Doesn't Make Cents

[eddiememphis]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/09/busin...alt/index.html
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-...abs-rcna191445



President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt the production of pennies, citing the high cost of producing one cent.

A New York magazine report added, "Like so many other things Trump has said or tried to do since retaking office, it's not clear if he can legally [order the Treasury to stop making pennies]. It would probably require an act of Congress to fully discontinue the coin, since Congress dictates America's currency specifications. But as with so many other things, Trump may just try to do it anyway."

[FoxtArt]

While I don't disagree with a lot of the cost-cutting directions, the expansion of the executive authority is concerning.

What Trump does in the next four years, sets the framework for what powers the "first transexual gay progressive communist" president also entertains four years from now.

I like gov to be restrained... including the executive.

[Sawin]

While I don't disagree with a lot of the cost-cutting directions, the expansion of the executive authority is concerning.

What Trump does in the next four years, sets the framework for what powers the "first transexual gay progressive communist" president also entertains four years from now.

I like gov to be restrained... including the executive.

100%

[.455_Hunter]

I get the impression a bunch of this stuff is being done simultaneously to see what actually sticks, and what will be negotiated in the courts. Cutting university research grant overhead to 15% isn't really viable, but the existing 50+% is not sustainable. The result will probably be a number in-between that effectively supports valuable research (30%?) while not allowing excess funds to roll into stupid crap, like the university's new "Diversity and Equity Center".

[eddiememphis]

...the "first transexual gay progressive communist" president...

President Brinton?

[eddiememphis]

I agree he is guilty of overstepping his authority in many places.

I know two people that work for the federal government. They are both concerned about losing their jobs. One hates Trump and the other is indifferent.

Both agree that cost saving measures are overdue at all levels of government. However, it hurts more when it affects them personally.

I like some of them- Gulf of America is hilarious. Stopping the mint from making pennies is clearly not within his ability.

There will likely be some sort of limit attempted to be placed on Executive Orders after this spree, although Trump (283) is not close to Clinton (364) or Reagan (381).

https://www.federalregister.gov/pres...ecutive-orders

[.455_Hunter]

My son was not real enthused when I told him his share of the federal debt is $103K. We don't need a huge bloated federal budget and we don't need a zero federal budget. We need a federal government (and budget) that is lean, mean, and effective.

[3beansalad]

There will likely be some sort of limit attempted to be placed on Executive Orders after this spree, although Trump (283) is not close to Clinton (364) or Reagan (381).

https://www.federalregister.gov/pres...ecutive-orders

Interesting site, and while I prefer a President not govern by EO it's a back and forth fight between administrations. EOs 13081, 13992, 13993, 14018 and 14029 repealed 20 EOs from the previous administration.
I admit I'm not taking the time to go through the remainder of the Biden presidency, nor what was done by Trump in his first term, so this could be an anomaly (or a drop in the bucket.) Something needed to be done to curb the out of control spending, I'm thankful for small miracles. And if a Dem is elected in '28, I'm sure we'll see a reversal of many of these cost cutting measures.

On the smallest of scales, spending $0.0369 to produce a coin 'worth' $0.01 is a step in the right direction. Especially when you consider the resulting $110M annual loss (~depending on sources.)

[Clint45]

To be fair, the copper value of a penny far exceeds a cent, and we already have billions of pennies in circulation. Really a non issue. They are not banning pennies.

[O2HeN2]

...probably to make us Canada-compliant

Canada stopped minting pennies in 2012, and stopped using them in 2013. Now they just round to the nickel.

O2