The US Penny Is Going Away

The end of the American penny is near: The US Mint will stop making new ones within a year, reports the Wall Street Journal. Specifically, the Treasury Department this month ordered its last "blanks" from which the pennies are made, and it won't make any more once those blanks are gone, per CNN. That's expected to be in early 2026.

• Context: The penny has long been a source of debate in terms of usefulness, particularly since it costs nearly 4 cents to make one, and many end up under couch cushions. The US Mint produced more than 3 billion pennies last year and lost more than $85 million in the process, per Axios.

• Impact: People will still be able to use pennies as long as they have them. But as the supply continues to shrink, stores will likely have to start adjusting their pricing, notes the Journal.
• Trump: The move is a follow-up on President Trump's directive in February. "For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents," Trump wrote at the time, understating the cost. "This is so wasteful!"

(More pennies stories.)