Will this be the last year to set clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time?

If President Trump has his way — and he seems to often — standard time might just be a thing of the past. The president on Friday renewed his call for permanently adopting daylight saving time, urging Congress to make the change and end the biannual clock adjustments, which nearly two-thirds of Americans said in a poll that they would eliminate.

Mr. Trump took to Truth Social on Friday to express his views, saying, “The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day. Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!”

Mr. Trump’s endorsement coincides with renewed Congressional debate on whether to eliminate the twice-a-year clock changes entirely. During a hearing on Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee explored the issue, but lawmakers remained divided on whether to adopt daylight saving time or standard time as the permanent option.

“There’s general consensus that the twice-annual changing of the clocks should end,” said Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas who serves as chairman of the Commerce Committee. “However, there’s disagreement on whether to switch to daylight saving time or standard time.”

“I personally struggle with the two choices here, because it’s a question of what do you care about more: sunshine and joy and fun and money; or health, mental health, physical health,” Mr. Cruz said. “And the honest answer for most people, gosh, I care about all that stuff.”

The committee  did not pick a preference but instead said it would focus on “various issues around whether the country should continue ‘springing forward’ and ‘falling back’ each year with time.”

Proponents of daylight saving time, such as the golf industry, argue that extra evening sunlight would encourage more outdoor recreation — and generate more income. Conversely, advocates of making standard time permanent emphasize its potential benefits for better sleep cycles and overall health.

More than a dozen states have passed legislation or resolutions to adopt daylight saving time as permanent, which would require action by Congress, while two states — Arizona and Hawaii — opt out of changing the clock. 

Lawmakers came close to adopting permanent daylight saving time last year. The Senate unanimously passed a bill introduced by Senator Rick Scott, Florida Republican, which aimed to establish permanent daylight saving time across the country. The legislation included a provision allowing states on permanent standard time to opt out of the change. However, the measure stalled in the House and ultimately failed to become law.

Republicans and Democrats alike emphasized the importance of allowing states some flexibility in deciding between daylight saving and standard time. Lawmakers are also assessing economic and health trade-offs, with some warning of the potential downsides of implementing a uniform policy nationwide.

While the issue may seem trivial, some take it very seriously. There’s even a Coalition for Permanent Standard Time, which claims doing so would have several benefits. 

“Delayed sunrise/sunset from DST increases the risk of depression, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and fatal car crashes,” the coalition says, while warning about bus stops being in the dark when the time is changed each year. The group also warns about “drowsy driving,” and claims that “permanent standard time aligns closely with the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), which improves one’s health.”

Meanwhile, Scott Yates, who says on X that he is the “International leader of the #LockTheClock movement,” claims DST is safer.

In an X posting, he said a graph shows that the daily death rate drops in the spring. “This is going to put a serious dent in the argument that permanent Standard Time is healthier. This is the biggest and most comprehensive study ever on overall mortality, and it is very clear that DST saves lives,” he wrote.