Treasury hints that proposed Tubman $20 bill might be dead

Trump Administration says changing the currency not a priority
This image provided by the Library of Congress shows Harriet Tubman, between 1860 and 1875. On April 20, 2016, then-Secretary Jacob Lew announced that he was putting Tubman on the $20 bill, making her the first woman on U.S. paper currency in 100 years. That all might soon change.

This image provided by the Library of Congress shows Harriet Tubman, between 1860 and 1875. On April 20, 2016, then-Secretary Jacob Lew announced that he was putting Tubman on the $20 bill, making her the first woman on U.S. paper currency in 100 years. That all might soon change.

From the end of the Civil War until her death in 1913, Harriet Tubman earned a monthly pension of $20 for her service as a scout and a nurse during the war.

As part of a 2016 proposal by the Obama Administration, Tubman was set to grace the front of a revamped $20 bill. Making her the first African-American to ever grace U.S. currency.

But earlier this week, the Trump Administration, in a signal that the proposal might soon die, said changing the face of the currency was not a priority.

"Right now we've got a lot more important issues to focus on," said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who was echoing earlier sentiments by President Donald Trump, who has always been against putting Tubman on the $20 and replacing his hero, Andrew Jackson.

"I would say that we have been aware that from the time of Trump's election that he was opposed to this," said Susan Ades Stone, whose organization initially approached Obama about the change. "We are not surprised that Mnuchin is taking this backburner approach to the currency change. So we are pessimistic."