The House of Representatives voted 308-117 to make daylight saving time permanent, an effort aimed at ending the biannual clock change that supporters say disrupts Americans’ daily routines while reducing daylight.
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 would make daylight saving time the year-round national standard, eliminating the need for "spring forward" in the spring and "fall back" each autumn. It would also allow states that already observe permanent standard time, such as Arizona and Hawaii, to continue doing so.
Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX) said this bill would promote unity by standardizing standardizing daylight saving time nationwide, while also extending daylight hours in the colder months.
“We do not have to change it to fall back, to fall back to darkness,” Rep. Sessions said of the legislation.
The bill is more than just about changing the time, Rep. Sessions said, but giving Americans more opportunities in their day.
“Spring forward and fall back is an opportunity for the American people to have more time in the light of day,” Rep. Sessions said. “To not only live their life, but to accomplish those things rather than being in the dark.”
Rep. Sessions said the earlier nighttime arrival in the fall and winter is not just an issue Congress has debated, but a real challenge all Americans face.
“It impacts people as they try and find time to play with their children at night,” he said. “Just a little bit extra time helps people who have retinal or eye issues to be able to see more clearly for longer from the time they get up until the time they work their way home, perhaps after work.”
The Sunshine Protection Act, though passed with majority support in the House, did not receive universal support within either party.
Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) voted against the measure, criticizing it on Monday when Congress presented its agenda for the week.
“Republicans are majoring in the minors—fiddling with the clocks while the country burns,” Rep. Self wrote on X.
Both chambers still have a full legislative to-do list, with Republicans’ top priority being the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which Rep. Self has been an avid supporter of.
“Making Daylight Saving Time permanent won’t matter at all if we don’t have election integrity,” he added.
