U.S. Clocks Fall Back as Daylight Saving Time Ends
The yearly clock adjustment concluded in most of the United States at 2 a.m. local time on November 1, when clocks shifted back to 1 a.m. The change gave people an extra hour on the clock and moved daylight toward the morning, bringing earlier sunsets and darker evenings. In some places, sunset will occur before 5 p.m. local time.
Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time. The Navajo Nation, which extends into Arizona, does observe the change. U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands also remain on standard time year-round.
The annual clock changes began in the United States in 1918, amid the First World War, as a way to save fuel. Under the current schedule, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. It does not create more daylight; it shifts when daylight occurs.
The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July. It would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, ending the seasonal clock changes, and has support from President Donald Trump. The measure remains stalled in the Senate. Trump criticized lawmakers for not advancing it, while sleep experts have favored permanent standard time, saying morning light better aligns with natural sleep and wake rhythms.
The Senate has until early January to act before pending legislation expires. If the bill lapses, it would need to be introduced and approved again by both chambers. Daylight saving time is scheduled to resume on March 14, 2027.
Permanent Daylight Saving Time Risks Darker Winter Mornings
The yearly clock adjustment arrived again on November 1, as most Americans turned clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. local time. The shift brings earlier sunsets and darker evenings, but the fight in Congress over eliminating the changes could replace that routine with a more consequential trade-off: less morning light in winter.
The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July. The proposal would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, shifting an hour of daylight from winter mornings to evenings. President Donald Trump supports the bill and has pressed lawmakers to act, but it remains stalled in the Senate.
Sleep experts have urged a different approach: permanent standard time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says morning light better supports natural circadian rhythms and the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. That concern puts the Senate’s inaction in a different light: avoiding seasonal clock changes is not the only consideration when choosing a permanent schedule.
Hawaii and most of Arizona did not change clocks; the Navajo Nation observes the switch. Elsewhere, the shift means daylight now comes earlier in the morning and darkness arrives earlier in the evening. The current system dates to 1918, when the United States adopted daylight saving time amid the First World War as a way to conserve fuel.
The Senate has until early January to act before pending legislation expires. If the bill lapses, supporters would have to start the legislative process again. Daylight saving time is scheduled to return on March 14, 2027.
Senate Stalls Clock Reform as Americans Fall Back Again
Americans have once again been made to change their clocks, with most of the country moving back an hour at 2 a.m. local time on November 1. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would end the twice-yearly switch by making daylight saving time permanent, cleared the House in July but remains stalled in the Senate.
President Donald Trump has criticized lawmakers for failing to move the measure forward. The proposal would keep more daylight in the evening during winter, a preference Trump has said is widely shared. For now, the familiar clock changes continue, bringing earlier sunsets after the return to standard time.
The debate is not simply about convenience. Sleep experts favor permanent standard time, arguing that morning light better aligns with natural sleep and wake rhythms. But the bill before Congress would instead preserve daylight saving time year-round. The Senate’s delay leaves that disagreement unresolved while Americans continue to adjust their clocks twice a year.
Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time, although the Navajo Nation does. The system began in the United States in 1918 as a wartime fuel-conservation measure. Under the current schedule, clocks move forward in March and back in November.
The legislation could expire in early January if the Senate does not act. If that happens, supporters would need to begin the approval process again in both chambers. The next scheduled change is March 14, 2027.
Reported by Newsweek, CBS News.
