Treasury Secretary Mnuchin won't commit to putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill

A photo of Harriet Tubman.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

When asked Thursday about the Obama administration's plan to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he hasn't made a decision on implementing the proposal, because "right now, we've got a lot more important issues to focus on."

Mnuchin, who did not elaborate on what those important issues are, made his comments during an interview with CNBC; he said when he makes up his mind on the matter, it will be because of security concerns, not whose picture is on the bill. "The No. 1 issue why we change the currency is to stop counterfeiting," he said. "So, the issues of why we change it will be primarily related to what we need to do for security purposes. ... That's what I'm focused on for the moment."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.