Every year, millions of Americans reset their clocks twice — and every year, millions of Americans wonder why. With November here, that ritual is about to happen again, and a growing national debate over whether to end it permanently is heating up in Washington.
At 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, clocks across most of the United States will “fall back” one hour, marking the end of daylight saving time and the return to standard time. For most people, that means one extra hour of sleep — and noticeably earlier sunsets in the weeks ahead. Smartphones and digital clocks will update on their own; analog and older clocks will need to be changed by hand.
Nearly every state makes the switch. The only exceptions are Hawaii and most of Arizona — the Navajo Nation within Arizona does observe the time change — both of which remain on standard time year-round. When daylight saving time returns, it will do so on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when clocks “spring forward” one hour.
How Did Daylight Saving Time Start?
The concept of shifting clocks seasonally dates back to 1895, when New Zealand entomologist George Hudson proposed it as a way to give people more usable daylight hours during summer evenings. European nations picked up the idea during World War I, using it as a fuel-conservation strategy, and the U.S. followed in 1918.
After the war ended, the federal government dropped daylight saving time in 1919 — but several states kept it voluntarily. The modern, nationwide system was eventually formalized when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act of 1966 into law. With minor adjustments to start and end dates over the years, that law still governs how Americans keep time today.
Most Americans Want the Clock-Changing to Stop
Public frustration with the twice-yearly time switch has mounted steadily, and recent polling confirms that dissatisfaction is widespread. A 2025 AP-NORC survey found that just 12% of Americans support the current system. Another 40% said they were indifferent, while 47% said they opposed it outright.
Among those who want a change, the preference is clear: 56% said they would rather have permanent daylight saving time, which keeps evenings brighter at the cost of darker mornings. Meanwhile, 42% said they preferred permanent standard time, which delivers earlier sunrises but earlier sunsets. Many states have expressed a desire to lock in daylight saving time permanently — but federal law currently blocks them from doing so.
A Bill in Congress — and a Political Standoff
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, which would make daylight saving time permanent across the country, passed the House of Representatives in July of last year. Since then, it has stalled in the Senate, where a bloc of Republican lawmakers has resisted moving it forward.
The Senate’s hesitation is not without historical precedent. In January 1974, President Richard Nixon signed a law making daylight saving time permanent in an effort to conserve energy during an oil crisis. The change was initially popular, but public enthusiasm faded quickly once winter arrived and some parts of the country were not seeing sunrise until 9:00 a.m. Congress repealed the law later that same year.
The current debate has spilled into an unusually public clash between President Donald Trump, who supports the bill, and Senate Republicans who oppose it — most notably Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Earlier this month, Trump posted Cotton’s personal cell phone number online, urging supporters to call the senator and tell him to “GET IT DONE.”
With the Senate currently in recess and midterm elections just days away, the bill faces long odds of passing in the near term. Any legislation that does not clear both chambers before the new Congress is seated must be reintroduced from scratch.
Comments are closed.