Most Americans Want to Stop Changing the Clocks. Here’s Why Senators Are Hesitating

Sen.

Tom Cotton, R-Ark., speaks during the Senate Republicans' news conference in the U.S.

Capitol on June 23, 2026.

Cotton is the most vocal opponent of the Sunshine Protection Act in the Senate. —Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images In less than a month, most of the U.S. will fall back an hour, continuing the cycle of biannual clock changes.

Some lawmakers are trying to end that practice—but are facing pushback from others.

In July, the House passed a bill with bipartisan support that would instate Daylight Saving Time year-round across the U.S.—the latest step forward in a yearslong effort to eliminate the clock change.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to pass the bill.

But the legislation now faces an uncertain future in the upper chamber.

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told POLITICO that there is no “consensus” among his colleagues on whether to advance the measure.

“The President feels strongly on it like he does a lot of issues,” Thune said.

“It’s something we’re having conversations about, but there’s no clear path forward or consensus on it yet.” Here’s what the bill would do, why some senators are backing it, and why others aren’t.

What would the Sunshine Protection Act do? Most of the country follows the practice of changing the clocks twice a year, jumping forward an hour every March when Daylight Saving Time begins and falling back every November when it ends to observe Standard Time.

The system is widely unpopular.

Polling conducted by the Associated Press/NORC last year shows that more Americans oppose the current biannual clock change than those who support it—47% compared to just 12%.