The House voted 308-117 on Tuesday to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide and end the twice-yearly practice of changing clocks.
Under the bill, the country would remain on the time currently observed from March to November, rather than reverting to standard time each fall, unless a state exempts itself before the law takes effect. Hawaii and most of Arizona already observe standard time year-round and would be able to keep doing so.
As lawmakers read the final tally, Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., who presided over the vote, played the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” on his phone.
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The measure passed with broad bipartisan support, though not unanimous: 22 Republicans and 95 Democrats voted against it. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., who introduced the bill, said the twice-yearly clock changes disrupt Americans’ schedules for no good reason, while Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey said he doesn’t know anyone who still wants to change the clocks.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed Congress to pass the bill, writing on Truth Social that the twice-yearly change costs “hundreds of millions of dollars” and would be a political win for Republicans if enacted. The White House sent lawmakers an internal memo Tuesday urging them to support what it called a “popular, common-sense reform.”
The bill’s path through the Senate is far less certain. The chamber passed a similar measure by unanimous consent in 2022, but it never received a House vote and died at the end of that Congress.
The bill’s path through the Senate is far less certain. The chamber passed a similar measure by unanimous consent in 2022, but it never received a House vote and died at the end of that Congress.
A prior push to fast-track the bill through the Senate by unanimous consent fell apart in October 2025 when en. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., blocked it, citing parts of the country where sunrise wouldn’t come until after 9 a.m. in winter and warning of darker, more dangerous morning commutes. An aide familiar with Cotton’s thinking told reporters Tuesday he intends to press Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., against bringing the bill to the floor at all.
