The monetary symbols are not only simple pieces, they embody eras, values and habits anchored in the culture of a country. However, in the United States, the existence of Penny is again questioned. Donald Trump, in search of budgetary rationalization, wishes to remove this part of a penny which he considers a waste of resources. This decision, far from being anecdotal, triggers a substantive debate between economic necessity and attachment to American numismatic heritage. The measure, if it were to be applied, could upset commercial habits and cause adjustments to the daily lives of the Americans.
A cost that has become unbearable for the State
Donald Trump announced on his social network Truth Social having asked the secretary of the Treasury to stop the production of Penny, because he invokes unnecessary budgety waste. “For far too long, the United States has struck a hundred pieces that literally cost us more than 2 hundred to produce. It's waste! » hammered this February 10. The president relies on a report of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), directed by Elon Musk, who considers that the manufacturing cost of a Penny today exceeds 3 cents due to the outbreak of zinc and zinc prices and zinc prices and zinc prices and zinc prices and copper.
This financial loss, deemed excessive, represents an annual burden of $ 179 million for American taxpayers. Faced with this situation, Trump places this abolition in a broader logic of reduction in public spending, which aims to save a total of $ 1,000 billion. If the White House and the Treasury Department validate the measure, the abolition of the Penny could be effective without even going through a vote of the Congress, according to the economist Robert Trest of the University of Northeastern.
A debate that divides the population and finds international echoes
The announcement of this reform is not unanimous. Some observers fear that it does not cause an artificial price increase, due to the forced rounding of cash payments to nickel ($ 0.05). A fear that part of the consumers share, for whom the suppression of the Penny could indirectly impact their purchasing power. Conversely, others consider this piece as obsolete, especially since the development of digital payments. The disappearance of the Penny would even allow a gain of productivity through the reduction of money manipulations.
This debate goes beyond the United States. Canada has already taken the plunge in 2013 by ending the circulation of its one hundred, after having noticed that its production cost exceeded its nominal value. This transition was made without clashes, with a rounding of payments without significant impact on prices. In Europe, the European Commission had envisaged a similar reform for parts of 1 and 2 cents, before giving it up in the face of inflation pressures. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, has been procrastinious for several years on the issue, without making a concrete decision.
If the Trump administration manages to carry out this reform, it will constitute a break with a historical symbol of the American currency. But beyond the emotional dimension, this decision challenges the evolution of monetary systems in the face of the growing digitalization of exchanges. The suppression of the Penny could thus be the first step towards a progressive transition to a society less dependent on physical currency. However, it remains to be seen whether this measure will obtain sufficient political support to be ratified, or if it will come, like so many other attempts before it, is added to the long list of abandoned reforms.
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