President Trump urged Senate Republicans on Wednesday to quickly approve the House-passed Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent year-round and end twice-yearly clock changes. In a Truth Social post, Trump argued that the biannual shifts “cost Millions of Dollars” and can be “bad for your health in the anxiety it creates.” He wrote: “I am asking Republican Senators to PASS THE SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT, ASAP.”
The measure cleared the House about a month earlier by a 308-117 bipartisan vote but has stalled amid resistance from GOP senators representing states that would experience significantly darker winter mornings. Proponents say permanent daylight saving time would deliver more evening daylight, potentially boosting outdoor activity, retail, and energy savings while eliminating the disruption of clock changes.
Critics, including some Republican senators, counter that it would leave schoolchildren waiting for buses and early-morning workers commuting in darkness during winter months, raising safety concerns—issues that contributed to the quick reversal of a similar 1970s experiment.
Under permanent daylight saving time, winter clock times would advance by an hour relative to the sun. In many northern and Midwest locations, sunrise could slip past 8 a.m.—and in places such as Grand Rapids, Michigan, or Williston, North Dakota, approach 9:15–9:45 a.m. That would force numerous stations to remain off-air or at low power through much or all of the critical morning drive period (roughly 6–10 a.m.), the daypart that generates the bulk of advertising revenue and carries essential local news, traffic, weather, school closings, and emergency information.
Industry groups including the National Association of Broadcasters and National Religious Broadcasters have warned that the change would shrink audience reach and revenue for hundreds of stations—estimates suggest more than 75% of AM outlets could be affected in some form—while only partially offsetting losses with later afternoon sign-off times.
Rural communities, faith-based broadcasters, and areas reliant on AM for public-safety alerts could face reduced service precisely when many listeners are commuting. Some stations already use FM translators or online streams to extend coverage, but the core over-the-air morning signal would still be constrained.
The bill now sits with the Senate, where leaders have signaled it may not advance easily under unanimous consent and could consume scarce floor time. Trump’s renewed public pressure keeps the issue alive, but regional opposition tied to winter darkness—and the downstream effects on sectors such as AM radio—continues to complicate passage.