President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas to back a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, publicly posting the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman’s personal cell phone number and encouraging Americans to call him.
The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House in July but has stalled in the Senate amid strong opposition from some Republicans. Supporters, including the White House, say permanent daylight saving time would give people more daylight during the hours they are most active. Opponents argue it would mean darker, potentially more dangerous winter mornings, with children waiting for school buses and parents commuting in the dark.
Americans will still turn their clocks back one hour on Sunday, Nov. 1, after the Senate returned from a five-week recess on Sept. 14 with no vote scheduled on legislation to make daylight saving time permanent.
The House has already approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which would keep the country on daylight saving time year-round and end the twice-yearly clock change. President Donald Trump has urged the Senate to pass it, but the bill still needs Senate approval and his signature. With less than two months before the scheduled change, its prospects are uncertain.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has previously questioned whether enough senators support the measure to advance it. Even with backing from Trump and lawmakers in both parties, a vote was not immediately on the chamber’s agenda after the recess.
Trump has repeatedly called the twice-yearly switch “foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly.” In an Aug. 4 Truth Social post, he said permanent daylight saving time would cut traffic accidents and crime, save energy, and give families more evening light. “Leave it as it is now, and never change again,” he wrote. “LET’S PASS THE SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT, ASAP.”
No new law has been enacted, so current federal rules remain in place.
Experts agree that shifting clocks twice a year can disrupt circadian rhythms and sleep, but many sleep and health researchers favor permanent standard time over permanent daylight saving time because it better matches the body’s natural clock. Lawmakers are weighing both whether to stop the changes and which system to adopt.
Polls show broad support for ending the switches, with less agreement on the replacement. A 2023 YouGov survey found 62% of Americans favored eliminating the time changes; a January 2025 Gallup poll found 54% wanted the practice to end. Americans remain split between permanent daylight saving time and permanent standard time.
For now, the fall-back on Nov. 1 is still scheduled.
Possible Impact On Radio
No specific studies directly address permanent DST's impact on radio broadcasting. But there would be shifts in Listener Habits:
Morning and Evening Commutes: Permanent DST would mean later sunrises in winter (e.g., sunrise after 8 AM in some regions) and later sunsets. This could shift peak commuting times, affecting when people listen to radio during drive-time slots (typically 6-9 AM and 4-7 PM). Stations might need to adjust programming schedules to align with new commuting patterns. One unlikely groups against this idea is National Religious Broadcasters. Why? Because a reduction of morning daylight means more time on reduced power for AM radio stations.
Evening Listening: Extended evening daylight could increase outdoor activities, potentially reducing evening radio listenership as people spend more time outside rather than indoors with radios or streaming devices.
Morning Shows: With darker mornings, listeners may wake up later or feel less engaged early in the day, prompting stations to tweak morning show formats or timing to maintain audience engagement.
Seasonal Content: Radio stations often tailor content to seasonal events or daylight-driven activities (e.g., summer playlists or winter holiday programming). Year-round DST could blur these distinctions, requiring more flexible programming strategies.
Audience Measurement: Radio ratings depend on listener data, which could shift with new daily routines under permanent DST. Advertisers may demand updated metrics to reflect these changes, affecting ad rates and revenue.
Retail and Event Ads: Extended evening daylight could boost ads for outdoor events, retail, or dining, as businesses capitalize on longer evenings. Radio stations might see increased demand for evening ad slots.
Broadcast Scheduling: Stations synchronized with network programming or satellite feeds might face challenges if national schedules don't align with local time perceptions under permanent DST. This could require renegotiating syndication agreements.
Energy Costs: Later sunsets might reduce lighting costs for studios but could increase energy use for evening broadcasts if staff work later hours.
Regional Variations: The impact would vary by geography. Northern regions with extreme daylight shifts (e.g., Alaska or the Upper Midwest) might see more pronounced effects on listener behavior than southern regions with milder changes (e.g., Florida or Texas).
The U.S. tried year-round DST during World War I (1918) and from 1974–1975 (Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act), but both were repealed due to public backlash, particularly over dark winter mornings.