{"id":363542,"date":"2026-09-29T19:33:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T00:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/congress-votes-to-end-production-of-the-penny-after-234-years"},"modified":"2026-09-29T19:33:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T00:33:20","slug":"congress-votes-to-end-production-of-the-penny-after-234-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/congress-votes-to-end-production-of-the-penny-after-234-years","title":{"rendered":"Congress votes to finish manufacturing of the penny after 234 years"},"content":{"rendered":"


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WASHINGTON — <\/span>The U.S. Mint stopped making pennies in 2025<\/a>, but legislation passed by the Senate and headed to President Donald Trump\u2019s desk will formally end their production after 234 years. <\/p>\n

The bill, passed by voice vote late Monday, directs the government to not make pennies, giving a legal stamp of approval to the Trump administration\u2019s decision to stop producing the currency last year. The penny, among the first coins to be made after the Mint was established in 1792, has become increasingly expensive to produce and is used by fewer and fewer consumers as digital transactions have become more standard. <\/p>\n

Trump is expected to sign the bill. He wrote in a social media post last year that the U.S. has produced the 1-cent coin for \u201cfar too long.”<\/p>\n

The Mint says that production of a penny now costs almost 4 cents<\/a> and that ceasing to make them would generate immediate savings of $56 million annually.<\/p>\n

The bipartisan bill, called The Common Cents Act, was sponsored by Reps. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Robert Garcia, D-Calif.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to taking on waste and making sure our tax dollars are spent wisely, it\u2019s common sense that we should stop making a coin that costs nearly four times more than it\u2019s worth to produce,\u201d Garcia said. <\/p>\n

Pennies are still in circulation, and the formal end to their production doesn\u2019t mean consumers or stores can\u2019t use them. The Mint said it made 3.2 billion pennies in 2024. <\/p>\n

The bill outlines new procedures for stores as pennies are phased out, and it allows them to round transactions up or down to the nearest 5 cents. <\/p>\n

Retailers had pushed for the bill to eliminate the threat of lawsuits as penny circulation has dwindled. <\/p>\n

\u201cBusinesses across the country have faced cascading impacts from the lack of pennies in circulation, operating under constant uncertainty about how to handle cash transactions when exact change is unavailable,\u201d a coalition of retailer groups wrote to House leaders in a letter earlier this year. <\/p>\n

The bill would also allow the government to use an inner layer of zinc when producing the nickel, which could increase in circulation as the penny is phased out. The 5-cent coin is currently made from both nickel and copper, which is more expensive than zinc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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