SALT LAKE CITY — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed Wednesday that there won’t be a redesigned $20 bill anytime soon, according to The Associated Press.
Mnuchin said Wednesday that the $20 bill’s redesign, which was to feature abolitionist Harriet Tubman, will be delayed until 2028.
Mnuchin said the redesign is being delayed due to "counterfeiting issues."
“The primary reason we have looked at redesigning the currency is for counterfeiting issues,” Mnuchin said in response to questions by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., during a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee, according to CNBC. “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.”
Mnuchin’s predecessor, Jacob Lew, established the redesign under the Obama administration. This would make Tubman the first person of color and first woman on paper currency, according to the Deseret News.
“The decision to put Harriet Tubman on the new $20 was driven by thousands of responses we received from Americans young and old,” Lew said at the time. “I have been particularly struck by the many comments and reactions from children for whom Harriet Tubman is not just a historical figure, but a role model for leadership and participation in our democracy.”
President Donald Trump said during the 2016 election cycle that putting Tubman on the $20 bill was “pure political correctness.” He suggested adding her to the $2 bill.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., previously introduced a bill that would have put her image on the bill in 2021. In a statement, she said that “this delay sends an unmistakable message to women and girls, and communities of color, who were promised they’d see Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.”
“The needless foot-dragging on this important effort is unacceptable. Our currency tells our country’s story and it is past time to honor the contributions of Harriet Tubman,” Shaheen said.