Most Americans will move their clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 1, 2026, when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. and the nation reverts to standard time. It occurs amid debates in Congress about eliminating the twice-yearly adjustment of the clock hands.
A bill to make daylight saving time permanent has cleared the House of Representatives but won't make it to the president's desk in time.
Under present federal law, daylight saving time commences on the second Sunday in March and concludes on the first Sunday in November. With the latter year, November 1 falls on the earliest possible date.
Clocks are pushed back to 1 a.m. at 2 a.m. time locally. The majority of phones and computers automatically adjust; however, one has to manually alter the times on wall clocks, ovens, and cars. Clocks advanced on March 8, and they will again do so on March 14, 2027.
According to the proposed Sunshine Protection Act, daylight saving time is made permanent in the United States except for Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.
Presently, the following issues relate to the bill:
- House: The bill was approved on July 14, 2026, by a bipartisanship of 308 to 117.
- Senate: Has not considered the bill. The chamber has been adjourned in preparation for the midterm elections and will resume its session only in the week of November 9.
- White House: The president, Donald Trump, has expressed public support for the bill.
- Timing: Since the Senate is out of session, the bill will not be able to become law until after November 1, as reported by The Hill and USA Herald.
This Congress is scheduled to end in the middle or late December at the most, leaving little time to pass the bill. If nothing is done in this timeframe, advocates will need to begin from scratch in the new Congress.
But everyone doesn't fall back. Hawaii and much of Arizona do not change the clocks, as well as several territories of the U.S. According to the Uniform Time Act of 1966, states can opt-out of daylight saving time; however, they cannot implement the permanent daylight saving time by themselves without the consent of Congress.
Around twenty states, such as Texas, Alabama, and Florida, have adopted a bill allowing the implementation of permanent daylight saving time should the Congress give permission for that. In other countries, British Columbia stated in March that they won't change clocks anymore.
With the end of DST, mornings become lighter, and evenings become darker. In many areas of the country the sun will set long before 5:30 pm in a matter of several weeks.
The proponents of the permanent standard time claim that it is more aligned with natural daylight, while the advocates of the daylight saving time state that they like longer evenings.
With the permanent adoption of standard time, the sunrise in summertime will be before 5 am in some places.
While many individuals find it easier to adapt due to their gaining an extra hour rather than losing an hour, it can be difficult for individuals to adapt to new sleeping patterns. According to experts in health care, including ABC News' medical correspondent, Darien Sutton,
there are several ways to adjust as follows:
- Gradually change your bedtime in the days leading up to the adjustment.
- Try not to nap too long or too late past 3 PM.
- Take in morning sunshine to assist your body clock.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine, especially after the evenings.
Daylight saving time was established through the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 then extended the time period, making it begin in March and end in November. Its origins lie in efforts during World War I to conserve energy. In polls over the years, Americans have consistently indicated their preference not to change the time back and forth but have yet to reach a consensus on which time period should prevail.
The following question is how Congress will act after the midterm elections held on November 3.
In case the bill is taken by the Senate after its return, the change can become permanent before the year ends. Otherwise, this issue will become relevant once again in 2027.
In any case, federal legislation has not changed until that time, and the next spring forward shift is planned to happen on March 14, 2027.
