1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I urge you to reject efforts to place Donald Trump’s likeness on any U.S. currency. Federal law strictly prohibits any living person from being depicted on U.S. currency. This ban is codified in 31 U.S.C. § 5114(b) for paper money and 31 U.S.C. § 5112 for coins, which explicitly state that only the portraits of deceased individuals may appear. [1 (https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/posts/trump-administration-officials-have-pushed-the-office-tasked-with-printing-the-n/1418063530180523/), 2 (https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/posts/trump-administration-officials-have-pushed-the-office-tasked-with-printing-the-n/1417820906871452/), 3 (https://www.facebook.com/washingtonpost/posts/breaking-news-trump-administration-officials-have-pressed-the-bureau-of-engravin/1360346812623857/)] • Origins: The restriction, known as the Thayer Amendment, was passed in 1866. It originated after a Treasury official, Spencer M. Clark, put his own face on a 5-cent fractional paper note, causing a major scandal that led Congress to outlaw living faces to prevent self-aggrandizement and avoid the appearance of a monarchy. [1 (https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/living-presidents-people-on-us-coins?srsltid=AfmBOoqlNjFOAZ08-QbS_c1jXXD8eoGi1zDzqzKYX8XMSPVTvafJyk4n), 2 (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Can-a-Living-Person-Appear-on-US-Currency), 3 (https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/videos/watch/trump-wants-to-be-on-a-coin-thats-illegal_for-a-reason), 4 (https://www.facebook.com/ocregister/posts/current-law-forbids-anyone-who-is-still-living-from-being-featured-on-us-currenc/1366614988848250/)] • Presidents on Coins: Specific legislation, such as the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, further restricts coin series to deceased individuals and enforces a mandatory two-year waiting period after a president's death before they can be featured on legal tender. [1 (https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/living-presidents-people-on-us-coins?srsltid=AfmBOoqlNjFOAZ08-QbS_c1jXXD8eoGi1zDzqzKYX8XMSPVTvafJyk4n)] • Exceptions: While the law explicitly restricts portraits on currency, there have been extremely rare exceptions for living individuals on commemorative, non-circulating coins, such as a 1926 half-dollar featuring President Calvin Coolidge and a 1995 silver dollar featuring Eunice Kennedy Shriver. [1 (https://www.govmint.com/learn/post/living-presidents-people-on-us-coins?srsltid=AfmBOoqlNjFOAZ08-QbS_c1jXXD8eoGi1zDzqzKYX8XMSPVTvafJyk4n)] Because the prohibition is law, the sitting administration cannot independently put a living president's portrait or signature onto circulating notes or bills without Congress passing new legislation to create a specific exception.