ICYMI: Shaheen Discusses Near Decade-Long Effort to Put Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill with WMUR

**Senator Shaheen has led efforts in the Senate for years pushing the U.S. Department of Treasury to feature Harriet Tubman’s likeness on the $20 bill.**

(Washington, DC) – Last week, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) spoke with WMUR to discuss the introduction of her bill, the Harriet Tubman Tribute Act of 2023, which renewed her nearly decade-long push to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.

Specifically, Shaheen’s bill would require the U.S. Department of Treasury to print all $20 Federal Reserve notes after December 31, 2030 bearing the likeness of Harriet Tubman. The legislation allows for a two-year delay – at most – to address any issues related to printing or counterfeiting. 

Senator Shaheen speaks with WMUR’s Steve Bottari.

During the segment, Shaheen noted that currency serves as a reflection of the country’s values and identity.

“It's about saying what we feature on our currency is symbolic of what we value, and it's time that we value women in the same way that we have valued male leadership in the country,” said Shaheen.

For years, Shaheen has urged U.S. Department of Treasury officials through three different administrations to feature Tubman’s likeness on the $20 bill. Tubman would be the first woman and Black American to be printed on a U.S. Federal Reserve note.

The segment can be viewed in full here. 

New Hampshire Public Radio also covered Shaheen's renewed effort, which can be found in full here.

Senator Shaheen has long led action in the Senate pushing for Harriet Tubman’s depiction on the $20 bill. In 2015, she called on the Obama administration to feature a woman on our currency through executive action, and introduced the bipartisan Harriet Tubman Tribute Act to require all $20 bills to bear Tubman’s likeness. During the Trump administration, Shaheen called on U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to release a detailed timeline on the $20 bill redesign to meet the 2020 deadline in conjunction with the 100-year anniversary of women’s suffrage. Secretary Mnuchin failed to provide such information and the Trump administration refused to make this a priority. Shaheen engaged with the Biden administration transition team before the President took office, urging his administration to make this a priority. In 2021, Shaheen, along with then-U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), sent a letter to current U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging the Department to prioritize putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.

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