US Senate fails to end daylight saving time

The US Senate has tried again to make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-yearly clock changes, but failed to reach a consensus, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.

Senator Rick Scott (R-N.C.) and other colleagues had been pushing for the bill, which was initially approved unanimously in March 2022, but Tom Cotton (R-N.C.) said he would oppose any efforts to speed up its passage.

Supporters of keeping daylight saving time argue that it would lead to brighter evenings and greater economic activity during the winter months.

“Americans like the extra hour of sunlight“, Scott said.

Congress has been debating the issue for years. Earlier this year, it held a legislative hearing that won President Donald Trump’s support for the change. But Reuters noted that the issue still appears far from a deal.

The United States returns to standard time this Sunday.

Cotton said supporters of the bill are pushing for absurdly late winter sunrises, which would force children to go to school in the dark across much of the country.

The bill would allow states to choose what time they want to stay on, but there are concerns that it would lead to disparate time zones across the country.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz summed up the sharp divide, citing “many real and complex issues and arguments on both sides.” “There is widespread agreement on the need to set the clock once and for all, but where do we set it?“, he concluded.