This is the wrong way to handle daylight saving time

Last week, the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 with bipartisan support, as evidenced by a 308-117 vote. It will now move to the Senate for consideration. President Trump has stated he will sign it into law if it reaches his desk. 

This is the first time that the House has managed to pass a bill making daylight saving time permanent. In the past, the Senate passed such laws, which eventually stalled in the House or expired. With the House bill mirroring what the Senate passed previously, it seems plausible that permanent daylight time will become law. But don’t start celebrating the end of biannual clock changes just yet — there are headwinds that could stop the bill from reaching the president’s desk.

Permanent daylight saving time was tried back in 1973-1974, during the Middle East oil crisis. By shifting more daylight from the morning hours to the afternoon hours, the belief was that energy would be saved. It was initially welcomed but then rejected. Parents raged as school children were forced to wait for buses in the dark morning hours, creating unacceptable risks and angst. 

The question today is whether enough has changed over the past 50 years that would make permanent daylight saving time more acceptable. Polls suggest that people are split on their preference between permanent daylight time and permanent standard time. Opting for one over the other presents political risks to any lawmaker, potentially alienating one-half of their constituents.

Note that another bill circulating in Congress,........

© The Hill