Exposed: Obama Officials Reveal Truth About Trump 'Delay' of Harriet Tubman $20 Bill
On Sunday, The New York Times tweeted an article detailing the progression of Harriet Tubman appearing on the $20 bill, saying the “Trump administration recently delayed its release.”
However, that’s simply not the truth.
According to the Washington Post, former Obama administration officials said that there is no actual “delay” and claimed the publicized timeline for the Tubman bill’s anticipated 2020 release was not realistic.
“A confidential 2013 report by the Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence committee, an interagency group that oversees the redesign of U.S. currency, said the $20 bill would not enter circulation until 2030, similar to the timeline announced by the Trump administration,” the Washington Post reported.
That revelation was provided by Larry R. Felix and Leonard R. Olijar, the previous and current directors of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, respectively.
Those men were appointed by former President Barack Obama and both confirmed that the actual plan for the bill’s release was closer to 2030.
Former BEP director Felix told the Post that the public promises of a Tubman bill launch in 2020 “were not grounded in reality. The U.S. had not at the time acquired the security features to redesign and protect the notes.”
We obtained a preliminary design of the Harriet Tubman $20 bill. The Trump administration recently delayed its release. https://t.co/Jfnr0rUREt
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 14, 2019
In addition, Felix said he told officials in 2015 — before President Donald Trump’s election — that the bureau would have to push back the deadline.
Current BEP Director Olijar said the bureau “was never going to unveil a note design in 2020,” adding, “No Bureau or Department official has ‘scrapped’ anything.”
However, the left — including Democratic leadership — saw this “delay” as a prime opportunity to slam Trump with a mildly racist undertone.
“It is an insult to the hopes of millions that the Trump Administration is refusing to honor Harriet Tubman on our $20 bill. This unnecessary decision must be reversed,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted.
It is an insult to the hopes of millions that the Trump Administration is refusing to honor Harriet Tubman on our $20 bill. This unnecessary decision must be reversed.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 20, 2019
Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings also commented on the matter. “The Admin’s decision to delay this honor is unacceptable. I urge my colleagues to support my bill, the Harriet Tubman Tribute Act, to ensure Harriet Tubman is included on the $20 by 2020,” he said.
The Treasury Department had designs to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 in the works. The Admin’s decision to delay this honor is unacceptable. I urge my colleagues to support my bill, the Harriet Tubman Tribute Act, to ensure Harriet Tubman is included on the $20 by 2020. https://t.co/UVHqW2vWto
— Elijah E. Cummings (@RepCummings) June 14, 2019
Even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer jumped on the dog pile and slammed the Trump administration for “delaying” the Tubman $20 bill and insisted that her image is “long overdue.”
There are no women or people of color on our paper currency today, and there haven’t been for more than a century. The plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 note was a long overdue way to rectify that disparity. https://t.co/znLBjoqweQ
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 20, 2019
The comments by Felix and Olijar fall right in line with what current Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said last month: “The primary reason we’ve looked at redesigning the currency is for counterfeiting issues. Based upon this, the $20 bill will now not come out until 2028.”
The liberals in Congress are so strongly bent on trashing Trump and his administration that they are unwilling to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the obviously long and complex process of introducing brand new currency into American society — something that also carries serious security risks.
Spreading fake news about the currency change will continue to hurt Democrats as they inch toward the 2020 election, as many American voters are sick of hearing the constant name-calling and bickering over petty issues.
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