Cortez Masto, Democratic Colleagues Urge Senate Committee to Block the Trump Dollar Coin

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and six of her Democratic colleagues sent a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, urging them to include language in next year's government funding package that prevents a living or sitting President from appearing on American coins, circulating or collectible. The language would also prevent a President's signature from appearing on currency. This petition comes amid reports that President Trump is moving forward with plans for the U.S. Mint to issue both a collectible gold coin and a circulating one-dollar coin with Trump's image on them and to sign dollar bills.

"While the bust of living monarchs and dictators have appeared on circulating world coins, a living President has never appeared on a circulating United States Coin," the Senators wrote in their letter. "In fact, George Washington strongly opposed having his image on U.S. coins during his presidency, viewing it as a contradiction to the war for independence from Kings. Placing the bust of a living president on a commemorative or circulating coin contradicts who we are as a nation."

The Senators requested that the following language be included in the 2027 government funding package:

"Congress prohibits the Department of the Treasury, U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing from minting any circulating or collectible coin with the likeness or signature of the sitting President or any living former President. No United States coin may be minted unless the design for that coin has been reviewed and recommended by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. The signature of the sitting President may not appear on any United States currency or security."

Senator Cortez Masto was joined in the letter by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

The full text of the letter can be found here.

Senator Cortez Masto has been fighting against President Trump's narcissistic attempt to put his face on American currency in every possible avenue. She has introduced legislation to block a living or sitting President from appearing on American coins or currency and urged Secretary Bessent to reject President Trump's proposal. She has fought against other forms of presidential corruption, introducing legislation to increase transparency for presidential inaugural committees and to crack down on crypto-related corruption by the President and other elected officials.

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