Americans are still expected to turn their clocks back on Nov. 1, with daylight saving time scheduled to end at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, unless Congress acts first. When the switch comes, clocks move back one hour to 1 a.m.
That is why the question “When does daylight saving time start” is drawing fresh attention now, even though the answer for the fall change is already on the calendar. The Senate is in recess until Sept. 14, and that leaves a narrow window for lawmakers to do something before the Nov. 1 change arrives.
The House passed legislation in July that would keep clocks forward year-round, but the measure has not moved through the Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has questioned whether enough senators support it, which leaves the country on track for the usual fall rollback unless that math changes. If the Senate approves the bill, it would go to Donald Trump for his signature.
Trump has already made clear where he stands. On Aug. 4, he called the twice-yearly clock change foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly. He also said people are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year and urged lawmakers to leave the clocks as they are now and never change again, adding, “LET'S PASS THE SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT, ASAP.”
The push for permanent daylight saving time is part of a long-running fight over whether the United States should stop changing clocks twice a year. Sleep and health researchers have said the practice disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm, a point that gives the debate more weight than the routine annoyance of losing an hour in spring or gaining one in fall.
For now, the practical answer is simple: unless Congress acts, the next nationwide change remains Nov. 1, when clocks are expected to fall back from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. local time. The unresolved question is whether the Senate will act before then, or whether Americans will go through another full year of the same switch.
