一旦當前的空白硬幣盤用完，美國造幣廠將停止生產新的便士

在一個歷史性的轉變中，可以標誌著數百年曆史的美國袋裝零錢的結束，美國造幣廠將停止生產新的便士

The US Mint will halt production of new pennies once its current stock of blank coin discs runs out, a Treasury Department official told the Associated Press.

一位財政部官員告訴美聯社，一旦其當前的空白硬幣盤耗盡，美國造幣廠將停止生產新的便士。

The move follows a sharp spike in production costs. The Treasury says it now costs nearly 4 cents to make a single penny, with total annual savings from halting production expected to hit $56 million.

此舉是在生產成本急劇上升的。財政部表示，現在要花近4美分才能賺一分錢，預計停止產量的每年節省總額為5600萬美元。

First minted in 1793, the penny has been part of American history for over 230 years.

一分錢於1793年首次鑄造，一直是美國歷史的一部分，已有230多年的歷史。

The decision, while long discussed, gained momentum after President Donald Trump announced his intention to eliminate the coin earlier this year.

在唐納德·特朗普總統宣布打算今年早些時候消除硬幣的意圖之後，該決定雖然長期以來一直在討論。

“For far too long, the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful!” Trump posted on Truth Social in February.

“很久以來，美國已經鑄造了幾分錢，這實際上使我們花費了2美分。這是如此浪費！”特朗普在二月份發布了《真理社交》。

“I have instructed my Secretary of the U.S. Treasury to stop producing new pennies. The mint will continue to use up the existing penny blank inventory, and the changeover will be seamless.”

“我已指示我的美國財政部長停止生產新的便士。薄荷將繼續用盡現有的一分錢​​空白庫存，轉換將是無縫的。”

There are still an estimated 114 billion pennies in circulation - worth $1.14 billion - but Treasury officials say they are vastly underutilized and rarely used in daily transactions.

估計有1,140億美元的流通（價值11.4億美元），但財政部官員表示，他們的日常交易中很少使用，很少使用。

Despite being the most produced coin in the US Mint’s inventory - accounting for over 3.2 billion units minted last year - the penny has faced growing scrutiny over its poor return on investment and limited usefulness. By comparison, even the nickel, which costs nearly 14 cents to mint, has drawn criticism for its inefficiency.

儘管是美國造幣廠的庫存中生產最多的硬幣 - 佔去年鑄造的32億枚庫存，但一分錢在其投資回報率差和有限的用途方面面臨越來越多的審查。相比之下，即使是薄荷的成本近14美分的鎳也因其效率低下引起了批評。

However, the penny has its defenders. Supporters argue it’s still useful in charity drives, price rounding, and holds a certain nostalgic value. They also note that it represents a more modest production loss than higher-value coins.

但是，一分錢有捍衛者。支持者認為，它在慈善機構驅動器，價格匯總並具有一定的懷舊價值中仍然有用。他們還指出，它比高價值硬幣更適度的生產損失。

Congress, which controls the specifications of US coinage, has not yet passed legislation to permanently kill the penny. But two bipartisan bills to do so were introduced earlier this year.

控制美國造幣規格的國會尚未通過立法來永久殺死一分錢。但是今年早些時候提出了兩項​​兩黨法案。

One bill, named the "Pennies for Paychecks Act," was filed in March by Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Mark Warner, D-Va., while the other, named the "Coin Production Enhancement Act," was filed in January by Reps. Steve Scalise, R-La., and Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.

一項命名為“薪水法案”的法案是由R-Tenn。的Sens。 BillHagerty和D-Va。的Mark Warner提交的，而另一個則由R-La的眾議員Steve Scaleise和Jim Cooper，D-Tenn。

The legislation would also require the Federal Reserve to remove any unusable or damaged pennies from circulation.

該立法還將要求美聯儲從發行中刪除任何無法使用或受損的便士。

The legislation comes as the US is facing a severe coin shortage, with many bank branches and businesses running out of common coins for customer transactions.

該立法是因為美國面臨嚴重的硬幣短缺，許多銀行分支機構和企業用盡了公共硬幣進行客戶交易。

According to the American Bankers Association, nearly 80 percent of bank branches reported having no more nickels in March, while over 70 percent had no more dimes or quarters.

根據美國銀行家協會的數據，近80％的銀行分支機構報告說，三月份不再有鎳，而超過70％的人沒有更多的一角錢或宿舍。

The coin shortage is being attributed to the closure of schools and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted the normal flow of coins in small-value transactions.

硬幣短缺歸因於在199年大流行期間的學校和企業關閉，這破壞了小型交易中硬幣的正常流動。

Under US law, the Treasury Secretary is empowered to mint and issue coins “in amounts the secretary decides are necessary” to meet the country’s needs - a clause now being used to phase out the penny.

根據美國法律，財政部長有權授予造幣和發行硬幣，以“秘書決定是必要的”來滿足該國的需求 - 現在使用該條款來淘汰一分錢。