Short answer: The U.S. pennies are effectively winding down in production and will no longer be minted for circulation, but they remain legal tender. Existing pennies will stay in use, and prices may be rounded or adjusted over time as the supply of new pennies dwindles. Details

• What’s happening now
  • The U.S. Mint has ended production of new circulating pennies. Pennies already in existence will continue to be legal tender and can be used in transactions [source context: ongoing reporting on the penny’s end of production].
  • In practice, retailers, vending machines, and toll systems may gradually adapt as fresh pennies are no longer minted, with possible rounding or substitution by higher-denomination coins as the penny supply diminishes [source context: industry and media analyses of coin circulation changes].
• What stays the same
  • The penny remains legal tender. People can still use pennies they already have, and قthe U.S. Mint can still produce commemorative or collector versions if policy allows; but circulating production is halted [source context: standard legal tender status and minting decisions].
• Practical implications for everyday life
  • Small-change usage will decline as pennies vanish from new mint rolls; many people will accumulate pennies at home or donate them, while businesses may adopt rounding policies for cash transactions as penny availability shrinks [source context: typical effects when a low-denomination coin exits circulation].
• Historical context and discussion
  • The debate over discontinuing pennies centers on the coin’s cost relative to its value and its limited usefulness in daily transactions; some policymakers and economists argue the system can function with rounding or substitution without significant disruption [source context: ongoing policy discussions].

If you’d like, I can pull up the latest official statements from the U.S. Mint or summarize how different states or retailers are adapting in practice, with citations.