Trump backs permanent daylight saving time as House passes “Sunshine Protection Act”

Trump the president shared an article arguing that locking the clock could ease sleep disruption, cut car crashes and boost productivity, as the bill heads to an uncertain Senate vote.

First Published: July 21, 2026, 7:42 AM ETUpdates (1): July 21, 2026, 7:42 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump threw his weight behind permanent daylight saving time, sharing an article that argues it may be better for Americans’ health.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Why permanent daylight saving time may be better for your health: https://nypost.com/health/health-benefits-of-daylight-savings-time/”

The president posted the link without additional commentary on a Truth Social post on July 21, 2026 at 11:02 AM ET. The article ran under the headline “Why permanent daylight saving time may be better for your health” and framed the debate around a bill now moving through Congress according to nypost.

“I don’t really know anybody who wants to change the clock anymore,” Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey said as the House Rules Committee considered the measure according to cbsnews.com.

The House of Representatives voted 308 to 117 to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide on July 15, 2026 according to house.gov. The measure, titled the “Sunshine Protection Act,” would end the twice-a-year clock changes and let states keep standard time if an exemption is in effect before the law takes hold. Trump has said he would sign it if it reaches his desk, calling the vote “Great News for America!” according to cbsnews.com.

Supporters argue permanent daylight saving time would prevent traffic accidents, raise productivity and even lower crime according to nypost. Critics counter that later winter sunrises would force children to walk to school in darkness. Research from 2020 tied the fall-back hour to a 6% rise in car wrecks overall and a 15% jump in freeway crashes according to nypost.

Sleep experts warn that the clock swings disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that governs sleep across a 24-hour span. “The scientific evidence points to acute increases in adverse health consequences from changing the clocks, including in heart attack and stroke,” said Adam Spira, a Johns Hopkins sleep expert according to nypost. Some researchers argue standard time, not daylight saving time, is the healthier choice, since morning light helps regulate hormones and mood according to sleepfoundation.org.

For the average reader, the shift would mean the sun rising an hour later in winter and setting an hour later in the evening, ending the ritual of resetting microwaves and car clocks each March and November according to nypost. Seasonal affective disorder affects up to 5% of adults, with another 10% to 20% enduring milder winter blues according to nypost.

Has this happened before? It has. Congress enacted daylight saving time in 1918 to conserve energy during World War I and revived it during World War II according to cbsnews.com. Lawmakers briefly made it permanent in 1973, then reversed course within months after public opinion soured according to cbsnews.com.

The next decision rests with the Senate, where the bill’s future is unclear. The Senate adopted a similar measure in 2022 that the House never took up, and no date for a floor vote has been announced according to time.com.

The clock has divided Washington before, as happened when Congress last tried to lock it. In January 1974, President Richard Nixon signed year-round daylight saving time into law amid an energy crisis. Reports of schoolchildren walking to bus stops in predawn darkness, along with several deaths, quickly eroded support according to cbsnews.com. By October 1974, lawmakers restored the seasonal switch, and the experiment that began with broad approval ended in retreat for the leaders who had championed it.