GOP measure could keep Tubman off $20 bill

A Republican lawmaker has offered a measure to stop several planned changes to US currency that would put women on the $5, $10 and $20 bills.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has filed an amendment to a House spending bill that would block money from being spent to redesign any Federal Reserve note or coin, first reported by the Associated Press.

{mosads}If passed, the measure could block the Treasury Department from putting Harriet Tubman on the front of the $20 bill.

Treasury announced in April that Tubman would replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, while Jackson would be moved to the back with an image of the White House. The back of the new $10 bill would feature women’s suffrage leaders, while the back of the $5 would feature prominent civil rights moments at the Lincoln Memorial.

American paper currency is primarily redesigned for security reasons, said Lew in April, but Treasury wanted to use the opportunity to feature more diversity.

“Americans care deeply about both the look and feel of their currency and the story each note tells,” Lew said.

The designs are scheduled to be revealed in 2020.