Harriet Tubman Won’t Be On $20 Until After Trump Leaves Office, Mnuchin Says
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Aiden Pink May 28, 2019
The redesign of the $20 bill to feature Harriet Tubman, scheduled for release next year, has been delayed until 2028 at the earliest, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in congressional testimony last week.
“The primary reason we have looked at redesigning the currency is for counterfeiting issues,” Mnuchin told the House Financial Services Committee. “Based upon this, the $20 bill will now not come out until 2028. The $10 bill and the $50 bill will come out with new features beforehand.”
Then-Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced in 2016 that a redesigned $20 with the abolitionist’s image would be unveiled in 2020, the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. No women are currently on dollar bills.
But Mnuchin and President Trump were not supportive of this move. Trump is a noted admirer of President Andrew Jackson, who is currently on the $20, and said in 2016 that the Tubman change was “pure political correctness” and suggested she instead be placed on $2 bills, which are printed less often than other denominations. When asked by CNBC in 2017, Mnuchin refused to commit to the Tubman redesign.
A bill to mandate the Treasury include Tubman on the $20 has bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, though in the Senate, only three senators, all Democrats, have cosponsored the measure.
Correction: A previous version of this article claimed that the $2 bill is not in circulation. In fact, they are still in circulation and legal tender for use.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter at @aidenpink.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
