Treasury Prepares $250 Bill Featuring Trump Pending Congressional Approval
Treasury has planned a $250 note with President Trump’s portrait and signature but says Congress must change law banning living people on U.S. currency before it can be issued.
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Overview
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Bureau of Engraving and Printing has prepared a $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump and is awaiting congressional action.
The proposal would require changing a federal law that prohibits living persons on U.S. currency and stems from legislation introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson and referred to the House Financial Services Committee in February 2025.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries publicly rejected the idea, and Treasury Treasurer Brandon Beach and Secretary Bessent have pushed including Trump’s signature on the note, according to officials and spokespeople.
Supporters say the note would mark the country’s 250th anniversary and would be the first living person on U.S. currency in more than 150 years, while a federal commission approved a Trump design for commemorative gold coins.
The measure remains stalled but was greenlit for a future committee hearing, would need House and Senate approval and the president’s signature, and would expire at the end of the 119th Congress if not enacted.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this as a controversial, administration-driven move by emphasizing planning language ('pushed', 'conducting appropriate planning'), limited congressional support ('stuck in committee', 'small sum of cosponsors'), and juxtaposing the proposal with Americans' financial struggles. They foreground Treasury officials' defenses while omitting direct Democratic or independent criticisms.