Musk isn’t introducing a novel idea. For years, people have advocated eliminating the penny, as pennies are rarely spent as change. And since the Covid-19 pandemic, more consumers are shopping online or avoiding physical currency altogether .

Elon Musk's plan for the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may be in disarray following a number of changes to the initiative in recent days. Bill McGinley, who was appointed DOGE's legal counsel in December,