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By Anna Skinner
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Americans are still expected to turn their clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 1, despite renewed momentum in Congress to end the twice-yearly time change. A House-passed bill that would make daylight saving time (DST) permanent is now awaiting action in the Senate, but lawmakers remain divided over whether the change should become law before clocks are set to fall back this autumn.
The Sunshine Protection Act cleared the House in a bipartisan 308-117 vote on July 14 and would make DST the permanent national standard, eliminating the need to change clocks each spring and fall. The measure has support from President Donald Trump and several lawmakers, but Senate leaders have cautioned that significant opposition remains, particularly from senators concerned about darker winter mornings.
In a Truth Social post in April, the president called on lawmakers to "push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day" and described changing the clocks as "A VERY COSTLY EVENT" for the government. In May, he wrote that he was "going to work very hard to see The Sunshine Protection Act signed into Law."
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"To pass a bill already passed by the House and sent to the Senate, if there is no need or expectation of altering it, in theory could be done very quickly via unanimous consent," American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Norman Ornstein told Newsweek. "But if anyone wants to object, there would be hurdles in place. Time-consuming ones."
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Is Daylight Saving Time Ending?
For now, DST is not ending, nor is the practice of changing clocks twice a year. Under current federal law, most Americans will continue to observe it from March until November and then return to standard time for the winter months. Any change would require the Senate to approve the House-passed Sunshine Protection Act and Trump to sign it into law.
The debate in Washington is not over whether to keep DST, but whether it should become permanent. Supporters argue that ending the clock change would reduce disruptions to sleep schedules and provide more evening daylight year-round. Opponents counter that making it permanent would result in later winter sunrises, potentially leaving children, commuters and other workers traveling in darkness during the morning hours.
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When Do the Clocks Go Back?
Unless Congress acts before then, clocks across most of the country will be turned back one hour at 2 a.m. local time on November 1. The shift marks the end of DST and the return to standard time, giving Americans an extra hour of sleep but also bringing earlier sunsets during the winter months.
The annual clock change has been a feature of U.S. timekeeping for decades, though Arizona, Hawaii and several U.S. territories do not generally observe DST. The twice-yearly switch remains unpopular with many Americans, helping fuel repeated congressional efforts to adopt a permanent system.
"It's been kicked around Congress for many years, and little has happened," David Prerau, an internationally known DST expert and author of Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time, told Newsweek. "The reason is because the alternatives aren't any better than the current system, so every time they look in more detail at the proposed changes, they decide to keep what we have."
Prerau said making DST permanent "has a lot of negatives," such as very dark mornings for people heading to work or children going to school. If it was permanent, winter sunrises would occur one hour later than they do under the current system because the country would no longer fall back to standard time each November.
In much of the U.S., that would push sunrise into the 8 a.m. hour, while some northern and western locations could see the sun rise close to or after 9 a.m. during the darkest part of winter.
When Congress previously enacted permanent DST in 1974, what was meant to be a two-year measure was quickly repealed.
"It became very unpopular very quickly because people didn't like getting up in the dark," Prerau said, adding that he hopes the new measure doesn't pass the Senate. "I think that would be a mistake, but you can't guess what Congress is going to do."
Do Americans Want Permanent Daylight Saving Time?
Polls consistently show Americans want to end the twice-yearly clock change, though they are less united on what should replace it.
A 2025 Associated Press-NORC poll found only 12 percent of American adults support changing the clocks twice a year, while nearly half oppose the current system. When asked to choose one permanent option, 56 percent favored permanent DST and about four in ten preferred permanent standard time.
A YouGov poll conducted in February found 64 percent of Americans want to stop changing the clocks twice a year, while only 16 percent support keeping the current system. When forced to choose between permanent options, 43 percent preferred DST and 28 percent preferred standard time.
Gallup found a different split when respondents were offered three choices. Forty-eight percent favored permanent standard time, 24 percent chose permanent DST and 19 percent preferred keeping the current system.
The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, both of which support permanent standard time on health grounds, have also cited survey data showing broad public support for eliminating seasonal clock changes.
Will the Senate Vote Before the Clocks Change?
It remains unclear whether the Senate will take up the legislation before November 1. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has acknowledged interest in the proposal but has also warned that lawmakers remain split on the issue and that it is uncertain whether the bill could secure the 60 votes needed to advance in the chamber.
"If the leadership really makes it a priority it can do it, since there is almost certainly 60 votes in favor. Potentially they could also add it to another must pass bill," Ornstein said. "I am skeptical."
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Kate Nalepinski and Anthony Murray.
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