HUMBLE Presidents Act: banning president’s signature on money
Although Trump’s signature is so big that perhaps it won’t even fit on the dollar bill.
What the legislation does
The HUMBLE Presidents Act would ban the incumbent U.S. president’s signature from appearing on American money. This would apply to any president moving forward, not just Donald Trump.
The Senate version goes a little further than the House version, banning the president’s “name, signature, or likeness” not just on federal currency, but also federal property or “assets” such as the Kennedy Center or U.S. passports. By contrast, the House version only bans the president’s signature from currency.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA34) introduced the House version on April 2, then Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Senate version two weeks later on April 16.
The acronym HUMBLE in the Senate version’s title stands for Halting Unilateral Money and Building Labeling by Egotistical [Presidents]. The House version doesn’t appear to have an “official” title.
Context
Traditionally, paper currency bears the signatures of two people: the Treasury Secretary and the U.S. Treasurer, the subordinate official who oversees the physical production of money.
On March 26, Aidan McLaughlin broke the story for Vanity Fair that the government plans to include Trump’s signature, the first sitting president to do so.
Specifically, Trump would replace the U.S. Treasurer’s signature, although the office’s current occupant says he actually supports the move.
“The president’s mark on history as the architect of America’s Golden Age economic revival is undeniable,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a press release. “Printing his signature on the American currency is not only appropriate, but also well deserved.”
What supporters say
The legislation’s supporters argue that self-aggrandizement has no place on such a universally-recognized and used symbol of commerce.
“No sitting president should be allowed to use the nation’s currency to personally promote themselves,” Rep. Gomez said in a press release. “Trump wants to slap his name on buildings, airports, and now the dollar bill, but U.S. currency belongs to the American people, not the president. This is the kind of thing you see from dictators and wannabe strongmen who think the country belongs to them.”
“The president of the United States serves the people, not the other way around,” Sen. Gillibrand said in a separate press release. “Right now, working families… want their president bringing down costs and putting money back in their pockets, not spending time and taxpayer dollars on self-promotion. The [bill] would force our leaders to focus on the issues that truly matter to American families, not their own personal brand.”
What opponents say
Opponents counter that money is the physical embodiment of the economy and financial system, so Trump deserves to have his signature to reflect his accomplishments in those areas.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are on a path toward unprecedented economic growth, lasting dollar dominance, and fiscal strength and stability,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a press release. “There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President [Trump] than U.S dollar bills bearing his name.”
(Most economic metrics are indeed good right now: unemployment is low, inflation is picking up a bit but is still relatively low, and the stock market is high. But a few are bad: gas prices are approaching a potential record high and consumer sentiment just reached a new record low.)
What happens next
The House version has not yet attracted any cosponsors, not even any fellow Democrats. The Senate version has also not yet attracted any cosponsors, not even any fellow Democrats.
This lack of cosponsorship is a bit odd. You’d think Democrats would be eager to sign on to something like this?
It’s been referred to the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Odds of passage are low in the Republican-controlled Congress.