In this Feb. 7, 2012 file photo, a wax likeness of the renowned abolitionist and conductor of the Underground Railroad Harriet Ross Tubman is unveiled at the Presidents Gallery by Madame Tussauds in Washington. With a change of administrations, it looks like Harriet Tubman is once again headed to the front of the $20 bill. Biden press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put the 19th century abolitionist leader on the $20 bill. Obama administration Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had selected Tubman to replace Andrew Jackson, the nation’s seventh president, on the $20 bill. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
By Martin Crutsinger
With a change of administrations, it looks like Harriet Tubman is once again headed to the front of the $20 bill.
Biden press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put the 19th century abolitionist leader on the $20 bill.
Obama administration Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had selected Tubman to replace Andrew Jackson, the nation's seventh president, on the $20 bill.
But Tubman's fate had been in doubt since the 2016 presidential campaign based on critical comments by then-candidate Donald Trump, who branded the move “pure political correctness.”
Trump administration Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin did not move forward with the decision by the Obama administration. Instead, Mnuchin in 2019 announced a delay in redesigning the $20 bill in order to redesign the $10 and $50 bills first to improve security features to thwart counterfeiters.
The unveiling of the redesigned $20 bill featuring Tubman, famous for her efforts spiriting slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad, had been timed by the Obama administration to coincide with the 100th anniversary of passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
Under the schedule Mnuchin announced in May 2019, the redesigned $20 bill would not have come out until 2028 with final designs for the bill not announced until 2026.
But Psaki told reporters during a briefing Monday that she and other officials were surprised to hear of the delays in putting Tubman on the $20 bill. With a change in administrations, she said the Treasury Department was taking steps to resume efforts to put Tubman on the $20 bill.
“It is important that our .... money reflect the history and diversity of our country and Harriet Tubman's image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that,” Psaki said. “We are exploring ways to speed up that effort.”
Psaki said specifics on a new timeline for introducing a redesigned $20 with Tubman would be announced when finalized by the Treasury Department. Biden has selected Janet Yellen to be his Treasury secretary, the first woman to hold that position in the department's 232 years.
Emily Tisch Sussman, senior advisor at Paid Leave US, joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to discuss paid leave being stripped from the latest budget bill and why it is crucial for parents to have paid time off. Sussman said the pandemic, in particular, highlighted the disparity between women, who left the work force in droves to care for family, and men who continue to work and be rehired as impacted sectors of the economy return.
The Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq each ended Friday's session at a record high as stocks rallied into the green. Chris Vecchio, Senior Analyst at DailyFX, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says this was an 'October to remember' for Wall Street.
Alex Gangitano, White House Correspondent for The Hill, joined Cheddar to discuss the chaos surrounding democrats in congress as they try to advance President Biden's agenda.
Kathy Mulvey, the Accountability Campaign Director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, joined Cheddar News to break down Thursday's congressional hearing on climate change with big oil executives and lobbyists.
Carlo and Baker cover Facebook's big rebrand, the latest on Biden's economic agenda and more. Plus, ranking the best Halloween candy and the worst couple's costumes.
As President Joe Biden heads to Europe for the G20 and the United Nations COP26 climate meeting, he has announced a new $1.75 trillion spending framework. Senate Democrats are reportedly close to agreeing on passing the legislation, but it hangs in the balance as President Biden and other world leaders will meet at COP26 and Biden looks to proclaim the U.S. a leader on climate issues. Vox Senior Reporter Rebecca Leber joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the $555 billion worth of clean energy initiatives Biden included in the framework, and how Democrats' continuing negotiations undermine U.S. climate leadership.
Christopher Romaka, advocacy lead at Good Counsel Services, explains how the non-profit is still working to get Afghan refugees out of the country, which fell to the Taliban back in August.
