Retailers urge Congress to address penny crisis in new year

By [ Austen Jensen ]
Washington, DC
12/22/2025

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) issued the following statement:

As Congress heads back to their districts and states for the holidays, RILA is urging lawmakers to prioritize addressing the nation’s ongoing penny circulation problems and swiftly pass legislation addressing the issue when the second session of the 119th Congress begins in January. Retailers across the country are grappling with significant challenges due to the absence of clear legal guidance regarding the future of the penny, especially on critical matters such as rounding cash transactions. Only Congress can provide the clarity and directives necessary to ensure a smooth transition for both retailers and consumers.

“Without legislative action, the lack of guidance is costing the nation’s largest retailers millions of dollars in the midst of the busy holiday shopping season — imposing a rounding fee on retailers at a time when the use of cash as a payment traditionally increases,” said Austen Jensen, RILA’s senior executive vice president of public affairs. “Congress should act quickly to provide the fix needed for retailers and ensure that cash tendered payments aren’t disrupted by the abrupt end of the penny.”

This is not an issue that can be left to the states to resolve. Retailers who operate in multiple states need a uniformed approach that can only be set by the federal government. RILA urges Congress to move expeditiously and deliver the legal certainty and direction that retailers and their customers depend on.

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Media Contact: press@rila.org

RILA is the US trade association for leading retailers. We convene decision-makers, advocate for the industry, and promote operational excellence and innovation. Our aim is to elevate a dynamic industry by transforming the environment in which retailers operate.

RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $2.7 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and hundreds of thousands of stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.