Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R) pushed back against President Donald Trump on Saturday after the president publicly criticized him for blocking legislation that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide.
The Arkansas Republican defended his position by arguing that year-round Daylight Saving Time would create dangerously late winter sunrises.
“No one likes changing the clock, me included,” Cotton wrote.
But he said Congress has tried permanent Daylight Saving Time before and later reversed course.
“Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” Cotton said.
Cotton then framed his opposition around the effect on families in Arkansas.
“Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark,” he wrote.
He added that he would prioritize the interests of his state.
“And I’ll always put Arkansas first,” Cotton said.
The remarks came after Trump blasted Cotton for standing in the way of legislation aimed at ending the twice-yearly clock changes.
Trump has been pushing for permanent Daylight Saving Time and has argued that Americans are tired of changing their clocks.
He has also said more afternoon daylight would benefit activities such as golf, tennis, hunting and farming.
The president recently singled Cotton out by name, saying the Arkansas senator was holding up the legislation.
Trump also urged people in Arkansas to pressure Cotton to support the measure.
The dispute has now become a direct public disagreement between Trump and one of the Republican senators he has previously described as an ally.
Cotton’s response makes clear that he is not backing down.
Rather than disputing that the clock changes are unpopular, Cotton argued that the proposed fix would create a different problem.
His concern is that permanently shifting the clock forward would push sunrise later into the morning during winter.
That would mean some children could be traveling to school before daylight.
Cotton said Congress has already learned that lesson from previous attempts to impose year-round Daylight Saving Time.
The senator’s argument is that public frustration with changing clocks does not necessarily mean permanent Daylight Saving Time is the best solution.
Trump, by contrast, has focused on the benefits of more evening daylight and the inconvenience of adjusting clocks twice a year.
The disagreement highlights a broader question surrounding the legislation: whether Americans would prefer darker winter mornings in exchange for later sunsets throughout the year, per Just the News.
Cotton’s statement suggests that, at least for him, the tradeoff is not worth it.
The Arkansas senator did not indicate that Trump’s criticism had changed his position.
Instead, he doubled down on his opposition and tied it directly to the concerns of parents and families in his state.
For now, that leaves the two Republicans publicly at odds over the future of Daylight Saving Time.
Trump wants Congress to move forward with making it permanent.
Cotton says he will continue opposing that approach because he believes it would leave Arkansas children heading to school in darkness during the winter.
