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Small-Scale Question Sunday for February 9, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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The Associated Press cites an article that features an economics professor's statement that the president's authority is uncertain.

“The process of discontinuing the penny in the U.S. is a little unclear. It would likely require an act of Congress, but the Secretary of the Treasury might be able to simply stop the minting of new pennies,” Triest says.

I don't know how much weight an economics professor's opinion carries on this question of law, though.

US Mint is part of Treasury, so the President would be in control of it. I think the difference is between stopping making new pennies (easy) and taking the penny out of circulation as a legal tender (complicated, but also ultimately not necessary since it doesn't cost much to keep it as legal tender).