The Treasury Department has dropped an Obama-era plan to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
“Is Treasury still planning to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill?” Spectrum News asked Bessent.
“We are not at present,” he responded.
🚨Just in: The Treasury Department has scrapped plans for Harriet Tubman to be placed on the $20 Bill
This means President Andrew Jackson will remain on the $20 Bill for years to come pic.twitter.com/WQYw5sP18I
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) July 8, 2026
Spectrum News has more:
The Trump administration’s handling of the planned Tubman $20 is markedly different than its approach to creating a potential new $250 bill featuring Trump’s image to mark the country’s 250th birthday. The administration has signaled it is ready to produce the new bill quickly if Congress gives its approval.
When asked Monday why the Treasury Department is not moving forward with a $20 note with Tubman’s image while making preparations for a $250 bill with Trump’s portrait, Bessent responded, “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.”
ADVERTISEMENTTrump has previously been critical of putting Tubman on the $20 bill, calling it “pure political correctness” while on the campaign trail in 2016. He suggested she be featured on a different denomination.
According to the outlet, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has been introducing legislation since 2015 to place Tubman on the $20 bill.
“Commemorating Harriet Tubman would have been the perfect way to honor the women who helped build this country and bravely stood up for freedom and equality throughout our nation’s remarkable 250-year history,” Shaheen said in a statement, according to Spectrum News.
“Though Secretary Bessent may be more interested in illegally plastering Donald Trump’s image on a $250 bill, putting a woman on a U.S. bill remains long overdue, and I will keep focusing on finding a path to honor Harriet Tubman’s patriotism and sacrifice,” she added.
🇺🇸 Harriet Tubman will NOT be replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
Treasury Sec. Bessent confirmed yesterday the Trump admin has scrapped the plan, which has now been shelved, revived, and shelved again across 3 consecutive presidencies.
Democrats who favored the move… pic.twitter.com/bUSIOunC87
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 8, 2026
The Hill shared further:
The Biden administration attempted to speed up the release of $20 bills with the famous abolitionist after the first Trump administration shelved the move first kicked off by the Obama administration.
“The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes,” former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a news briefing in January 2021.
Psaki said the department was “exploring ways to speed up the process” and stated the U.S.’s money should “reflect the history and diversity of our country, and Harriet Tubman’s image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that.”
Ten years ago, the push to swap former President Jackson with Tubman on the front of the bill began under former President Obama. The bill was originally set to be unveiled in 2020, in line with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
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