U.S. Treasury Halts Plan to Put Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill

The U.S. Treasury Department has halted a decade-long plan to feature abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, leaving the portrait of President Andrew Jackson in place for the foreseeable future. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the decision in an interview with Spectrum News, stating, "We are not at present," when asked if the department was proceeding with the redesign. He did not elaborate on the reasons for stopping the initiative.

The proposal to place Tubman on the currency originated in 2016 during the Obama administration. Then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced that Tubman, who was born into slavery and helped hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad, would replace Jackson, making her the first African American to appear on the face of U.S. paper currency. The decision followed a public engagement process that generated thousands of responses.

The plan has faced repeated delays and political shifts across three presidential administrations. During his first campaign, former President Donald Trump criticized the move as "pure political correctness" and suggested Tubman be featured on a different denomination. Under his...