Trump administration urges Congress to pass permanent daylight saving time

The Trump administration is urging Congress to make daylight saving time permanent, while also pushing several changes tied to the renewal of U.S. federal transportation programs. In a letter seen by Reuters, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked lawmakers to deprioritize bicycle lanes and mass transit funding, cut money for electric vehicle charging stations, and speed adoption of self-driving cars. Duffy said the House has passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, but the Senate faces an uphill battle; he wants passage by the end of September ahead of the Sept. 30 expiration of a five-year surface transportation law. The letter also calls for $1 billion more for New York Penn Station’s reconstruction and for Amtrak to rename Penn Station. On policy details, Duffy referenced a study and added that bicyclist deaths rose 4% to 1,148 last year, and urged eliminating certain grant and mass transit programs.