Trump presses Cotton on permanent daylight saving time. The U.S. tried it in 1974 and dropped it

A fight over the clock spilled into public view Saturday, when President Donald Trump urged Arkansas residents to call Republican Sen. Tom Cotton about a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent. The push has revived an old debate over whether the U.S. should stop changing its clocks.

The country has tried year-round daylight saving time before. It did not last.

## What happened Saturday

In social media posts, Trump said Cotton was holding up the Sunshine Protection Act. "For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill and, in the Senate, it's very easy to do, it only takes one!" Trump wrote, according to the Associated Press. He urged Arkansans to contact Cotton and included a phone number with an Arkansas area code. CBS News reported that the number appeared to be Cotton's personal cellphone.

Cotton responded on X. "No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter," he wrote. He added that Arkansans "don't want their kids going to school in the pitch dark."

## What the bill would do

The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House in July by a vote of 308-117, according to CBS News. It would end the twice-a-year clock change by keeping the country on daylight saving time all year, the setting most of the U.S. uses from March to November.

According to AP, states could opt out and stay on standard time if their legislatures act before the law takes effect. Arizona and Hawaii already stay on standard time year-round, WRAL reported.

In the Senate, a single senator can object to passing a bill quickly by unanimous consent. That is the "it only takes one" power Trump was pointing to. The Senate passed a similar bill four years ago, but it stalled in the House, CBS News reported.

## The U.S. has tried this before

Cotton's claim that Congress has adopted and then dropped year-round daylight time more than once is backed by the historical record.

During World War II, the country switched to year-round "war time" in February 1942. It stayed in place until September 1945, after the war ended, according to Smithsonian magazine.

The second try came during the 1970s energy crisis. President Richard Nixon signed a law that put the country on year-round daylight saving time starting Jan. 6, 1974. It was meant to be a two-year trial to save energy, according to PolitiFact.

The trial ended early. Public support fell from 79% in December 1973 to 42% by February 1974 as people faced dark winter mornings, according to Smithsonian. Some schools delayed classes until sunrise, and safety concerns grew after children were killed in traffic accidents on dark mornings in Florida. President Gerald Ford signed a law reversing the change in October 1974, and clocks went back to the old system on Oct. 27, 1974.

## What sleep experts say

Doctors who study sleep largely want to end the clock changes too, but in the other direction. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says permanent standard time, not permanent daylight time, is "the optimal choice for health and safety," because it better matches the body's natural clock.

Supporters of permanent daylight saving time argue that brighter evenings are good for after-work activities, outdoor recreation and business. Trump said the change would be good for golfers.

## What it means for you

Nothing changes yet. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, so clocks will still fall back one hour this year.

If the bill became law, winter would look different. Sunrise and sunset would both come one hour later on the clock than they do now from November to March. That means more daylight after class or work, but darker mornings for commutes and school drop-offs, especially in the western parts of each time zone.

For now, the bill's future depends on the Senate, where Cotton has said he will keep opposing it.