Sunshine Protection Act with a 308-117 vote. The bill, which received bipartisan support, would eliminate the need for Americans to change their clocks twice a year and keep the country on the time currently observed from March to November.

Republican Scott DesJarlais, who presided over the vote, played a clip of The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" on his phone during the final count. The time-change issue has been gaining bipartisan support for years, with President Donald Trump pledging to end clock changes after he returned to the White House. Republican Representative Vern Buchanan of Florida, who introduced the bill in January 2025, said on Tuesday that clock changes disrupt schedules "for no good reason."

Now that the House has passed the legislation, the Senate could soon take up its version. Florida Republican Rick Scott introduced an identical bill, also called the Sunshine Protection Act, in January 2025.

Since World War One, the US has set its clocks forward during the summer to have more daylight in the afternoon and to conserve electricity. This practice, known as Daylight Saving Time (DST), also helped conserve fuel during World War One but was unpopular with farmers and was repealed after the war. It returned during World War Two, and legislation standardizing clock-changing across the country passed in 1966, although some states, including Hawaii and Arizona, and US territories Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, have opted out.

In a May social media post, Trump said he was "going to work very hard" to see a law on time changes passed. "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. It will also be a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it!" he said.

But critics of permanent DST have noted that it would lead to darker winter mornings, which could make driving conditions more hazardous for early morning commuters. Supporters of keeping standard time also cite health benefits from more light in the morning, such as improved sleep cycles.

According to the Pew Research Center, only about one third of the world's countries observe daylight saving time, most of them in Europe. In Europe, only Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iceland, Russia, and Turkey do not practice DST. In Africa, Egypt is the only nation with DST.