Trump Pushes Permanent Daylight Saving Time
The Sunshine Protection Act has passed the House but stalled in the Senate, while Illinois lawmakers weigh permanent standard time instead.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Legislative Policy
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President Donald Trump has pushed for permanent daylight saving time, backing legislation that passed the U.S. House in July but has stalled in the Senate. Illinois lawmakers have introduced bills in Springfield that would instead adopt permanent standard time.
Why it matters
The debate highlights a long-running disagreement over whether more evening light or earlier sunrises better serve residents, and Congress abandoned a similar permanent daylight saving time effort in the 1970s after public backlash.
The U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July, and 11 of Illinois's 17 U.S. House members voted for permanent daylight saving time. Nearly 90 minutes separate Miami and Chicago in daylight on the shortest day, but the Senate has not advanced the measure.
The players
Donald Trump
Donald Trump is the current President of the United States, who has publicly pressed Senate Republicans to advance permanent daylight saving time.
Vern Buchanan
Vern Buchanan is a Florida Republican U.S. House member who sponsors the Sunshine Protection Act.
The details
Permanent daylight saving time would keep clocks an hour ahead year-round, while permanent standard time would bring earlier sunrises and about an hour less summer evening light. Supporters argue more evening daylight would help tourism, outdoor recreation and businesses, and Trump contends it would reduce violent crime and traffic accidents.
Timeline
The 1970s: Congress tried permanent daylight saving time and abandoned it amid public backlash.
2019: Trump made Florida his primary residence.
July 2025: The U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act.
November 2, 2026: Reporting noted the legislation remained stalled in the Senate.
Legislative Context
Congress previously tried permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s and abandoned it amid public backlash, and the current Sunshine Protection Act faces a similar uphill path in the Senate. The Illinois standard-time proposals reflect a competing approach that reopens the same trade-off between evening light and earlier sunrises.
If Congress adopts permanent daylight saving time, clocks would stay an hour ahead year-round, bringing later sunsets in winter and more evening light in summer. Permanent standard time would instead keep sunrises earlier throughout the year.
The takeaway
The choice between permanent daylight saving time and permanent standard time turns on whether evening light or morning light matters more to a community, and that trade-off has stalled federal action before.
Further reading
Track the broader debate in Legislative Policy coverage across the country.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Axios.
Live Poll
Would you support permanent daylight saving time, even with darker winter mornings?
