Was Treasury official fired for opposing $250 bill featuring Trump's face?

On May 28, 2026, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent announced that President Donald Trump could soon appear on a new $250 bill. The move immediately sparked criticism — particularly because, as of this writing, federal law only allows deceased individuals to appear on bills. During the news conference, Bessent pointed to legislation before Congress to undo that requirement, saying, "We will stick to the law."

Earlier that same day, The Washington Post reported that two political appointees pressured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to prepare to print the bill, and that Treasury management "abruptly reassigned" the bureau's director, Patty Solimene, after she told them the bureau was not authorized to move forward with the bill's production, according to unnamed employees. Solimene also reportedly wrote an email to colleagues that The Post reviewed, in which she said her departure was not her choice.

Social media users then shared the news across numerous platforms, such as X and Reddit, with many accounts presenting as fact the claim that Solimene was forced out of her job and "reassigned" for refusing to move forward with the proposal to put Trump's face on a new $250 bill. For example, one Facebook post read, in part (archived):

Trump officials at the Treasury tried to put his face on a brand-new $250 bill — and when the career expert in charge said no, they shoved her out of the job ... After resisting the pressure, she says she was suddenly and "involuntarily" reassigned out of her role.

Solimene no longer works as the bureau's director. She has not publicly confirmed why she left the position, reportedly in April, and she declined to comment in an email to Snopes.

It is unclear what role, if any, she was "reassigned" to. The Washington Post said Solimene did not specify in her email to colleagues why she was reassigned and did not return the newspaper's calls seeking comment. According to her LinkedIn profile, as of this writing, she is "Open to Work" and has not listed a new place of employment (archived).

Solimene's profile on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing website was last archived on March 24. As of this writing, the page lists former Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party Michael Brown as acting director. According to The Post, Brown formerly worked as senior adviser to U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach. Together, they reportedly pressured staff to prepare prototypes of the bill. The Post's story read (emphasis ours), in part:

Because The Post's reporting was based on the testimony of four unnamed employees and an email Snopes has not independently reviewed, we have not rated this claim. Though it's unclear precisely why Solimene left her role, Snopes confirmed she no longer worked as director of the bureau.

A Treasury spokesperson said via email that they would not comment on personal matters when Snopes contacted the bureau seeking more information about Solimene's reported reassignment. The spokesperson also said Beach "never asked staff to print the $250 note before congressional action occurs." The Post did not allege Beach asked staff to print the $250 bill; rather, to "prepare prototypes of the note."

The Treasury spokesperson's statement read, in part:

In response to active legislation sponsored by Representative Joe Wilson, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence. Should this legislative mandate be signed into law, the [Bureau of Engraving and Printing] is moving proactively to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250^th Anniversary of our great nation.

The legislation introduced by Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, though it had not yet received a hearing, as of this writing. Snopes contacted Wilson's office seeking comment. We will update this story if we receive a response.