Former Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew announced last year that Harriet Tubman will replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 note. This was an administrative change, however, which can easily reversed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Security is the primary reason behind the currency redesign and the new $20 note is expected to be released after 2026, Lydia Washington, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, told The Daily Caller. “The redesign of the next currency series is still in the early stages and the Secretary of the Treasury approves all final currency designs,” Washington said.
A Department of Treasury website continues to say that the new $20 note will feature a portrait of Tubman.
Mnuchin faced no questions during the confirmation process about whether he supports the proposed change by the Obama administration, and the Department of Treasury has not responded to repeated requests for comment. If Mnuchin were to follow President Donald Trump, then he will likely reverse Lew’s decision.
“Andrew Jackson had a great history. I think it’s very rough when you take somebody off the bill,” the president said in April. Trump added that Lew’s decision was “pure political correctness” and that “maybe” Tubman could do on the $2 note.
Trump has continued to express his admiration for the populist Jackson after taking office and has moved a portrait of the former president into the Oval Office.