Congresswoman Beatty Reintroduces ‘Woman on the Twenty’ Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on Harriet Tubman Day, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) reintroduced the Woman on the Twenty Act, which sets design and print deadlines for the Treasury Department to feature abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. The effort, first announced in 2016, was halted under the first Trump Administration by then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Secretary Janet Yellen revived the project, placing it back on track to meet its 2030 target for circulation. Congresswoman Beatty is committed to ensuring Secretary Scott Bessent follows through on this long overdue effort.

“Almost a decade after Harriet Tubman’s selection to replace Andrew Jackson on the twenty-dollar bill was announced, Americans have yet to see meaningful progress on the bill’s design and release for use,” said Congresswoman Beatty. “After the first Trump Administration stopped work on the redesign, we are rightfully concerned about the process of making this needed change to our currency. I’m proud to have reintroduced this bill in the 119th Congress, bringing our country one step closer to fulfilling a promise made to the American people nearly a decade ago.”

“In a country where enslaved African Americans were once treated as commodities—bought, sold, and traded like currency—replacing slave-owner Andrew Jackson with abolitionist Harriet Tubman is a powerful way to honor our history and the heroes who fought for freedom,” Beatty continued. “As we celebrate Women’s History Month and approach our nation’s 250th birthday, it’s time our currency reflects both our founding fathers and the courageous mothers who shaped our democracy.”

The Congresswoman was joined by more than thirty Members of Congress in introducing this legislation.

Throughout her time in Congress, Beatty has fought to secure a woman on our nation's currency, with the following actions:

• In June 2015, she introduced the original Woman on the Twenty Act, directing the Secretary of the Treasury Department to create a citizens' panel to recommend a woman to be placed on a $20 bill. That same year, she spoke on the House floor in support of putting Harriet Tubman on the new $20 bill. 
• In April 2016, Beatty wrote a letter to then – Treasury Secretary Jack Lew calling on the Department to fast track the new note and have it in circulation by 2020. 
• In 2017, Beatty wrote then-Secretary Mnuchin, urging him to recommit to the redesign of the twenty-dollar bill featuring Harriet Tubman. 
• In 2019, Beatty led a press conference, joined by a group of more than 30 Members of Congress, on the steps of the U.S. Department of Treasury to demand the change. 
• In July 2021, Beatty sent a letter to Secretary Janet Yellen calling on the Treasury Department to provide an updated timeline for the reveal and circulation of all Federal Reserve notes currently undergoing the redesign process.
• In 2022, she authored an updated version of the Woman on the Twenty Act to prohibit any new $20 bills from being printed without an image of Tubman. 
  
   

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) has served Central Ohio’s working families in Congress since 2013. She is the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, co-chairs the bipartisan Financial Literacy and Wealth Creation Caucus, and is Chair Emerita of the Congressional Black Caucus. 

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