Preliminary Harriet Tubman $20 Bill Design Leaks: New York Times

An early design of the updated $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman was leaked and made public Friday, just weeks after the Treasury Department said it was delaying the redesign until 2028.

The image was obtained and published by The New York Times, which reported that "extensive work was well underway" within the government's Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the bill when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced the delay.

The postponement dismayed many Americans who are eager to see the famed abolitionist and architect of the Underground Railroad on the bill. Tubman would also be the first African American depicted on U.S. currency.

The idea of replacing President Andrew Jackson with Tubman on the $20 bills was first introduced by President Obama, who set a 2020 deadline for the unveiling.

"The $20 dollar bill will now not come out until 2028," Secretary Mnuchin told the House Financial Services Committee on May 22, citing security and counterfeit concerns. "The ultimate decision on the redesign will most likely be another secretary's down the road."

Critics argue, however, that the decision to delay the bill for nearly a decade was to avoid drawing the ire of President Trump, who routinely praises Jackson and considers himself to be of the same populous ilk. Trump even put a portrait of Jackon aside his desk in the Oval Office — a controversial selection given Jackson's legacy of the Trail of Tears and background as a wealthy slave owner.

"I think it is pure political correctness," then-candidate Trump said of the Tubman bill to NBC's Today show in 2016. "Andrew Jackson had a great history, and I think it is very rough when you take somebody off the bill."

The decision to delay was heavily criticized across the political spectrum.

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland — Tubman's home state — sent a letter early this week to Mnuchin expressing his disappointment in the delay and urging the government to reconsider.

Tubman's "dedicated her life in selfless service to others and to the cause of freedom. Her unbelievable acts of heroism, courage, and sacrifice have more than earned her rightful place among our nation's most pivotal leaders. She deserves this honor," Hogan wrote.

After escaping slavery herself, Tubman helped an estimated 300 slaves escape to free northern states through the Underground Railroad. She also worked as a cook and a nurse during the Civil War and participated in the Union Army's raids along the Combahee River in South Carolina, which freed roughly 700 slaves. Tubman died in 1913 at the age of 93.

The Trump administration also has been facing increased pressure from lawmakers to expedite the $20 bill overhaul.

In February, Republican Rep. John Katko of New York — Tubman's burial state — introduced The Harriet Tubman Tribute Act of 2019 that would require the Treasury to complete the redesign and print the $20 bill that bear the likeness of Harriet Tubman.

A separate bill was also introduced by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) earlier this month, which would require all $20 bills printed after December 31, 2022 to feature a portrait of Tubman.

"I strongly oppose the Trump Administration's unreasonable decision to indefinitely delay the release of the new $20 bill with no real plan of action," Beatty said in a statement. "The new $20 is desperately needed, as the last new design occurred nearly a century ago and was determined by the American people to better reflect the diversity of our great country."

This article was originally published by Cheddar on June 14, 2019.