DOGE said on X that the penny costs over 3 cents to make and cost US taxpayers over $179 million in the 2023 fiscal year. “The Mint produced over 4.5 billion pennies in FY2023, around 40% of the 11.4 billion coins for circulation produced,” the post read in part.

DOGE director Elon Musk has shut out senior government workers and seized control of key workflows in the Office of Personnel Management, causing major security concerns, a source told Reuters. The Office of Personnel Management functions as the government’s human resources agency,