House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee are moving forward with a bill that would lock the nation into daylight saving time year-round, eliminating the twice-a-year clock change. Committee spokesperson Matthew VanHyfte told The Hill that the panel will hold a full markup Wednesday evening, listing the Sunshine Protection Act among the measures under consideration.
The legislation, which has stalled repeatedly in Congress, would make the “spring forward” shift permanent. The Washington Post first reported that House Republicans plan to attach the measure to a larger transportation funding package—a strategy that could give it momentum.
President Donald Trump has been a vocal advocate for ending the time change, arguing it inconveniences Americans and costs the government money. In a Truth Social post last year, he urged lawmakers to “push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day,” calling it “very popular” and noting the “big inconvenience” of changing clocks.
Despite broad public support for ending the switch, the effort has faced roadblocks. The Senate attempted to fast-track the Sunshine Protection Act in 2024, but Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) blocked it. Cotton argued that the nation must accept “an uneasy compromise between competing priorities and interests,” especially given the geographic and demographic diversity of the United States.
Separately, Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) introduced the Daylight Act of 2026 earlier this year, proposing a half-hour shift instead of a full hour. That bill has been referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee but has seen no further action.
VanHyfte told The Washington Post that “addressing Daylight Saving Time has been a priority for a number of members for a while now.” He noted that the committee held a hearing last November where testimony highlighted economic benefits from extra evening sunlight, as well as highway safety concerns tied to the time change.
The committee previously helped extend daylight saving time in 2007, and members are now exploring further reforms. Meanwhile, similar bills have stalled in more than a dozen states this year, as local efforts to opt out of the biannual change also face hurdles.
If the markup succeeds, the measure could move to a full House vote. However, the legislative path remains uncertain, with past attempts fizzling amid competing priorities and procedural delays.
