The U.S. Senate has yet to take up a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent in the U.S., but President Donald Trump is pushing hard for the bill.
Trump, who has been an outspoken supporter of the Sunshine Protection Act, advocated for the legislation in a lengthy post to his TruthSocial platform Tuesday evening.
In the post, the president claimed the “vast majority of Americans” are in support of such a move, and pushed for the Senate to pass the bill.
“People are sick and tired of having to change their clocks twice a year. It is foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly,” he said.
Trump argued making daylight saving time permanent would decrease rates of violent crime, car crashes, and lower risk for cardiac issues.
While the National Institutes for Health has said there has not been enough study on the impacts of permanent daylight saving time on health, studies have shown a possibility that since daylight saving time is “less aligned with human circadian biology,” it could result in “circadian misalignment,” which has been shown to increase cardiovascular disease risk and other health risks.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has argued for permanent standard time instead, arguing the seasonal clock changes can negatively impact sleep debt and increase traffic accidents.
They say permanent standard time would be more in line with the body’s natural rhythms, and would have positive health impacts.
“Permanent daylight saving time might sound appealing, but it works against our biology,” said Dr. Dayna Johnson, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health. “Our circadian system depends on morning light for alertness, and permanent daylight saving time would leave many of us waking and commuting in darkness for months, worsening sleep, safety, and overall health, especially for the workers and communities already carrying the heaviest sleep burden.”
It’s also unclear whether enough Republican senators would back the change to get the measure to pass. Politico cites previous statements from Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. Tom Cotton opposing permanent daylight saving time, and the Senate has not yet taken up the measure passed by the House.
The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July, which would set daylight saving time as the new standard time for the U.S., though states could opt out of the change.
Under provisions of the Uniform Time Act, passed in the 1960s, daylight saving time remains in effect from March until November each year, with the country operating on standard time during the winter months.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 set the dates for daylight saving time as the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, but lawmakers are seeking to abolish that twice-yearly time change.
The bill was passed by the Senate in 2022, but the House never took the measure up, so it did not go into effect. This time around, it was the House that passed the measure on a bipartisan vote.
Under current provisions of the Uniform Time Act, states are permitted to opt out of daylight saving time entirely, but they cannot have permanent daylight saving time. Currently two states opt out of daylight saving time, with Hawaii and Arizona keeping their clocks the same year-round.
The new Sunshine Protection Act would still allow states to opt out of daylight saving time and to observe standard time instead.
It’s unclear whether Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth would vote in favor of the legislation, and the state’s Congressional delegation was split on the measure. The state’s three Republican representatives, Reps. Mike Bost, Darin LaHood and Mary Miller, all voted yes on the measure in the House.
Democratic Reps. Nikki Budzinski, Sean Casten, Danny Davis, Bill Foster, Robin Kelly, Jan Schakowsky, Brad Schneider and Lauren Underwood all voted yes, while Reps. Jesús “Chuy” García, Jonathan Jackson, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez and Eric Sorensen voted no.
Since Illinois is on the far eastern side of the Central time zone, experts warn permanent daylight saving time would have significant impacts to sunrise during the winter months. Sunrise in the state of Illinois would occur after 8 a.m. for a period of nearly two months during the winter, with the winter solstice seeing sunrise occur at approximately 8:15 a.m.
Sunset would occur after 5 p.m. during those months, but some critics have argued the later sunrise would make school children less safe as they head to class in morning darkness.
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