I think they mean "literally" when they say "literally". As in, if a twenty dollar bill gets rolled into a joint and smoked to ash, they then and only then print a new twenty dollar bill. Dividing it wouldn't make a difference if no money existed. If every coin was melted for scrap, every bill shredded for bird cage liner, then they would need to mint more money.
Can't you further divide it or denominate it? Dollar to a dime. Dime to a penny. Penny to a half-cent.
I think they mean "literally" when they say "literally". As in, if a twenty dollar bill gets rolled into a joint and smoked to ash, they then and only then print a new twenty dollar bill. Dividing it wouldn't make a difference if no money existed. If every coin was melted for scrap, every bill shredded for bird cage liner, then they would need to mint more money.