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Senators press U.S. Mint nominee on reports of proposed Trump coin and adherence to 1866 law
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Summary
Paul Hollis, nominee to head the United States Mint, told senators he would follow the law after lawmakers asked about reports the Treasury and Mint discussed a $1 coin bearing President Trump’s likeness and about the schedule for the Harriet Tubman $20 initiative.
Paul Hollis, the nominee to serve as director of the United States Mint, told the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs that he would comply with applicable law after senators raised media reports that Treasury and the Mint had discussed minting a circulating dollar coin bearing President Trump’s likeness.
Senators cited a law passed by Congress in 1866 that they said forbids placing the portrait of a living person on U.S. currency and asked Hollis whether he would participate in or approve any coinage that violated that prohibition. Hollis responded that, if confirmed, he would consult legal counsel and assured the committee he would always comply with the law.
Lawmakers also asked Hollis to support efforts to keep the Harriet Tubman $20 bill project on schedule. Hollis said that currency production and design matters are primarily handled by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, but he pledged to work within the broader Treasury ecosystem and with legal staff to ensure compliance and good process.
On his background, Hollis described a decades‑long career in numismatics, public service in Louisiana and authorship on U.S. coinage history. He said that if confirmed he would seek additional efficiencies in Mint operations and return to Congress with annual reports on Mint finances.
The committee requested written follow‑up and documentation; no confirmation vote was taken during the hearing.
