Americans reset their clocks on November 1, 2026, as the U.S. returns to standard time despite an intense pressure campaign from President Donald Trump to make daylight saving time permanent. Although the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act 308-117 in July, the bill remains deadlocked in the Senate. Leaders like Senator Tom Cotton and sleep health experts oppose permanent daylight saving time, citing dark winter morning school commutes and circadian rhythm health risks.
Return to standard time on Halloween weekend
- ▪The U.S. return to standard time occurs at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, coinciding with Halloween weekend in an alignment that last occurred in 2020 and will not happen again until 2037.
- ▪Because the November 1, 2026 clock change takes effect at 2:00 a.m., evening trick-or-treating on October 31 is unaffected by the time switch while providing late-night celebrants an extra hour of sleep.
Donald Trump's push to end clock changes
- ▪President Donald Trump escalated pressure on opponents of permanent daylight saving time by publicly posting Senator Tom Cotton's cell phone number on social media and calling dozens of other senators.
- ▪During an October 26, 2026 campaign rally in Mississippi, President Donald Trump called the twice-a-year clock change ridiculous, arguing it costs the nation a fortune and increases stress.
- ▪President Donald Trump publicly criticized the Senate on Truth Social for letting the daylight saving bill die despite broad public desire to end biannual clock changes.
Senate inaction on daylight saving legislation
- ▪Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated there is no clear path forward for a Senate vote on making daylight saving time permanent, leaving the legislation stalled in the upper chamber.
- ▪The U.S. Senate entered an extended election recess through November 6, 2026, leaving insufficient time to take up time change legislation before the nationwide return to standard time.
- ▪Senator Tom Cotton emerged as a primary Senate opponent to permanent daylight saving time, arguing that Arkansans do not want children traveling to school in winter morning darkness.
House passage of the Sunshine Protection Act
- ▪The July 2026 vote marked the first time the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation to lock the clock on daylight saving time after similar proposals repeatedly failed since 2018.
- ▪The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act in a 308-117 vote to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide
Safety risks of winter morning darkness
- ▪A study warned that year-round daylight saving time would lead to millions more dark school commutes and create a greater risk of deadly traffic crashes.
- ▪Opponents of permanent daylight saving time warn that keeping clocks an hour ahead in winter would cause delayed sunrises past 9:00 a.m. in northern regions, forcing children to commute to school in total darkness.
Sunshine for Our Kids Act
- ▪Representative Mary Gay Scanlon stated that scientists and medical professionals have long highlighted the detrimental mental and physical health impacts of twice-a-year clock changes on youth.
- ▪Representative Mary Gay Scanlon and Representative Pat Harrigan introduced bipartisan legislation in July 2026, named the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, proposing permanent standard time instead of daylight saving time.
Health research favoring permanent standard time
- ▪Medical groups including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Medical Association advocate for permanent standard time over permanent daylight saving time because standard time aligns better with circadian rhythms.
- ▪Health research cited by Dr. Carla Finkielston indicates that spring clock transitions cause immediate sleep loss and heart attack spikes, while long-term circadian mismatch increases risk of diabetes, obesity, and depression.
Past attempts at permanent daylight saving time
- ▪Congress previously enacted permanent daylight saving time in 1974 during an energy crisis but repealed the law the same year following public outrage over winter morning darkness and child safety risks.
- ▪The U.S. Senate previously approved a measure to make daylight saving time permanent by unanimous consent in 2022, but the House of Representatives never took up the bill.
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