Trump’s $250 Bill Is Nice. But Reconciliation 3.0 Should Come First.

Leave it to the legacy media to turn a commemorative currency proposal into a five-alarm constitutional crisis.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the scene at last week’s White House press briefing when CNN’s Kaitlan Collins confronted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about a proposed $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump.

“Do you think politically it’s a good idea to put his face on a $250 bill when people are struggling to afford gas and groceries?” Collins asked.

Bessent, armed with a printout of a “terribly written, terribly edited” Washington Post story, pushed back on Collins’ suggestion that it would be ill-advised to proceed with the idea.

“I don’t think that there’s anything untoward about having the president of the United States, that the person who was president of the United States on the 250th anniversary bill,” Bessent told her.

I agree with Bessent, and I said as much during an appearance on “CNN This Morning” when asked a similar question by host Audie Cornish.

Commemorative Currency

As Bessent correctly noted, it would take an act of Congress before the Treasury Department could proceed with any commemorative currency featuring Trump’s likeness. The legislation to authorize it, the “Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act,” was introduced by Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina in December. It hasn’t passed Congress yet, but that didn’t stop the media meltdown from arriving right on schedule.

The $250 bill isn’t a vanity project. It is commemorative currency tied to one of the most significant milestones in American history. And there’s precedent for doing so: President Calvin Coolidge appeared on a U.S. coin 100 years ago for the 150th anniversary.

But here’s my stipulation: Before Congress considers any such bill, it first needs to commit to passing Reconciliation 3.0.

Yes, I know that Congress still hasn’t passed Reconciliation 2.0 to fund ICE and Border Patrol. Due to a series of Senate miscues, that’s dragged on far longer than necessary. Lawmakers will hopefully get that done this week. And once they are finished, it’s time for lawmakers to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

One year ago, Congress was working frantically to meet Trump’s July 4, 2025, deadline to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill, also known as the Working Families Tax Cut. They did, and Reconciliation 1.0 delivered on many of the campaign promises Trump made in 2024.

Americans benefited greatly from the legislation, perhaps most notably in the form of tax refunds. According to the IRS, the average refund this year was $3,462, an 11% increase from last year.

Reconciliation 3.0

At a time when cost-of-living concerns are top of mind for many Americans, it makes perfect sense to embark on another reconciliation bill to lower taxes, reduce regulation, spark energy production, and cut wasteful government spending. Reconciliation 3.0 is the legislative vehicle to get it done.

That’s the argument I started to make on CNN before the conversation moved on.

At a moment when the White House needs Americans to feel optimistic about the economy, a commemorative $250 bill probably isn’t the story it wants in the news cycle. The administration’s most important job right now is making the case that better days are ahead—not handing the press a shiny object to chase.

That’s why Congress should do its part to help. With a dwindling number of days on the legislative calendar, lawmakers should set another July 4 deadline to deliver Trump a bill he can sign on America’s birthday.

If Congress wants to give Americans a birthday present worth celebrating, it’s a reconciliation bill that delivers on the promises that got Trump re-elected and helps the American people with their personal finances. Pass Reconciliation 3.0, and maybe then we can talk about whose face goes on our money.