Make sense not cents

What if I told you we could save taxpayers over $85 million a year by eliminating the penny?

That might sound strange, but here's the truth: Each penny costs nearly 4 cents to make. That's right — we're spending four times its face value to mint a coin most Americans don't even use. And with material costs rising more than 20 percent year-over-year, it's only going to get more expensive to produce pennies. Ending production now could save the United States over $85 million annually.

Nearly two-thirds of pennies produced in the U.S. do not even recirculate. Billions of pennies disappear into couch cushions, junk drawers, and change jars or are simply lost, never to be used again. And, in an era of online and digital banking, only 16 percent of transactions are made with cash.

That's why I introduced The Make Sense Not Cents Act, bipartisan legislation to retire the penny and start investing in what really matters.

Imagine what we could do with $85 million more in the federal budget each year:

• Feed hungry families food and provide housing to those who need it most
• Jumpstart clean energy projects to protect our planet for generations to come
• Fund safer roads and bridges in your neighborhood
• And MORE!

It's the opposite of "common cents" for taxpayer dollars to fund wasteful penny production when we could put that money to work for you. The Make Sense Not Cents Act will save taxpayers millions, and tackling this kind of government waste is something both Democrats and Republicans can agree on.

If we're throwing money at something nobody uses, it's time to put a stop to it. This legislation will save millions of dollars, and I'm ready to get it done.

Onward!

Jeff