Clocks Fall Back Nov. 1 as Sunshine Protection Act Awaits Senate Vote

For most Americans, Sunday morning arrives with a free hour — clocks fall back from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. on November 1, 2026, marking the end of daylight saving time and the return of standard time. Mornings will be brighter, but evenings will darken noticeably sooner, a trade-off that tens of millions of people navigate twice a year and that a growing majority say they want to stop making altogether.

The Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent and eliminate the biannual clock change, passed the House on July 14, 2026, by a vote of 308 to 117, according to timezonesmap.net. It was sent to the Senate Commerce Committee the following day. Unless the Senate passes it and the president signs it, the clocks will keep changing — and the bill cannot take effect before this November 1 deadline, the outlet notes.

The political pressure behind the bill is real. An October 2024 YouGov poll of more than 1,100 U.S. adults found that 63% want the clock changes eliminated, while only 17% want to keep them, according to CNET. President Donald Trump added his voice in a 2024 Truth Social post, calling DST 'inconvenient and very costly to our Nation.'

The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient and very costly to our Nation.— Donald Trump, President

But agreement on ending the changes has not translated into agreement on what to replace them with. Organizations including the National Sleep Foundation, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms are calling for permanent standard time — not permanent DST — arguing it better aligns with human biology.

There's a mismatch between the outside world and our internal clocks during daylight saving time that can result in some negative health consequences.— Joseph Dzierzewski, Senior Vice President of Research and Scientific Affairs, National Sleep Foundation

Dzierzewski points to mental health concerns, upticks in cardiovascular events, and drowsy driving as consequences of the time shift. He also flags safety issues for young children walking to school or waiting at bus stops in the dark — the same concern that helped end the country's last experiment with year-round DST. In January 1974, President Richard Nixon put the U.S. on permanent daylight saving time to address the energy crisis; Congress and President Gerald Ford reversed the decision in October of that year, according to CNET.

Part of the issue is that people associate daylight saving time with summer. People love summer, right? But the simple fact of the matter is, it would still be summer if we were on permanent standard time.— Joseph Dzierzewski, Senior Vice President of Research and Scientific Affairs, National Sleep Foundation

The fall-back transition is generally considered easier on the body than the spring-forward, with fewer reported short-term spikes in health events, according to PBS NewsHour. Still, any clock change can disrupt circadian rhythms, and experts recommend the same toolkit for easing the adjustment: morning sunlight exposure, physical activity during the day, meals at regular times, and a consistent wind-down routine at night.

You're in a better situation to cope with the effects of the clock change if you have good sleep health generally.— Joseph Dzierzewski, Senior Vice President of Research and Scientific Affairs, National Sleep Foundation

Not everyone has to adjust. Hawaii, most of Arizona (the Navajo Nation within Arizona does observe DST), Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands remain on standard time year-round, according to CNET and timezonesmap.net.

The current system traces its roots to the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which standardized DST across U.S. time zones after decades of inconsistent local practices. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 later extended DST to its current span — the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November — meaning the U.S. now spends roughly eight months of the year on daylight saving time, or about 65% of the year, according to NIST figures cited by timezonesmap.net. Daylight saving time will return at 2 a.m. on March 8, 2026, when clocks spring forward again.

Why it matters — Whether or not Congress acts, the November 1 clock change will affect sleep, safety, and daily schedules for most of the country — and the Senate's next move on the Sunshine Protection Act will determine whether Americans face this ritual again.

Sources differ on Whether permanent DST or permanent standard time is the better replacement for the current system: Permanent standard time is better for human biology and circadian health (cnet.com (National Sleep Foundation, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms)) vs Permanent daylight saving time should be adopted, eliminating the fall-back (cnet.com (Sunshine Protection Act, supported by many legislators))

Reported by almanac.com, timezonesmap.net, cnet.com, pbs.org