One Republican Is Leading A Revolt Against Trump’s Clock Plan

A group of Republicans led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is threatening to block President Donald Trump’s push to make daylight saving time permanent. 

The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently keep clocks on daylight saving time, eliminating the twice-yearly clock changes Americans currently observe each spring and fall. The legislation passed the House by a bipartisan 308-117 vote. 

Cotton has argued that making daylight saving time permanent would create safety issues by delaying winter sunrises, particularly in northern states.

“By moving the clock back an hour in winter, permanent Daylight Saving Time would push winter sunrises to an absurdly late hour, depriving Americans of morning sunshine that’s essential for our safety and well-being,” Cotton said.

He also argued the change could push sunrise as late as 9:45 a.m. in parts of North Dakota, creating challenges for schoolchildren, construction workers, and farmers who rely on early morning daylight. 

Despite Cotton’s opposition, Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to approve the legislation.

After the bill advanced out of committee, Trump wrote that it was time for Americans to stop worrying about “the Clock” and described the current system as a “ridiculous, twice-yearly production.”

He also called permanent daylight saving time “the far more popular alternative” and urged Republicans to support the measure.

The legislation has since stalled in the Senate, where supporters must overcome objections from Cotton and other Republicans.

“I mean, the House having acted on it now, we’ll see what the interest level is in the Senate,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Fox News. “But I know that there are people who are willing to really slow things down over that issue.”

A source close to Cotton told Fox News that the Arkansas senator is “far from the only one who objects” to the bill and is working with other senators prepared to block it.

The Sunshine Protection Act was originally introduced by then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and later reintroduced with Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). A similar law briefly took effect during the 1970s energy crisis before Congress repealed it following backlash.

“[Daylight savings] is left over from World War I when America was trying to save lamp oil. We’re doing OK on lamp oil now, so that’s not the issue,” Lankford said. “With streetlights, with different power and things, we have — we’re in a very different situation. And I talk to a lot of folks that say they are just sick of the time change. They want to be able to lock the clock.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who has also championed the legislation, welcomed its passage in the House. 

“[Daylight Saving Time] is an unnecessary, decades-old practice that’s more of an annoyance to families than [a] benefit to them,” Scott said in a statement, calling on his other senators to “make this common sense change” to “LOCK THE CLOCK.”

The bill currently has 18 Senate co-sponsors, including eight Democrats, according to Congress.gov. 

The legislation-tracking website GovTrack estimates the Sunshine Protection Act a 35% chance of becoming law during the current Congress. 

Congress must approve the Sunshine Protection Act before the current congressional session ends in December 2026.