President Donald Trump is asking Americans to call Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas to push for permanent daylight saving time. Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is one of the lawmakers blocking the bill.
Trump posted on social media that Cotton is “stopping the Bill” and that “it only takes one” in the Senate to block it. He included a phone number with an Arkansas area code in his posts. The Associated Press called the number but got no answer; the voicemail box was full.
Cotton’s Position Against the Bill
Some Senate Republicans, including Cotton, oppose the bill. Cotton, a member of Republican leadership, reiterated his opposition in a separate social media post.
Cotton argued that Congress has passed permanent daylight saving time multiple times before and repealed it each time because Americans experienced “absurdly late sunrises in the winter.” He also said, “Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first.”
Trump’s Call to Action
Trump fired back. He told Cotton to give Arkansans an extra hour of daylight and spare them the hassle of changing clocks twice a year.
“That is really putting Arkansas FIRST,” Trump added.
The exchange shows the political friction between the two men. Cotton is using his position to protect his constituents from what he sees as a bad policy. Trump is using Cotton’s position to make a point about leadership.
The Numbers Behind the Debate
A 2025 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that if forced to choose, most Americans would prefer keeping the extra hour of daylight in the evening. Only 12% of U.S. adults favor the current system requiring people to change clocks twice a year, while 47% are opposed and 40% are neutral.
The numbers suggest popular support for the idea. But the Senate has stalled on the bill for years.
The History of Daylight Saving
Daylight saving time was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The bill now before Congress would extend the practice permanently.
Cotton’s argument rests on history. He points to previous attempts that failed because Americans could not stand the late sunrises in the winter months.
The Stalled Bill
The Senate passed a bill four years ago to make daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled in the House. The current bill faces the same path.
The difference is the direction of travel. The previous bill moved from the Senate to the House. The current bill moved from the House to the Senate.
Cotton’s opposition is a major obstacle.
The Opt-Out Clause
Under the bill, states can opt out of the change if their legislatures act before its enactment.
Cotton’s argument against the bill includes a concern about school hours. He said Arkansans do not want their children going to school in the dark.
Trump’s counterargument is simple: give Arkansans an extra hour of daylight. The two men are talking past each other, each appealing to the same voters in different ways.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs no one in this fight between the president and the senator over daylight saving time, since both men seek to concentrate power in their own hands rather than leaving the matter to the states or to citizens themselves. Trump wants the federal government to decide for all Americans; Cotton wants to use his Senate seat to block a decision he opposes. Neither approach respects the principle that power should stay close to the people it affects.
The senator’s own argument makes this clear. Cotton cites the history of bills that failed because Americans could not stand the late sunrises in the winter months. That is a legitimate concern, and it should be weighed against the desire for permanent daylight saving time. But the senator is not letting the people of Arkansas weigh it for themselves; he is deciding for them.
The paper would prefer a system where states could choose for themselves, under the opt-out clause that already exists. That way, the people who live with the consequences get to decide them. The federal government should not force a national standard on every state, and the Senate should not block a bill just because one senator objects. Cotton’s constituents should have the final say, not Cotton alone.
Key Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Poll support for permanent DST | Most Americans would keep the extra hour of evening daylight |
| Poll opposition to current system | Only 12% of U.S. adults favor changing clocks twice a year |
| Poll neutral on current system | 47% oppose, 40% neutral |
| First adoption | Wartime measure in 1942 |
| Previous Senate bill | Passed four years ago, stalled in the House |
| Current status | Passed House, stalled in Senate |
| Opt-out provision | States can opt out if legislatures act before enactment |
The bill is not dead. It is waiting on the Senate. Cotton is the man standing in its way. The question is whether the calls from Arkansas will change his mind.
See the video the story is built around at PBS.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.