Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday that the redesign of the $20 bill which was to feature Harriet Tubman will not be unveiled in 2020.
Instead, the unveiling previously timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment will be pushed to 2028.
“The primary reason we have looked at redesigning the currency is for counterfeiting issues,” Mnuchin said in answer to questions from Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass). “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.”
“People other than white men built this country,” Pressley later tweeted. “And Sec Mnuchin agrees, yet he refuses to update our currency. Harriet Tubman, Marian Anderson, & Elanor Roosevelt are iconic Americans & this past time that our currency reflects that.”
People other than white men built this county. And Sec Mnuchin agrees, yet he refuses to update our #currency. #HarrietTubman #MarianAnderson & #EleanorRoosevelt are iconic Americans & its past time that our 💵 reflects that. #RepresentationMatters | https://t.co/nJmhiktHPm pic.twitter.com/hKQSR3Gl8P
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) May 22, 2019
Former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced the Tubman $20 design in 2016 after a 10-month process that included seeking input from the public.
“The decision to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 was driven by thousands of responses we received from Americans young and old,” Lew said during his announcement. He went on to tell reporters that he was “particularly struck” by how many children had responded saying that Tubman was a role model of leadership.
President Donald Trump had stated before the election he felt that the Tubman redesign was “pure political correctness” and proposed placing her on the $2 bill instead.
Jenn Bentley is a writer and editor originally from Cadiz, Kentucky. Her writing has been featured in publications such as The Examiner, The High Tech Society, FansShare, Yahoo News, and others. When she’s not writing or editing, Jenn spends her time raising money for Extra Life and advocating for autism awareness.
