Trump posts Cotton’s phone number as pressure continues over daylight saving bill

President Donald Trump escalated his pressure campaign against fellow Republican Sen. Tom Cotton on Saturday.

He publicly posted a phone number he said was Cotton's cellphone and urging Arkansans to call the senator over his opposition to a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent.

Trump said Americans are tired of changing their clocks twice a year and argued that more afternoon daylight would benefit workers, recreation and businesses.

The House passed the legislation July 14 on a 308-117 vote, with support from members of both parties.

The measure was sent to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee the following day but has not received a Senate vote.

Cotton has been an outspoken opponent of permanent daylight saving time.

In a Senate speech last year, he pointed to the country's short-lived experiment with year-round daylight saving time in 1974, arguing that darker winter mornings created problems for schoolchildren and workers.

Supporters of permanent daylight saving time favor more evening sunlight and an end to the twice-a-year clock changes.

Opponents argue permanent daylight time would leave many Americans traveling to school and work in darkness during the winter.

Sleep researchers and medical organizations have generally favored permanent standard time if the clock changes are eliminated.

The proposal would not create additional daylight but would shift an hour of winter daylight from the morning to the evening.

In Joplin, sunrise on Dec. 21 is about 7:27 a.m. under the current system. Permanent daylight saving time would put sunrise at roughly 8:27 a.m., while sunset would move from about 5:04 p.m. to 6:04 p.m.