The highly anticipated Harriet Tubman $20 bill will reportedly be placed on hold until President Trump leaves the White House.
Following the 2016 decision to replace former president Andrew Grant with freedom fighter and abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, on Wednesday Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed that the redesign will not happen while President Donald Trump is in office.
House Committee on Financial Services, Representative Ayanna Pressely (D-Mass.) was frustrated with the decision and advocated for the efforts many grassroots organizations made to get the country’s currency updated to reflect the diverse pioneers who helped shape the nation. Pressley pointed out that former Secretary Jacob Lew announced in 2016 that Tubman would be the face of the $20 bill and he confirmed that final design would be unveiled in 2020 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
“Do you believe that representation matters in American politics and imagery? Do you believe that people, other than White men, have greatly contributed to this country and its history?” Pressely asked Mnuchin.
Though Mnuchin said he agreed that others have made contributions to this country, he also said,
“The $20 bill will now not come out until 2028. The $10 bill and the $50 bill will come out with new features beforehand,” adding that the redesign will be made by a different secretary altogether. “I have not made a decision to execute on a redesign.”
Press play below for a clip of Pressley questioning the hearing below.
.@RepPressley: "Do you support Harriet Tubman being on the $20 bill?"
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 22, 2019
Secretary @stevenmnuchin1: "I've made no decision as it relates to that." pic.twitter.com/LuDNEhiEFH
