Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is breaking ranks with President Trump over the push to make daylight saving time permanent, citing historical lessons and a preference for year-round standard time.
In an October 2025 floor speech, Cotton opposed a fast-track effort to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, which would lock the clocks in daylight saving time. While he acknowledged the annoyance of changing clocks twice a year, he argued that the solution is not permanent daylight saving time but rather permanent standard time.
“There’s not much to be done about it unless we’re willing to adopt permanent standard time,” Cotton said, according to remarks reported by Nexstar.
The senator’s stance puts him at odds with Trump, who has voiced support for ending the biannual time change and has even shared his personal cellphone number to rally public backing for the cause. But Cotton is invoking the adage that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, suggesting that past experiments with year-round daylight saving time have failed.
The United States tried permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s, but it was repealed amid public discontent, particularly over dark winter mornings. Cotton’s historical reference appears aimed at reminding colleagues of that debacle.
His position aligns with some health and sleep experts who argue that standard time better matches natural circadian rhythms, while advocates of permanent daylight saving time emphasize longer evening daylight for economic and recreational benefits.
The Sunshine Protection Act has bipartisan support in Congress, and Trump’s endorsement has given it new momentum. However, Cotton’s opposition underscores the lingering divisions within the Republican Party on the issue.
As the debate heats up, Cotton is positioning himself as a defender of a more traditional timekeeping approach, even if it means bucking a popular president. Whether his historical caution will sway fellow lawmakers remains to be seen.
For now, the clock is ticking on whether the U.S. will finally stop changing its clocks—and if so, which time standard will prevail.
