Overview
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Spectrum News Monday that the department is "not at present" planning to move forward with putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill and he declined to give further explanation.
- The Tubman redesign was first announced in 2016 to replace Andrew Jackson and would have made Tubman the first African American on U.S. paper currency.
- Former Treasury secretary Janet Yellen had revived the project but said sophisticated anti‑counterfeiting work and production timelines meant any new $20 might not be ready until about 2030.
- Congressional bills by lawmakers such as Rep. Joyce Beatty and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen that would require Tubman on the $20 have been introduced but not passed, leaving the change dependent on executive action or new legislation.
- The Treasury has also discussed a proposed $250 bill featuring President Trump, which Bessent said would require an act of Congress because current law bars living people from appearing on U.S. currency, a detail that highlights the legal constraints on any new portraits.