Obituaries

The penny 1793 – November 2025

Cost 3.69 cents to be worth one cent; the final circulating strike was a ceremony at the Philadelphia Mint, after 232 years. Survived by the nickel, which costs nearly 14 cents to make, and by every penny already in your jar — still legal tender. U.S. Mint

Chevron deference 1984 – June 2024

Overruled 6-3 in Loper Bright; the courts will exercise "independent judgment" now. Survived by some 18,000 federal decisions that cited it. Congressional Research Service

Net neutrality 2015 – January 2025

Struck down by the Sixth Circuit — complications from the death of Chevron deference, per the court's own citations. Preceded in death by itself, 2018. Survived by "light-touch regulation." Washington Post

18F 2014 – March 2025

Deleted by the GSA in an overnight Saturday email, having been "deemed non-critical." Survived by its unfinished improvements to weather.gov. Nextgov/FCW

NOAA's billion-dollar disaster database 1980 – May 2025

Retired with no updates beyond 2024, a decision the agency attributed to staffing cuts. The disasters continue. Survived by a private resurrection at Climate Central, using the same methodology. NOAA

ACIP, as constituted 1964 – June 2025

All seventeen members removed in one afternoon, in what the secretary called "a clean sweep." Survived by eight replacements named two days later. CNN

USAID, as an independent agency 1961 – July 2025

Ceased to exist July 1, absorbed into the State Department after 83 percent of its programs were terminated. Survived by a roughly 200-person bureau administering "America First" foreign assistance, and by a Lancet projection the estate would prefer not to discuss. ABC News

The TSA shoes-off rule 2006 – July 2025

Ended nationwide, effective immediately, after nineteen years of stocking feet. Survived by the liquids rule, still held to 3.4 ounces. TSA

The Rose Garden lawn 1913 – August 2025

Paved; the conversion to a stone-and-concrete patio in the Mar-a-Lago style was completed August 1. Survived by the "Rose Garden Club," membership selected by the president. NPR

The de minimis exemption 1938 – August 2025

Duty-free entry for packages under $800 suspended for every country on earth by executive order. Survived by the $200 traveler allowance and the bona fide gift. White & Case

The $7,500 EV tax credit 2008 – September 2025

Terminated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Survived by a deduction on auto-loan interest. NPR

The East Wing of the White House 1902 – October 2025

Demolished in roughly four days, in its 1942 form, to make room for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Survived by a donor list including Apple, Google and Meta. NBC News

IRS Direct File 2024 – November 2025

The agency notified the states it "will not be available in Filing Season 2026. No launch date has been set for the future." Survived by Free File, operated by the industry it competed with. Federal News Network

The universal hepatitis-B birth dose 1991 – December 2025

Rescinded 8 to 3 by the reconstituted panel, for infants born to mothers who test negative. Survived by "individual-based decision-making." NPR

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting 1967 – January 2026

The board voted to dissolve, at age 58, after Congress rescinded its $1.1 billion. Survived by NPR and PBS, which it can no longer support. CPB

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium 1999 – 2026

Defunded; the family says it "will cease to exist," while the estate maintains the work has merely moved. Survived by its clinical trials, closed to new enrollment. Fierce Biotech