Fmr Obama Officials Reportedly Saying Trump Admin Not Interfering With Harriet Tubman $20 Bill Schedule

A new report suggests that Harriet Tubman‘s debut on the $20 bill might not be delayed because of pushback from the Trump Administration, as has been previously suggested by critics.

Back in May, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that Tubman wouldn’t get on the currency during his tenure because the bill wouldn’t be produced until 2028. Washington Post reports that the new bills with the 19th century abolitionist wouldn’t be released until 2030, but Mnuchin is, in fact, following the Obama Administration’s timeline for modifying the currency.

The Post says that in 2016, Obama Treasury Secretary Jack Lew affirmed that a “final concept design” of the Tubman bill, but he also wanted to speed up the redesign process to get it out in time for the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. However, former Bureau of Engraving and Printing director Larry Felix, two Obama-appointed government officials, and an old report from the Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence committee all suggested that a 2020 deadline might not have been possible.

“Those announcements were not grounded in reality,” Felix said. “The U.S. had not at the time acquired the security features to redesign and protect the notes.”

From the report:

Felix and other senior officials believed it would not be possible to release a “concept” design of Tubman on the $20 in 2020, given that these designs are never released several years — much less an entire decade — before they enter circulation.

The Treasury can release “concept” designs before the currency enters circulation in the economy, but it has never done so more than a year in advance, according to a spokesperson for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The spokesperson said the precaution is aimed at depriving hackers and other counterfeiters from having additional time to prepare for new denominations.

Felix said he told Treasury officials before leaving in 2015 that their plans to introduce a new $20 design in 2020 were not feasible, given how much security work still had to be done.

[featured image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

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