It operates mints in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point plus the Fort Knox bullion depository. Sales of circulating coins to the Federal Reserve and of collectibles to the public fund the whole operation.
Open the interactive page for MINT →Created byCoinage Act of Apr. 2, 1792 (1 Stat. 246) established the Mint; Bureau of the Mint created in Treasury by the Coinage Act of 1873; renamed United States Mint by Secretarial order (Jan. 9, 1984), codified by Pub. L. 102-390 (1992)
Head appointed31 U.S.C. § 304(b)(1): Director of the Mint appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a 5-year term (§ 304(a) merely establishes the Mint as a Treasury bureau) (PAS)
Removal standardnot for-cause, but a reasons-to-Senate formula — 31 U.S.C. § 304(b)(1): 'The President may remove the Director from office. On removal, the President shall send a message to the Senate giving the reasons for removal.'
Funded undernot appropriated since FY1996 — United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, 31 U.S.C. § 5136 (Pub. L. 104-52 § 522, 1995): all receipts deposited to the Fund and available without further appropriation; excess (seigniorage) transferred to Treasury as miscellaneous receipts
Congressional oversightHouse Committee on Financial Services · Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Inspector generalTreasury OIG (PAS IG under 5 U.S.C. ch. 4)
Judicial reviewAPA § 702 suits in district court; coin-program and design decisions largely committed to the Secretary's discretion by chapter 51 of title 31; subject to FOIA
No direct regulatory channel: the Mint does not regulate the public and spends no tax money. Coin denominations and designs are set by Congress in statute.