The Trump administration has halted plans to place abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, ending a decade-long effort that began under President Barack Obama’s administration and was revived under President Joe Biden.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last Monday that the department is “not at present” moving forward with the redesign, prompting criticism from Democratic lawmakers who argue the decision abandons years of bipartisan work to recognize one of the nation’s most influential figures in the fight against slavery.
The proposed redesign would have replaced former President Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill with Tubman, who was born enslaved in Maryland in the early 1820s and later became one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom. Had the redesign been completed, Tubman would have become the first Black American featured on U.S. paper currency.
The effort to place Tubman on the $20 bill began during the Obama administration in 2016, when then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced plans for a major redesign of U.S. currency. The announcement came as part of a broader effort to feature more women and civil rights figures on American money, with the Treasury initially aiming to unveil the new $20 bill in 2020 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
However, the redesign stalled during President Donald Trump’s first administration. Then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced in 2019 that the new $20 bill would not be released until at least 2028, citing security concerns and the need for updated anti-counterfeiting technology. Trump himself criticized the move in 2016, calling the decision to replace Jackson “pure political correctness” and arguing that Tubman could instead be placed on another denomination, such as the $2 bill, while Jackson remained on the $20.
The Biden administration sought to revive the effort shortly after taking office. Despite renewed efforts, the redesign was expected to take years. Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen estimated that the new $20 bill would likely not be ready until around 2030 because of the extensive design, testing, and security requirements involved in producing new currency.
Democratic senators are now urging the Trump administration to restart the Tubman project.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen recently led a group of Democratic senators in a letter to Bessent criticizing the Treasury Department’s decision to abandon the redesign.
“We write to express our deep frustration that the Department of the Treasury is ‘not at present’ planning to move forward with the long-standing effort to place Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill,” the senators wrote.
The senators also questioned why the administration had halted the Tubman redesign while pursuing other currency projects involving President Trump’s likeness.
They pointed to plans for a commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump and proposals backed by some Trump allies for a new $250 bill celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary. The push to feature Trump on currency has raised questions because federal law generally prohibits living individuals from appearing on U.S. paper money. The administration has argued that a commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump is allowed under a 2020 law signed during Trump’s first term that permits the Treasury secretary to issue coins with designs commemorating the nation’s semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary. The Trump administration has also explored the possibility of creating a $250 bill featuring the president’s image.
Federal law currently prohibits living people from appearing on paper currency, but lawmakers allied with Trump have introduced legislation that would create an exception for the proposed commemorative bill. The Treasury Department has said it is conducting “appropriate planning and due diligence” regarding the proposal.
The administration has also moved toward including Trump’s signature on money.
No new individual has appeared on U.S. paper currency since 1928, when the government began using the portraits currently seen on many bills. Supporters of the Tubman redesign argue that replacing Jackson would better reflect the nation’s history, pointing to Tubman’s role in ending slavery and advancing freedom. Critics of removing Jackson, including Trump during his first term, have argued that changing currency designs should not be driven by political considerations.
The dispute now places two competing visions of American symbolism against each other: one focused on expanding representation in national institutions, and another focused on elevating Trump’s role in commemorating the country’s founding anniversary.
Based on reporting by The Carolinian.
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