Sixty years of springing forward and falling back. Sixty years of groggy Monday mornings, confused livestock, disrupted sleep schedules, and the collective national irritation of resetting every clock in the house twice a year for reasons that made questionable sense in 1966 and make essentially no sense now. Congress is finally ready to end it — and not a moment too soon.
The House of Representatives is set to vote next week on the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the country. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 48-1 in favor of the measure back in May. The Senate unanimously passed it in 2022 — yes, unanimously, one of the approximately four things all 100 senators have agreed on in the last decade — and then the House let it die without a vote. Because that’s what Congress does with good ideas.
This time, it appears they’re actually going to finish the job. And Trump is on board, having said in May that it’s past time for people to stop worrying about the clock and all the “work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice yearly production.”
He’s right. The twice-yearly clock change is one of those vestigial government practices that everyone hates, nobody defends with any conviction, and yet somehow persists decade after decade because changing anything in Washington requires moving mountains. The original rationale — energy savings — has been studied to death and found wanting. The disruption to human sleep cycles, on the other hand, is well-documented and real. Car accidents spike. Heart attacks increase. Productivity tanks. All so we can pretend the sun rises an hour earlier for a few months.
The bill allows states to opt out, which is a reasonable concession to federalism. Arizona and Hawaii have always stayed on Standard Time, and under this legislation they’d presumably continue doing what they’re doing. Fine. States can make their own calls.
? UPDATE: The U.S. House is expected in the coming days to vote on ABOLISHING the seasonal time changes under the Sunshine Protection Act, supported by President Trump
Get it done! This would mean NO MORE changing the clock ??
TRUMP following the recent committee passage: "We… pic.twitter.com/wkraWQV8oM
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 10, 2026
The honest debate — Standard versus Daylight as the permanent choice — is a legitimate one that reasonable people disagree on. Permanent Standard Time has a strong scientific case behind it, particularly regarding alignment with natural light cycles and their effects on human health. Permanent Daylight Time has the more popular case behind it, since most people prefer light in the evenings over light in the early mornings.
But here’s the thing: either one is infinitely better than what we have now. The specific choice matters far less than the simple act of making a choice and sticking with it. Pick one. Commit to it. Stop moving the clocks.
Congress has managed to agree on almost nothing in recent memory. They agreed on this in 2022 and then fumbled it. The House has another shot next week.
Let’s get it done, boys and girls. Show Americans that Congress really does still have a purpose.
