The Westchester County Press Post Office Box 152, White Plains, NY 10602
97 YEARS
VOL. XCVII NO. 33
County Press The Westchester
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID WHITE PLANS, NY PERMIT # 5069
“Documenting Our History for the Future.”
ISSN 0043-3373
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2026
MEMBER OF NNPA
Trump Administration Halts Harriet Tubman $20 Bill Redesign Special to BlackPressUSA
(Photo Credit: Black PressUSA)
The Trump administration has halted plans to place abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, ending a decade-long effort that began under President Barack Obama’s administration and was revived under President Joe Biden. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last Monday that the department is “not at present” moving forward with the redesign, prompting criticism from Democratic lawmakers who argue the decision abandons years of bipartisan work to recognize one of the nation’s most influential figures in the fight against slavery. The proposed redesign would have replaced former President Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill with Tubman, who was born
enslaved in Maryland in the early 1820s and later became one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom. Had the redesign been completed, Tubman would have become the first Black American featured on U.S. paper currency. The effort to place Tubman on the $20 bill began during the Obama administration in 2016, when then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced plans for a major redesign of U.S. currency. The announcement came as part of a broader effort to feature more women and civil rights figures on American money, with the Treasury initially aiming
TUBMAN $20 BILL, Cont’d. on page 8
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