U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) talks to reporters following a rally with fellow House Democrats to demand that American abolitionist heroine Harriet Tubman's image be put on the $20 bill outside the U.S. Treasury Department June 27, 2019 in Washington …
WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department is no longer moving forward with plans to feature abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
What they're saying:
"We are not at present," Bessent said in a Monday interview with Spectrum News when asked whether the department still intended to pursue the years-old redesign. He did not provide additional details, and a Treasury spokesperson declined to comment beyond his statement.
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Asked why the Treasury Department was abandoning the Tubman redesign while preparing for a proposed $250 bill featuring Trump, Bessent told Spectrum News: "The 250 requires an act of Congress, because you can't have a living person (on U.S. currency), and it was to commit [sic] – for the 250th anniversary."
"For us to change an existing bill, whether it's $1 through $100, takes many years in advance," he added.
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White House says it wants to speed up effort of putting Harriet Tubman on 20 bill
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is looking at ways to speed up the effort of putting Harriet Tubman's image on the $20 bill.
The backstory:
The proposal dates back to 2016, when the Obama administration announced that Tubman — who was born into slavery in the early 1820s and later helped hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom — would replace President Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. Then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said the decision followed thousands of responses from Americans. Had the redesign been completed, Tubman would have become the first Black American to appear on U.S. paper currency.
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Donald Trump criticized the plan during his first presidential campaign, calling it "pure political correctness." He suggested Tubman instead appear on the $2 bill or another denomination, and the redesign did not advance during his first term.
The effort was revived under former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during the Biden administration. Yellen said the redesigned $20 bill would likely not be ready until 2030 because of the time required to incorporate advanced anti-counterfeiting features.
During a May 2025 congressional hearing, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, asked Bessent for an update on the Tubman redesign. "I can't, my staff will get back to you," he replied.
Big picture view:
No new historical figure has appeared on U.S. paper currency since 1928. At the same time, some officials in the Trump administration have backed proposals to place President Trump's portrait on a commemorative $250 bill marking the nation's 250th anniversary.
The Source: Reuters contributed to this report. The information comes primarily from an interview Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave to Spectrum News. This story was reported from Los Angeles.