Mnuchin says no plan to speed up production of new Harriet Tubman $20 bill
WASHINGTON - Despite recent protests nationwide for justice for African-Americans, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday there is no plan to speed up the production of a new version of the $20 bill featuring American abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
A portrait of Harriet Tubman (ca. 1820-1913). Tubman, herself an escaped slave, helped hundreds of slaves escape the South by means of the Underground Railroad. She nursed Union troops during the Civil War and took on spying missions at great persona
“I just want to clarify that we have not changed any of this and this is something in the distant future,” Mnuchin told reporters on a video call.
He noted that the $20 bill is the most widely printed currency and a new version is not scheduled to be released until 2030.
Removing Confederate history
The nationwide protests in the name of George Floyd have not only sparked growing calls to remove Confederate statues, but the impact is wide-reaching -- now impacting pop culture and the entertainment world.
The current focus is to update sophisticated anti-counterfeit technology in American currency, which includes new printing equipment: to design security features and design the printing process.
The updated bill was proposed to feature more gender and racial diversity on U.S. currency and was intended to be unveiled in 2020 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees women the right to vote.
It was postponed to better develop anti-counterfeit methods for the bill, Mnuchin explained back in 2019.