Sunita Somvanshi
Donald Trump posted what appeared to be Senator Tom Cotton’s personal phone number on Truth Social on October 3, directing supporters to call the Arkansas senator and demand he back permanent daylight saving time. Calls to the number reportedly went straight to voicemail. The incident exposed a widening split inside the Republican Party over a bill that has already cleared the House but cannot get through the Senate.
The dispute centres on the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States and end the twice-yearly clock change. Trump has publicly backed the legislation. The White House issued an administration policy statement supporting H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, in July 2026. Despite that backing, Reuters reported the Senate push has hit a dead end. Cotton is among the Republican senators opposing the measure, largely over concerns about darker winter mornings — particularly for children travelling to school.
The Sunshine Protection Act has cleared the House while Senate resistance has mounted. The measure would still need Senate passage and presidential approval before it could become law.
For the millions of Americans who find the clock change disruptive, this public escalation makes federal legislation to end it less likely to move quickly, not more. The November clock change is expected to proceed on schedule.
The Battle Behind the Clock Change
Cotton’s opposition has been shaped in part by sustained lobbying from medical groups including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which supports permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time. The medical argument centres on winter morning darkness: keeping clocks on daylight saving time year-round produces darker winter mornings, which the medical lobby argues creates health and road safety risks for school-age children.
The result is that the Trump Tom Cotton daylight saving dispute has landed on a bill that is supported by the White House and already through one chamber, but blocked by a cluster of health and safety objections that political pressure has not resolved. Information on federal clock change legislation and the ongoing Senate debate is available for readers following the issue.
Will daylight saving time become permanent in the US?
No. Permanent daylight saving time is not taking effect in the near term. The Sunshine Protection Act has not passed the Senate, and Cotton and other senators remain opposed. Americans will change their clocks in November under the existing schedule. The measure would still need Senate passage and presidential approval before it could become law.
Cotton has not publicly reversed his position following the post. Check back as the Senate’s response to the escalation develops and as the November clock change approaches.
