A last ditch effort by House Republicans to keep Harriet Tubman off the $20 bill has failed.
According to Politico, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) attempted to stop the change by filing an amendment that would prohibit the Treasury Department from redesigning any currency that would show the abolitionist hero, but the Rules Committee denied floor consideration of the proposal.
King defended his stance, saying, “It’s not about Harriet Tubman, it’s about keeping the picture [President Andrew Jackson] on the $20, y’know? Why would you want to change that? I am a conservative, I like to keep what we have.” The Treasury announced in April that Jackson would appear on the back of the $20 bill.
Announcement of Harriet Tubman as Face of $20 Dollar Bill Has Black Twitter Too Lit
King added that it’s “racist” and “sexist” to say a person of color or woman should be added to currency. “Here’s what’s really happening: This is liberal activism on the part of the president that’s trying to identify people by categories, and he’s divided us on the lines of groups. … This is a divisive proposal on the part of the president, and mine’s unifying. It says just don’t change anything.”
Other Republicans agree with King, notably Donald Trump, who suggested that Tubman appear on the $2 bill. Still, King believes that changing our currency by adding people and women of color will bring about the fall of civilization, “President Obama’s on his way out the door, He’s going to do everything he can think of to upset this society and this civilization.”
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