States Scramble to Manage Penny Shortage as Federal Action Lags

Months after the United States ceased producing the humble penny—a decision championed by then-President Donald Trump as a commonsense cost-cutting measure—the country is grappling with the unintended chaos of a pennyless economy. What began as an effort to eliminate wasteful government spending has now exposed how quickly Washington’s slow pace in legislating practical solutions forces states and everyday Americans to bear the burden. Why Are States Forced to Pick Up the Pieces? The U.S. Mint’s own numbers reveal a startling truth: it costs nearly 3.7 cents to make each one-cent coin, a wasteful expense that justified halting penny production starting...