President Donald Trump pressured Republican senators to make daylight saving time permanent Tuesday evening, amid stalled progress in the chamber on one of the president’s pet issues.
“This is an issue that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can unite behind,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post. “I am asking Republican Senators to release their holds, and allow the hotline to clear on the Republican side.”
The bill, which would end the bi-annual changing of the clocks observed in most states, passed the House in July despite protests from members of both parties. The president has dedicated significant personal attention lobbying for the bill, and has claimed that the vast majority of Americans support such a change.
But the effort has faced an uphill battle in the Senate, with multiple GOP senators expressing doubts about the change. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has opposed previous efforts to tack on the added hour of sunlight in the evening year-round, and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) — another member of Senate GOP leadership — has also long opposed the change.
The issue has found supporters in Florida lawmakers, whose state chief moneymaking industries — tourism, recreation, restaurants and golfing — stand to benefit from the change. But lawmakers from agriculture-heavy states have been wary of pushing back sunrise an hour later for farmers, while others have said they fear the potential risks more darkness in the morning would pose for mental health, public safety and sleep habits.
Trump, however, touted the benefits such a change would bring Tuesday: He said it would “Decrease Robbery and Murder Rates, Reduce Car Accidents (especially those involving Pedestrians!), Lower Risk for Cardiac Issues, Stroke, and Seasonal Depression, Make It Safer for Children to Walk Home from School, Increase Time with your Family,” among others.
