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Americans could be closer than they have been in years to ending the twice-yearly ritual of changing their clocks. But if the debate over permanent daylight saving time sounds familiar, that’s because the United States has already tried it—and the experiment proved deeply unpopular.
In response to the 1973 oil crisis, Congress passed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act and President Richard Nixon signed it into law in December 1973.
The measure placed most of the country on year-round daylight saving time beginning January 6, 1974, as part of an effort to reduce energy consumption during a period of fuel shortages. The policy was initially intended to last for nearly two years.
Why did America Try to Permanent Daylight Saving Time
Daylight saving time was first introduced nationwide in the United States during World War I. Congress enacted the Standard Time Act of 1918, which established the country’s modern time zones and required clocks to be moved forward during the warmer months to conserve fuel and energy.
The daylight saving provision proved unpopular in some areas and was repealed after the war, although many states and cities continued to observe their own versions of the practice. Congress later standardized daylight saving time rules with the Uniform Time Act of 1966, creating the system of seasonal clock changes that most Americans follow today.
The logic behind 1973’s Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act was straightforward. Supporters believed that extending evening daylight would reduce electricity use and help conserve fuel during the energy crisis that followed the Arab oil embargo.
The proposal was initially popular. According to a public acceptance study conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, 79 percent of Americans surveyed in December 1973 supported year-round daylight saving time.
The same arguments remain central to today’s debate. Supporters of the Sunshine Protection Act say permanent daylight saving time would eliminate the disruption caused by changing clocks twice each year while giving Americans more usable daylight during the evening.
The Problem That Quickly Emerged
But what looked good on paper became much less popular once winter arrived.
Under permanent daylight saving time, sunrise occurs roughly one hour later during the winter months than it would under standard time. In some parts of the country, that meant large numbers of Americans were starting their day in darkness.
In Washington, D.C., sunrise occurred after 8 a.m. on some winter mornings. Across the country, children waited at bus stops before dawn and commuters traveled to work in the dark.
Reports of schoolchildren carrying flashlights and parents accompanying children to bus stops before sunrise became a recurring feature of news coverage. Several traffic accidents involving children received widespread attention, further intensifying public concern.
It was then that support for the experiment deteriorated rapidly.
While many Americans enjoyed brighter evenings, darker winter mornings proved a much tougher sell. Parents, teachers and local officials increasingly complained about the impact on children traveling to school before sunrise. As the policy took effect and the realities of darker winter mornings became apparent, the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago reported that support dropped to 42 percent by February 1974.
Within months, lawmakers were facing growing pressure to reverse the policy, and eventually, the experiment ultimately lasted less than a year.
Congress Reversed Course
By October 1974, Congress voted to end permanent daylight saving time and return the country to standard time during winter months. President Gerald Ford later signed legislation restoring the traditional schedule.
The rapid reversal remains one of the clearest examples of how public views on daylight saving time can change once Americans experience the practical consequences of later winter sunrises.
Did It Actually Save Energy?
Beyond issues with darker winter days, evidence of major energy savings also never became entirely clear.
A 2008 U.S. Department of Energy report examining the four-week extension of daylight saving time found electricity consumption during the 1974 experiment fell by about 1.3 terawatt-hours, equivalent to roughly 0.03 percent of annual U.S. electricity use, or about 0.5 percent per day during the extended DST periods.
The study said the reduction came largely from lower evening lighting demand, partly offset by small increases in electricity use during darker mornings. It also found no statistically significant effect on national gasoline consumption.
That uncertainty continues today. Advocates of permanent daylight saving time argue that later sunsets encourage outdoor activity, commerce and recreation, while critics question whether any energy savings are significant enough to offset concerns about darker winter mornings.
The 2026 Context
The current push in Congress echoes many of the arguments made more than 50 years ago. The lesson from 1974 is not necessarily that Americans oppose permanent daylight saving time. Rather, it suggests that voters often view the idea differently once they experience winter mornings under the system.
That history has become increasingly relevant as Congress once again considers legislation that would keep much of the country on daylight saving time year-round. On July 14, the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act in a bipartisan 308-117 vote, sending the measure to the Senate for consideration. The bill, backed by President Donald Trump, would effectively end the twice-yearly clock changes observed across most of the country.
Whether the measure can avoid the fate of similar efforts remains unclear. A nearly identical proposal passed the Senate in 2022 but stalled before becoming law, while some lawmakers continue to raise concerns about darker winter mornings and later sunrises in parts of the country. For supporters and opponents alike, the events of 1974 remain the closest real-world example of what permanent daylight saving time could look like in practice.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang
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