Gov. Hogan Asks Mnuchin To Reconsider Decision On Tubman $20 Bill

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is urging Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to reconsider delaying the redesign of the $20 bill to feature abolitionist leader Harriet Tubman.

“Dorchester County, Maryland is incredibly proud to be a steward of Harriet Tubman’s lasting legacy, but her influence reaches far beyond the borders of our great state,” Hogan wrote. “I hope that your department will reconsider its decision and instead join our efforts to promptly memorialize Tubman’s life and many achievements.”

Tubman was born on Maryland's Eastern Shore. She escaped from slavery to become a leading abolitionist and helped other slaves escape through the Underground Railroad. Nicknamed "Moses," she guided some 70 slaves during her trips to the Eastern Shore and instructed dozens more who escaped. During the Civil War, she served as a nurse, aiding Union soldiers suffering from dysentery and smallpox. She later led an armed assault on plantations in South Carolina, freeing more than 750 slaves.

However, Tubman was denied a pension until the late 1890s, when she was granted one by an act of Congress. She also continued as an activist, speaking out in favor of women's suffrage. Tubman died of pneumonia in 1913.

The Tubman redesign was initially scheduled to be released next year. Andrew Jackson, the nation's seventh president, is now on the $20 bill. The change was first announced in 2016 by Mnuchin's predecessor, Jacob Lew.

Mnuchin said the delay had been prompted by the decision to redesign the $10 bill and the $50 bill first for security reasons. He has said the decision on whether to keep Tubman on the redesigned $20 will be left to whoever is treasury secretary in 2026. Mnuchin and President Donald Trump have been cool to the change in the past. As a candidate, Trump praised Jackson for his "history of tremendous success" and said the change was "pure political correctness."

"I am incredibly disappointed to hear that now, citizens across Maryland and the country will instead have to wait nearly a decade for this new bill to reach general circulation," Hogan wrote.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.