New Harriet Tubman $20 Bill Delayed, Release Date Pushed To 2028

Risking allegations of racism, Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin has postponed to 2028 the issuance of a new $20 bill featuring the image of African-American anti-slavery crusader and political activist Harriet Tubman.

The redesigned $20 bill was to have been issued in 2020 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Mnuchin said the long delay is due to “counterfeiting issues.”

He told Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), an African-American, as much during a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee.

“The primary reason we have looked at redesigning the currency is for counterfeiting issues,” said Mnuchin. “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.”

President Andrew Jackson, the populist soldier/statesman president Donald Trump has cited as one of his role models, appears on the face of the current $20 bill. Before he became president, Trump called the Obama administration’s decision to replace Jackson’s image with Tubman’s “pure political correctness.” He also proposed putting Tubman’s image on the $2 bill.

In April 2016, Mnuchin’s predecessor, Jack Lew, announced Tubman will replace Jackson on the front of the $20 bill.

“The decision to put Harriet Tubman on the new $20 was driven by thousands of responses we received from Americans young and old,” said Lew back then.

“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.”

Pressley took unkindly to Mnuchin’s decision, tweeting: “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.”

Earlier this year, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced a bill that orders the treasury department to print Tubman’s portrait on all new $20 bills starting 2021.

Speaking about Mnuchin’s decision, Shaheen said “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.”

The Women on 20s campaign said it’s “not surprised that Secretary Mnuchin may be kicking the design reveal of the $20 bill to sometime beyond the potential interference of a Trump presidency.”