--- title: "Congress moves to study cheaper nickel production after ending penny" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/business/congress-moves-to-study-cheaper-nickel-production-after-ending-penny" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/congress-moves-to-study-cheaper-nickel-production-after-ending-penny" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/business/congress-moves-to-study-cheaper-nickel-production-after-ending-penny.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/congress-moves-to-study-cheaper-nickel-production-after-ending-penny" category: "Business & Economy" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-08T00:05:15.824Z" source_reported: "2026-10-07T21:02:28.000Z" updated: "2026-10-08T00:05:15.824Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-08T01:00:29.798453+00:00" --- # Congress moves to study cheaper nickel production after ending penny *Legislation passed by the Senate allows Treasury to research lower-cost ways to mint five-cent coins.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Trust 60: includes named source Lisa McClain (+12), cited news release (+10), and Mint figure (+8) but only one original report. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: explains relevance, quotes McClain, provides specific figures, outlines next steps, and is clearly written. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: language is measured; headline matches article without sensational exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The Senate has unanimously passed the Common Cents Act, which will end the production of pennies. - The five-cent nickel currently costs taxpayers eight cents more to produce than its face value. - The legislation directs the Treasury to study methods for producing nickels at a lower cost. - The bill also establishes a rounding system for cash transactions as the penny is phased out. The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the Common Cents Act, a bill aimed at ending the production of pennies. The legislation also directs the Treasury Department to study the feasibility of producing nickels using cheaper materials. Currently, the five-cent coin costs taxpayers eight cents to produce. The U.S. Mint produced 3.2 billion pennies in 2024, according to its reports. The Common Cents Act includes provisions for businesses to round cash transactions to the nearest five cents as the penny is phased out. ## Disagreement on nickel production cost Reports differ on the exact cost of producing a nickel. WAGA and WFLD state the five-cent coin costs taxpayers eight cents more per coin. The Daily Wire and Next News Network report that each five-cent coin costs 13 cents to make. WFMD.com and Fox News also state the nickel costs 13 cents to produce. ## What the coverage left out None of the centre-rated reports mention the specific figure of 13 cents for the cost of producing a nickel, a detail present in the right-rated reports. Conversely, none of the right-rated reports mention the U.S. Mint's production figure of 3.2 billion pennies in 2024, a detail included in the centre-rated reports. ## Who covered it Shares of the 16 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 62% (10) - Right: 38% (6) 0 of 16 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-08T01:00:29.798453+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-08T01:30:31.903Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - Ten centre-rated reports focused on the Senate's passage of the Common Cents Act to end penny production and the subsequent move to examine the cost of nickels. These reports noted that the five-cent coin costs more to produce than its face value, with WAGA and WFLD stating this cost is eight cents more per coin. They highlighted that the legislation allows the Treasury to study cheaper nickel compositions. The reports also detailed the rounding formula for cash transactions that will be implemented as pennies are phased out, with totals ending in one, two, six, or seven being rounded down, and those ending in three, four, eight, or nine being rounded up. The U.S. Mint's production of 3.2 billion pennies in 2024 was also mentioned. ### Right - Six right-rated reports highlighted Congress's actions to end penny production and its subsequent focus on reducing the cost of nickels. These reports stated that each nickel costs 13 cents to produce, a figure cited by The Daily Wire, WFMD.com, Next News Network, and Fox News. They mentioned House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain's comments that her bill provides a path for Treasury to make nickels at a lower cost. Capitalisminstitute.org framed the changes as common-sense fixes Republicans say are long overdue. The New York Post reported that Congress may scrap the nickel as it is known. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 6 - high: 2 - veryHigh: 8 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [capitalisminstitute.org](https://capitalisminstitute.org/congress-moves-to-cut-nickel-costs-after-ending-the-penny) — Congress Ends Penny, Cuts Nickel Costs to Save Taxpayers - [The Daily Wire](https://dailywire.com/news/the-penny-is-dead-now-washington-is-coming-for-another-coin) — The Penny Is Dead. Now Washington Is Coming For Another Coin - [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/10/07/us-news/congress-eyes-push-to-stop-minting-nickels) — Congress reportedly eyes another major US currency change after killing the penny - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/10/07/congress-killed-the-penny-now-its-coming-for-the-13-cent-nickel) — Congress killed the penny — now it’s coming for the 13-cent nickel - [WAGA](https://fox5atlanta.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [WFLD](https://fox32chicago.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [Fox 6 now](https://fox6now.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [Fox 10 Phoenix](https://fox10phoenix.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [Fox 11 LA](https://foxla.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [Fox 9](https://fox9.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [KTVU FOX 2](https://ktvu.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [KRIV](https://fox26houston.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [KTBC](https://fox7austin.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [LiveNOW from FOX](https://livenowfox.com/news/after-penny-congress-looks-tackle-cost-nickel) — After the penny, Congress looks to tackle the cost of the nickel - [Next News Network](https://nextnewsnetwork.com/2026/10/07/congress-killed-the-penny-now-its-coming-for-the-13-cent-nickel-muxxublh) — Congress Killed the Penny — Now It's Coming for the 13-Cent Nickel - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/congress-killed-penny-now-its-coming-13-cent-nickel) — Congress killed the penny — now it's coming for the 13-cent nickel ## Questions **What is the Common Cents Act?** The Common Cents Act is legislation passed by the Senate that will formally end the production of the U.S. penny. It also directs the Treasury Department to study ways to reduce the cost of producing nickels. **How much does it cost to make a nickel?** Reports vary on the exact cost. Some state that the five-cent coin currently costs taxpayers eight cents more per coin to produce. Other reports indicate that each nickel costs 13 cents to make. **What happens to cash transactions without pennies?** The Common Cents Act establishes a rounding formula for cash transactions. Totals ending in one, two, six, or seven cents will be rounded down to the nearest five cents, while totals ending in three, four, eight, or nine cents will be rounded up. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/business/congress-moves-to-study-cheaper-nickel-production-after-ending-penny. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Congress moves to study cheaper nickel production after ending penny", https://mediabias.news/business/congress-moves-to-study-cheaper-nickel-production-after-ending-penny