Daylight saving time could take effect for the last time on Sunday.
Amid the federal government debating whether to keep daylight saving time or toss it for good, the clocks are leaping forward an hour yet again.
Here’s why that matters, and why it could be the last time U.S. citizens worry about changing their clocks.
What is daylight saving time
Daylight saving time was enacted in 1918 under President Woodrow Wilson with the idea of saving energy and taking advantage of daylight hours. In effect, clocks are pushed one hour forward in the spring and one hour back in the fall.
The thinking behind the change is that the added hour will help people take advantage of more daylight hours in the summer, getting citizens outside more and letting more of everyday business see daylight.
Putting clocks forward gives more evening daylight, while putting the clocks back in the fall utilizes more morning daylight. The change does not actually give more daylight hours, as the Earth’s seasons control that.
When to change clocks
On Sunday, the clocks move forward at 2 a.m. local time, meaning everyone in the United States will lose an hour of sleep if they start their schedule at the same time. Daylight saving time will last until Nov. 2, when clocks will be pushed back an hour.
The only states that won’t follow the change are Hawaii and Arizona because they do not observe daylight saving time.
Why do people want to end it
Daylight saving time has faced controversy in the U.S. for over 100 years. The act that issued daylight saving time was repealed before the time change was re-utilized during World War II. The World War II-era law also got repealed before the 1966 version of daylight saving time was enacted to stay.
The short answer is that people do not like changing their clocks. The lost hour of sleep has been shown to lead to an increase in medical problems such as heart attacks, and the practice has also been theorized to lead to more car crashes.
Some of the debate is over whether to keep daylight saving time permanent, or make standard time permanent and eliminate daylight saving time altogether. A permanent daylight saving time would mean mornings would be darker year-round, while the opposite is true with standard time.
Where does the fight to abolish stand now
When asked by a reporter this week about getting rid of daylight saving time, President Donald Trump suggested he’s not motivated to come to a resolution on what he views as a “50/50” issue.
“If something’s a 50/50 issue, it’s hard to get excited about it,” he said. “It’s a little bit one way but it’s very much a 50/50 issue.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Trump said he would eliminate daylight saving time in December, when he was the president-elect.
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” he posted on Truth Social.
There are currently two bills in the House to observe daylight saving time year-round, but neither has made it past committee. The one with the most backing is the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, which has 20 Republican co-sponsors and was introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL). The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.