Trump attaches Sunshine Protection Act to highway bill

President Donald Trump on May 21 endorsed a House committee vote advancing legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 48-1 the same day to report H.R. 7389, the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026, after folding in language from the Sunshine Protection Act, according to the committee and published reports. Trump described the vote in a social media post as a “Big Vote” and said he would work “very hard” to see the measure signed into law. The action revived a proposal that passed the Senate in 2022 but stalled in the House. ### What exactly moved in the House this week? The House Energy and Commerce Committee said on May 21 that it reported H.R. 7389, the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026, to the full House by a 48-1 vote. The committee’s public vote summary listed the transportation bill among 16 measures advanced in the markup. TIME reported that the committee folded the Sunshine Protection Act into that broader transportation package before voting it out. The Hill, citing committee spokesperson Matthew VanHyfte, reported earlier this week that Republicans planned to mark up legislation that “includes the language from the Sunshine Protection Act” and add it to a larger transportation funding package. (energycommerce.house.gov) ### What would the Sunshine Protection Act do? H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, was introduced by Representative Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican, on January 3, 2025. Congress.gov says the bill would make daylight saving time permanent by repealing the temporary period for daylight saving time in the Uniform Time Act of 1966 and making related conforming changes to federal time law. (time.com) Congress.gov’s bill text shows the measure is framed as ending the twice-yearly clock change rather than creating a new seasonal system. TIME reported that the House language was attached to the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act for floor consideration. ### What did Trump say? Trump wrote on May 21 that there had been a “Big Vote today (48-1!) in the Energy and Commerce Committee on a Bill including The Sunshine Protection Act, which will be making Daylight Saving Time Permanent!” according to TIME’s account of the post. (congress.gov) He also said “Hundreds of Millions of Dollars” are spent each year changing clocks and said he would work “very hard” to get the measure enacted. TIME also reported Trump called permanent daylight saving time “the far more popular alternative” because it gives Americans “a longer, brighter Day.” The social media post cited in the original chatter matched the broader account that Trump and supporters were using the committee vote to press for passage. ### Who is carrying the bill in Congress? (time.com) Representative Vern Buchanan is the House sponsor of H.R. 139, according to Congress.gov. TIME reported that Buchanan said ending the clock change is a “commonsense reform” and that the House version had been marked up for floor consideration as part of the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act. Senator Rick Scott, also a Florida Republican, introduced the current Senate version of the Sunshine Protection Act, TIME reported. (time.com) The proposal has circulated in multiple Congresses, including the version the Senate passed in 2022 before the House failed to take it up. ### Does this mean the clock change is over now? (congress.gov) The May 21 committee vote did not make the change law. TIME reported that the transportation package now goes to the House floor, and any permanent daylight saving time measure would still need Senate passage before reaching Trump’s desk. The Senate’s earlier action in 2022 shows the issue has drawn bipartisan interest before, but House approval and a new Senate vote would still be required in the 119th Congress. (time.com) Congress.gov shows the standalone House bill, H.R. 139, remains at the introduced stage even as its language moves through the larger package. (congress.gov)