WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing is planning to potentially print a commemorative 250-USD bill with the image of President Donald Trump to mark the 250th anniversary of America, CNN reported Thursday.
A U.S. Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed the plans to CNN, saying it was conducting "appropriate planning and due diligence" in response to "active legislation."
Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina has introduced legislation that would "symbolically recognize the President of the United States during the Semiquincentennial anniversary," said the report, citing a press release from Wilson's office.
The Washington Post also reported on Thursday that Trump administration officials have pressed the office responsible for printing the nation's money to design a 250-USD bill featuring the president's portrait, citing four current and former employees, in what would be the first appearance of a living person on U.S. currency in more than 150 years.
Starting last year, two political appointees at the Treasury Department -- U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and his senior adviser, Mike Brown -- repeatedly urged staff at the agency's Bureau of Engraving and Printing to prepare prototypes of the note, the report added.
No living person has appeared on U.S. currency since 1866, when it was outlawed after the image of a mid-level Treasury bureaucrat showed up on a 5-cent note. Legislation that would allow Trump to appear on a 250-USD bill was introduced in U.S. Congress last year to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary but has languished, according to the report. ■