House Republicans' efforts to prevent Harriet Tubman from replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill have failed, according to a report.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) filed an amendment attempting to head off the change, which was announced this past April. The House Rules Committee decided not to allow a vote on the amendment, thus killing its chances.
King denied that his stand against the new $20 had anything at all to do with the abolitionist icon.
"It's not about Harriet Tubman, it's about keeping the picture on the $20," he said. "Why would you want to change that? I am a conservative, I like to keep what we have."
Politico quoted King as saying that it was "racist" and "sexist" to say a person of color or a woman should be added to U.S. currency.
"Here's what's really happening: This is liberal activism on the part of the president that's trying to identify people by categories, and he's divided us on the lines of groups," he explained. "This is a divisive proposal on the part of the president, and mine's unifying. It says just don't change anything."
Unsurprisingly, many people were not buying King's reasoning.
Putting Tubman on the $20 bill has overwhelming public support: 53 percent overall, with 80 percent of African Americans in favor of the move, according to one survey.
