House to take up Trump-supported vote on making daylight savings time permanent

The House is expected to vote next week on a bill to make daylight savings time permanent. 

The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in May in a 41-1 vote, Reuters reported. 

In March 2022, the Senate voted unanimously on a measure that would make daylight savings time permanent, and President Donald Trump threw his support behind it. 

"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 said in a post on Truth Social. 

In the face of mounting opposition to the measure, the House never took it up. Supporters argue the time change disrupts sleep, increasing workplace injuries and car accidents. They also argue that more hours of evening sunlight would increase economic activity. 

If the House passes the act, the Senate would need to again take up the measure, which faces opposition from Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., among others. Cotton argues the late winter sunrises would force children in higher latitudes to go to school in the dark. 

The act would allow states to opt-out.