The Treasury Department is moving forward with an effort to place abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the new $ 20 bill after the effort was indefinitely delayed by the Trump administration in 2019.
“The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman in front of the new $ 20 bills,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday. “It is important that our notes, our money … reflect the history and diversity of our country and the image of Harriet Tubman adorning the new $ 20 bill would certainly reflect that.”
In a statement provided to CBS News, a Treasury Department spokesman echoed these remarks, calling Tubman “a model of leadership and participation in our democracy”.
The renewed effort comes after former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced nearly two years ago that the redesign proposed by former President Obama would not take place under the Trump administration. Mnuchin said it was an “apolitical situation” and that the main reason was to avoid counterfeiting money. At the time, Mnuchin suggested that the change in the bill’s appearance would not be presented again until 2026 and would not be distributed until 2028.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who has been defending the effort to put women in the money since it was proposed by the Obama administration in 2015, said at the time that the postponement was “unacceptable”.
“I have led efforts in the Senate for years to do this,” Shaheen tweeted Monday after the White House said efforts would go ahead. “Administrator Trump shuffled his feet without explanation. Ready to help Administrator Biden see this so that we can finally give Harriet Tubman the honor and recognition she so deserves.”
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer on Monday also applauded the move.
“I am happy that the Biden administration is reversing the slowness of the Trump administration,” Schumer said in the Senate floor. “That’s the kind of thing they did. No excuse, no reason, they just didn’t do it.”
In May 2016, former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced that Tubman would be featured in front of the $ 20, replacing President Andrew Jackson. Jackson would then be featured on the back of the bill along with an image of the White House. The announcement came after a 10-month period, when the Treasury Department requested feedback on who should award the notes.
There are several elements that can make the redesign take some time, especially due to the high circulation of the $ 20 bills among consumers. Security features to protect against counterfeiting are a deciding factor. A high-speed printing facility is required to meet production standards. And there needs to be time to test the new features.