特朗普總統發誓要削減政府支出，從一分錢開始

去年標誌著連續第19財政年度，使便士的單位成本高於其面值。

President Donald Trump has directed the secretary of the treasury to end the production of the penny, a move that would eliminate the one-cent coin from circulation.

唐納德·特朗普總統已指示財政部長結束一分錢的生產，此舉將消除一美分硬幣的流通。

The effort to get rid of the penny is not a new one. Former Rep. Jim Kolbe (R–Ariz.) introduced legislation in 2001 and 2006 to eliminate the penny, which ultimately failed to advance. While in office, former President Barack Obama signaled support for the idea, saying in 2013, “Anytime we're spending money on something people don't actually use, that's an example of things we should probably change.”

擺脫一分錢的努力並不是新的。前眾議員吉姆·科爾貝（Jim Kolbe）（R – Ariz。）在2001年和2006年提出了立法，以消除一分錢，最終未能晉升。在任職期間，前總統巴拉克·奧巴馬（Barack Obama）表示對這一想法的支持，並在2013年說：“每當我們花錢去人們實際使用的東西上，這就是我們應該改變的事情的一個例子。”

While Congress has the power to coin money and regulate its value, eliminating the penny may not require congressional approval. According to the U.S. Code, the secretary of the treasury has the authority to mint coins in the amounts he deems necessary to meet the nation's needs. Tribe argues that if the secretary decides that no pennies are necessary, he could legally stop minting them altogether.

儘管國會有權賺錢並規範其價值，但消除便士可能不需要國會批准。根據《美國法典》，財政部長有權以他認為滿足國家需求所必需的金額來鑄造硬幣。部落辯稱，如果秘書決定不需要便士，他可以合法地停止完全鑄造它們。

If Trump decides to take this route, the penny could be eliminated, although no official plan has been announced. Despite the president's order to halt penny production, the coin is still being made. "The United States Mint administers all coin programs according to legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President," the Mint tells Reason in an email. It "must adhere to legislative specifications on coin subject, design, metal composition and production," the Mint adds.

如果特朗普決定採用這條路線，儘管沒有宣布官方計劃，但可以消除一分錢。儘管總統命令停止一分錢生產，但仍在製造硬幣。造幣廠在一封電子郵件中說：“美國根據國會制定的立法並由總統簽署的法律管理所有硬幣計劃。” Mint補充說，它“必須遵守有關硬幣主題，設計，金屬組成和生產的立法規格”。

If Trump is successful, the U.S. would join New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, all of which eliminated their penny. In the 1990s, both New Zealand and Australia got rid of the pennies due to rising costs and inflation. In Canada, penny production officially ended in 2012, and the Royal Canadian Mint began collecting the coins to extract their metals. At the time, the Canadian government estimated that phasing out the penny would save $11 million Canadian dollars per year (around $10.3 million dollars today).

如果特朗普成功，美國將加入新西蘭，澳大利亞和加拿大，所有這些都消除了他們的便士。在1990年代，由於成本和通貨膨脹率上升，新西蘭和澳大利亞都擺脫了便士。在加拿大，Penny生產於2012年正式結束，加拿大皇家造幣廠開始收集硬幣以提取金屬。當時，加拿大政府估計，淘汰一分錢將每年節省1,100萬加元（今天約為1030萬美元）。