The Treasury Department is preparing a mock-up of a $250 note featuring President Trump’s portrait for the nation’s 250th birthday. U.S. currency currently allows portraits only of deceased individuals, and the Treasury secretary said that policy would not change without legislation passed by Congress. Political appointees asked the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to begin preparations for the new note. The effort has generated controversy within the bureau and coincided with the abrupt reassignment of the bureau’s former director. The former director stated that the reassignment was not her choice and emphasized prioritizing the U.S. Currency Program and employee value to the mission.
"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that his agency had been working on a mock-up of a $250 note bearing the face of President Trump in preparation for an addition to the nation's paper currency that would for the first time include the portrait of a living president. Such a move would represent a dramatic remaking of American money, which currently is only allowed to bear the image of the deceased."
"Mr. Bessent acknowledged that political appointees at the Treasury Department had asked the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to begin preparations for the new currency. The push to create a new note on the fly has stirred controversy within the bureau, which is part of the Treasury Department, and coincided with the abrupt reassignment last month of its former director, Patricia Solimene."
"I don't think that there's anything untoward about having the person who is president of United States on the 250th anniversary bill, Mr. Bessent said at the White House. The Treasury secretary noted that at present, no living person can be on U.S. currency and said there would be no changes to that policy unless Congress passed proposed legislation allowing Mr. Trump's portrait to appear on a $250 note."
"In a note to staff that was reviewed by The New York Times, Ms. Solimene wrote that her move to another part of Treasury was not her choice. I have never sacrificed the values or character of myself or the organization and always prioritized the U.S. Currency Program and the value each employee brings to the mission, Ms. Solimene wrote before signing off with: The buck stopped here."
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