Congress, Country Split on Year-Round Daylight Saving Time 

Even as a bipartisan coalition of 17 lawmakers push to lock clocks in the U.S. in permanent Daylight Saving Time, many Americans say they want permanent standard time, according to a new poll. 

Americans lost an hour of sleep over the weekend as the clocks skipped from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. early Sunday morning. If Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and his colleagues get their way, however, this “spring forward” will be the last.  

But a Gallup poll released last week shows while most Americans (54%) are ready to do away with the time change, more prefer standard time year-round than Daylight Saving Time. Forty-eight percent say they would prefer standard time year-round, while only 24% prefer Daylight Saving Time the whole year. The smallest percentage among those polled, 19%, prefer switching back and forth.  

The Sunshine Protection Act, introduced by Scott and some of his colleagues in January, would make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the country for the full calendar year. The bill has not yet come up for a vote in the Senate, and has drawn some opposition on social media from those who want to see Daylight Saving Time ended in favor of permanent standard time. 

When asked last week about the possibility of either ending Daylight Saving Time or making it permanent, President Donald Trump gave no conclusive answer on the standard he favors. 

“I assume people would like to have more light later, but some people want to have more light earlier, because they don’t want to take their kids to school in the dark,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “And it’s very much, it’s a little bit one way, but it’s very much a 50-50 issue.” 

During the presidential campaign, Trump said in a Truth Social post the Republican Party would eliminate Daylight Saving Time. 

A bill in the House of Representatives presents a possible third option, but it lacks support. Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, introduced the Daylight Act in January, shortly after the Senate introduced the Sunshine Protection Act. The Daylight Act would give states the choice to stay on permanent Daylight Saving Time or to continue switching the clocks twice per year. 

“The Daylight Act grants states like Utah the freedom to decide whether or not to remain on Daylight Saving Time year-round,” Maloy said in a press release. “Let’s pass this bill in Congress and end the outdated practice of changing our clocks twice a year.” 

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