Overview
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Spectrum News on Monday that the department is “not at present” moving forward with the decade‑old effort to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, and he did not offer further explanation.
- A Treasury spokesperson declined to comment beyond Bessent’s remark, leaving the official rationale and timetable for the pause unclear.
- The Tubman redesign was first announced in 2016 to replace Andrew Jackson and was later revived, but officials have long said redesigning existing notes requires years of planning and new anti‑counterfeiting work.
- The administration is simultaneously preparing for a proposed $250 commemorative bill featuring President Donald Trump, which would require an act of Congress because a U.S. law bars living people from appearing on paper currency.
- Lawmakers and advocates who have pushed legislation to lock Tubman onto the $20 have expressed strong disappointment, public debate has intensified on cable news, and Congress remains the likely path to force a redesign if lawmakers act.