House leaders want to take up daylight saving time bill — later

A proposal to make daylight saving time permanent is finding bipartisan support in the House after its passage in the Senate.

But it’s unclear when – or if – the lower chamber will take up the legislation as leaders punt the effort to the back burner in favor of other pressing matters, including responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Word of the proposal passing in the upper chamber Tuesday quickly rocketed across both traditional and social media, one of the few pieces of news to break through almost wall-to-wall coverage of the crisis in Ukraine and gas prices at home. House members on both sides of the aisle almost immediately voiced their support for the push, despite appearing caught off-guard by its swift path through the Senate.

“I think it just caught us all by surprise that the Senate actually produced something and sent it to us. Usually — usually bills go the other way,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters early Wednesday.

The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent Tuesday afternoon, using a fast-track procedure that requires every senator to agree. 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday told The Hill she supports doing away with the semiannual time switch. But she wouldn’t provide further details about when the House could take up the matter, particularly with leaders working with the administration to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.