Millions of Americans will set their clocks back one hour early Sunday, gaining an extra hour of sleep as daylight saving time concludes for 2026. The shift takes place at 2 a.m. local time on Nov. 1, even as an effort backed by President Donald Trump to halt the ritual remains blocked on Capitol Hill.
Except for Hawaii, most of Arizona and several U.S. territories, residents nationwide will return to standard time. The Navajo Nation in Arizona still adjusts its clocks to align with tribal communities in Utah and New Mexico, CBS News reported. The seasonal adjustment moves an hour of daylight from the evening into the early morning hours during the late autumn and winter.
A stalled effort in Congress
The seasonal shift arrives despite legislative momentum earlier this year to end the practice permanently. In July, the House of Representatives approved the Sunshine Protection Act by a 308-117 vote, Scripps News reported. The measure would establish year-round daylight saving time across the nation, while allowing individual states to opt out entirely before implementation.
President Trump has vigorously championed the proposal. Tensions escalated when Trump criticized fellow Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas for obstructing the measure in the Senate, CBS News reported. Trump even published what he said was Cotton’s personal cellphone number on social media, urging supporters to call the senator directly.
Cotton defended his resistance by pointing to historical precedents. Congress previously imposed permanent daylight saving time during World War II and the 1970s energy crisis to reduce fuel consumption, but lawmakers quickly reversed course both times. Cotton noted that past lawmakers abandoned the system “once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” CBS News reported. Under the legislation, cities such as Indianapolis would see sunrises after 9 a.m. around Christmas, Scripps News noted.
Disputes over standard versus daylight time
Public opinion shows broad fatigue with changing clocks twice annually, though Americans disagree on the remedy. An AP-NORC poll conducted in 2025 found that only 12 percent of respondents favor keeping the existing framework of switching clocks in March and November, according to Scripps News. Forty-seven percent opposed the switches, and 40 percent remained neutral.
When asked about alternatives, 56 percent preferred continuous daylight saving time, while 44 percent wanted permanent standard time, Scripps News reported. The divide narrowed among people who identify as morning people, with 50 percent favoring standard time and 49 percent backing daylight saving time.
Medical specialists have also voiced strong objections to permanent daylight saving. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has endorsed a rival measure, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, Scripps News reported. That proposal would eliminate clock changes by establishing permanent standard time instead, shifting daylight earlier during the warmer months.
Time running out on Capitol Hill
Unless the Senate moves swiftly, the drive to eliminate the clock changes will hit a legislative wall. Lawmakers face an impending deadline because all pending bills expire in early January, when the new Congress chosen in Tuesday’s midterm elections convenes.
If the Senate fails to act on the Sunshine Protection Act before then, supporters would have to reintroduce the measure and secure fresh approvals in both chambers before sending it to the president’s desk. For now, daylight saving time is scheduled to return on March 14, 2027.
