A decade-long effort to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill has been halted by Donald Trump’s administration. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the redesign is not proceeding. This leaves the portrait of Andrew Jackson intact.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the redesign is not moving forward at present
The decision closes another one in a long-running political battle over American currency. The Obama administration first announced the change in 2016. Then-Treasury Secretary Jack Lew revealed plans to feature Harriet Tubman on the front and move Jackson to the back. The new note was originally targeted for release in 2020.
Tubman earned her place in history by leading 13 missions on the Underground Railroad, freeing approximately 70 enslaved people. She later served as a Union Army spy during the Civil War and campaigned for women’s voting rights after abolition. Had the redesign proceeded, she would have become the first woman and first Black individual to appear on US paper currency.
Donald Trump has opposed the change from the start. During his 2016 campaign, he dismissed the initiative as “pure political correctness” and suggested Tubman belonged to a different denomination. After taking office in 2017, his administration pushed the timeline back six years to 2026, citing the need for anti-counterfeiting features.
The Biden White House revived the project in 2021. Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated at the time, “The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes.” Yet the estimated release date slipped further to 2030 under Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who also pointed to security upgrades.
Now Bessent has shut the door. Asked by Spectrum News if the redesign remained active, he responded, “We are not at the present,” offering no additional details. A Treasury spokesperson has not commented further.
The stagnation contrasts with Trump’s administration’s treatment of a proposed $250 bill featuring the president’s face. That currency idea, meant to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, has received swift backing. Bessent noted it would require congressional approval because living figures cannot appear on currency. The costs and production plans for that bill remain unclear.
