Oppose Treasury’s Plan To Put Trump’s Signature On U.S. Paper Money

THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO TURN NATIONAL CURRENCY INTO A PRESIDENTIAL SYMBOL As a constituent, I urge you to speak out publicly and immediately - before this policy is implemented - against the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s announced plan to place Donald Trump’s signature on future U.S. paper currency. Recent reporting indicates that the Treasury Department is planning to place the President’s signature alongside the Treasury Secretary’s, marking what would be the first such use of a sitting president’s signature in American history. American currency has never carried the personal signature of a sitting president - and Congress should not allow it to begin now. THIS PLAN BREAKS A 165-YEAR PRACTICE AND RISKS OPENING THE DOOR TO FURTHER PERSONALIZATION OF NATIONAL SYMBOLS For more than a century and a half, U.S. paper currency has carried the signatures of Treasury financial officers rather than the personal signature of a sitting president. This proposal stands out precisely because it departs so sharply from what Americans have long understood their currency to represent. If left unchecked, this precedent could be expanded by future administrations to include additional forms of personalization of U.S. currency and other national symbols. CONGRESS MUST TREAT THIS AS AN INSTITUTIONAL, FISCAL, AND PUBLIC TRUST ISSUE - NOT A ROUTINE DESIGN CHANGE While Treasury has authority over currency design, that authority has historically been exercised within clear institutional norms that avoid personalizing national symbols. Placing the personal signature of a sitting president on U.S. currency risks transforming a national instrument into a vehicle for political identity. It also raises serious concerns about precedent, institutional integrity, and the proper limits of executive discretion. This change would require redesign, re-engraving, and phased printing of new currency. That, in turn, raises legitimate questions about cost, prioritization, and administrative justification - especially at a time when Treasury resources are already committed to major currency modernization efforts. CONGRESS HAS BOTH THE AUTHORITY AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO SET CLEAR LEGAL LIMITS AND CONDUCT OVERSIGHT Congress has clear authority to establish statutory boundaries governing U.S. currency design. Federal law and longstanding practice have consistently avoided placing living political figures on U.S. currency and coinage. This reflects a core principle: national symbols represent the nation - not any current officeholder. This is not a partisan issue - it is an institutional one. Americans expect their currency to reflect continuity, stability, and national identity, not the personal identity of current political leadership. YOUR OFFICE MUST ACT NOW BEFORE THIS PRECEDENT IS IMPLEMENTED AND NORMALIZED Please take the following actions immediately: (1) Speak out publicly by issuing a clear statement opposing the Treasury Department’s plan to place a sitting president’s signature on U.S. paper currency. (2) Call for prompt Congressional oversight hearings - including referral to the relevant oversight committees - to investigate the legal basis, decision-making process, costs, and policy rationale behind this change, including whether this action exceeds Treasury’s historical and intended authority. (3) Support and introduce legislation explicitly prohibiting the signature of any sitting president from appearing on U.S. paper currency. (4) Support and introduce legislation prohibiting the likeness or image of any sitting president from appearing on U.S. coinage or paper currency. CONGRESS MUST REASSERT THAT U.S. CURRENCY REFLECTS THE REPUBLIC, NOT THE PERSON WHO HAPPENS TO HOLD OFFICE If Congress does not act now, this decision risks establishing a precedent that future administrations may expand. Over time, that could further erode the longstanding separation between national symbols and individual political figures. U.S. currency should reflect the Republic - not the person who happens to hold office today. Thank you.