On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 48-1 to advance the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act. The Sunshine Protection Act — a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent — is included in this legislation. The bill now moves to the House floor.
Following the vote, Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), a primary sponsor of the Sunshine Protection Act, issued a statement that read:
My Sunshine Protection Act will bring us one step closer to ending the outdated and unpopular practice of changing our clocks twice a year. Floridians and Americans across the country are tired of the biannual time change, and the evidence is clear that permanent daylight saving time can improve public health, reduce traffic accidents, lower crime and encourage more outdoor activity.Ending the clock change is a commonsense reform that will improve everyday life for millions of Americans.
And President Donald Trump has thrown his full support behind this initiative. In a Thursday Truth Social post, he wrote:
Big Vote today (48-1!) in the Energy and Commerce Committee on a Bill including The Sunshine Protection Act, which will be making Daylight Saving Time Permanent! This is so important in that Hundreds of Millions of Dollars are spent every year by people, Cities, and States, being forced to change their Clocks. Many of these Clocks are located in Towers, and the cost of renting, or using, Heavy Equipment to do this twice a year is prohibitive!
Trump added, “We are going with the far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter Day — And who can be against that — This is an easy one!”
Well, actually, while many Americans applaud the end of the twice-yearly time changes, some are bemoaning the permanent adoption of daylight saving time instead of standard time.
Those who prefer permanent standard time usually argue that it aligns better with the body’s natural circadian rhythm — the body’s natural 24-hour internal clock that regulates sleep, wakefulness, and other daily biological functions. They also point out that noon during standard time is closer to when the sun is actually highest in the sky.
Proponents of standard time also note that more daylight earlier in the day can help children heading to school and commuters traveling in the morning. They may have a point. I recall a motorist in our town striking a child walking to a bus stop on the Monday after the switch to daylight saving time. The driver simply did not see the child in the darkness.
By contrast, supporters of permanent daylight saving time say they prefer having more daylight in the evening, which gives them more time for outdoor activities.
Contrary to historical belief, Benjamin Franklin did not invent daylight saving time. According to History.com:
By the time he was a 78-year-old American envoy in Paris in 1784, the man who espoused the virtues of “early to bed and early to rise” was not practicing what he preached. After being unpleasantly stirred from sleep at 6 a.m. by the summer sun, the founding father penned a satirical essay in which he calculated that Parisians, simply by waking up at dawn, could save the modern-day equivalent of $200 million through “the economy of using sunshine instead of candles.” As a result of this essay, Franklin is often erroneously given the honor of “inventing” daylight saving time, but he only proposed a change in sleep schedules—not the time itself.
A brief history of daylight saving time published by The University of Colorado (Boulder) says it originated with the Germans during World War I.
It was first introduced in Germany in 1916 during World War I as an energy saving measure, according to CU Boulder sleep researcher Kenneth Wright. The U.S. followed suit, adopting DST in 1918. Initially implemented as a wartime measure, it was repealed a year later.Daylight saving time was reinstituted in 1942 during World War II. The next couple decades were a free-for-all, when states and localities switched between DST and standard time (ST) at will. To put an end to the clock chaos, Congress finally passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which standardized daylight saving time and its start and end dates across the country — with the exception of Hawaii and Arizona, which opted to keep standard time year-round.During the energy crisis of 1974, the U.S. decided to adopt permanent DST. However, after the first winter of dark mornings, public support dropped so low that it was repealed.
Regardless of which system prevails, polls have repeatedly shown that Americans will likely welcome an end to the twice-yearly time changes. A 2021 Ipsos poll found that over two-thirds of Americans supported ending daylight saving time. And a more recent AP-NORC poll, conducted in October 2025, showed just 12% supported the practice.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
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