Millions of Americans will turn their clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, as daylight saving time ends for 2026. The change returns most of the country to standard time and gives people an extra hour overnight.
The shift moves daylight earlier in the morning and brings sunset earlier in the evening. In Boston, for example, sunrise is expected at 6:17 a.m. Sunday, compared with 7:16 a.m. Saturday; sunset will be at 4:37 p.m., down from 5:39 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Daylight saving time runs from March to early November, when clocks are set one hour ahead of standard time. The United States first adopted the practice in 1918 during World War I, partly to conserve fuel. Congress later repealed the nationwide switch but allowed states to continue observing it. A uniform schedule was established in 1966.
Congress is also considering whether to make daylight saving time permanent. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would end the twice-yearly clock change and allow states to opt out before the law takes effect, passed the House in July and is awaiting action in the Senate.
President Trump has endorsed the legislation and criticized Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, for delaying it. Cotton has argued that Congress previously tried year-round daylight saving time but abandoned it after winter sunrises came too late.
The Senate faces a deadline: the bill and other pending legislation are set to expire in early January when the newly elected lawmakers take office. If the measure expires, supporters would have to introduce it again and secure approval from both chambers before it could go to the president.
The Senate faces a deadline: the bill and other pending legislation are set to expire in early January when the newly elected lawmakers take office. If the measure expires, supporters would have to introduce it again and secure approval from both chambers before it could go to the president.