President Donald Trump has made his dislike for daylight savings clear in the past, but now it looks like he might be preparing to do away with it altogether.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida and his 16 colleagues introduced a bipartisan bill in January, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, that would get rid of the need to “fall back” and then “spring forward.”
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The Sunshine Protection Act, which would have made daylight savings permanent, passed the U.S. Senate on March 15, 2022, but did not pass the House, preventing nationwide changes. As of 2025, daylight savings in the U.S. has begun on March 9, when clocks have set forward by an hour. Despite support from Trump and others, permanent DST has yet to be enacted.
What is Daylight Savings Time?
Daylight Savings Time (DST), or simply daylight savings, is the practice of moving the clock forward by one hour during the warmer months (usually spring and summer) to extend evening daylight. The goal is to make better use of natural daylight and reduce energy consumption by shifting an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Typically, clocks are set forward in spring (“spring forward”) and set back in fall (“fall back”) to standard time. While DST is observed in many countries, its effectiveness in energy savings has been debated, and some regions have chosen to stop observing it altogether.
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Why is DST used in the US?
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is used in the U.S. to make better use of daylight during the longer days of spring and summer. The main idea is to shift one hour of daylight from the morning to the evening by moving clocks forward in the spring and back in the fall. This helps extend evening daylight, which is thought to encourage outdoor activities and reduce energy consumption, as people may use less artificial lighting. The practice also claims to benefit businesses and the economy by allowing more daylight hours for trade and recreation.
Which states do not follow daylight savings in the US?
The U.S. states that do not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) are:
- Hawaii
- Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation, which does observe DST)
Additionally, U.S. territories do not follow DST, including:
- Puerto Rico
- Guam
- American Samoa
- Northern Mariana Islands
- U.S. Virgin Islands
Everywhere else in the U.S. follows the usual DST schedule, springing forward in March and falling back in November.