Senators Fight for Tubman $20

According to Spectrum News, Democratic senators are pushing the Treasury Department for answers after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed the Treasury had abandoned plans to place a portrait of Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. In a letter sent to Bessent on July 30, 10 senators requested an explanation of Bessent’s comment that the Trump administration is “not at present” planning to replace Andrew Jackson’s likeness with Tubman’s. The senators want to know “what factors informed the decision and whether the redesign has been permanently canceled or merely delayed.”

The letter was signed by Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware), Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), Adam Schiff (D-California), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon).

“While we acknowledge the creation of a new currency note is a multi-year process involving design, counterfeit protection and implementation into our financial system, the administration has released plans for a $250 bill depicting President Trump to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, a currency that would be illegal for the Treasury Department to issue under current law,” the senators wrote. “You also released plans for multiple coins featuring President Trump’s likeness for the semiquincentennial.” The senators continued, “If the administration is actively working on new currency notes, the administration should focus on the long-standing plan to feature Harriet Tubman rather than develop a new design.”

The senators requested a briefing on the matter from Bessent no later than August 12.