President Trump singled out Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas overnight for blocking a bill to end the twice-a-year clock change — a measure the House already passed with 308 votes and that tens of millions of Americans support.
The Sunshine Protection Act, which Trump dubbed the "No More Changing of Clocks Act," passed the House 308-117 on July 14 with bipartisan support. It sits in the Senate without a scheduled vote. One man is the bottleneck.
"Unfortunately, it's being held up by Senator Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, for reasons unknown," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The Washington Examiner confirmed Trump directly blamed Cotton for holding up the measure.
Cotton's reason isn't actually unknown — he just doesn't think voters should get what they want. According to NewsNation, as reported by the Gateway Pundit, Cotton argued during Senate floor debate that permanent Daylight Saving Time would result in "absurdly late" winter sunrises. The Washington Examiner notes Cotton has opposed ending daylight saving for years, claiming children would head to school before sunrise and commuters face safety risks.
Trump was having none of it. He laid out the case plain: ending the biannual clock change would decrease robbery and murder rates, reduce car accidents especially involving pedestrians, lower risk of cardiac issues and stroke, make it safer for children walking home from school, boost retail, restaurants, tourism, and sports, and cut energy bills. He even flagged PGA Commissioner Brian Rolapp, saying winter golf tournaments run out of sunlight under the current system.
"People are sick and tired of having to change their Clocks twice a year," Trump wrote. "It is foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly. For Cities and States with Watchtowers, and hard to reach places, it costs Millions of Dollars."
The Washington Examiner noted that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine actually opposes permanent daylight saving time — but supports permanent standard time instead, citing the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. That's a debate worth having: which fixed time do we land on. What's not acceptable is letting one senator freeze the entire process while Americans keep losing sleep over a ritual nobody asked for.
Nineteen states have already approved permanent daylight saving time, according to the Washington Examiner. Since 2015, nearly every state has considered legislation on the issue — over 800 bills and resolutions. The public has spoken. Washington isn't listening.
The clock is literally ticking. Without Senate action before Nov. 1, Americans go through another pointless transition. The House did its job with a veto-proof bipartisan majority. The question is whether Tom Cotton's preference for the status quo outweighs the will of the country.
The Uniparty always has an excuse. The question is whether Senate Republicans will let one of their own bury a bill the people already passed.
