Items priced at exactly $2.50 include a mug reading ‘Major League Grandpa,’ a water bottle saying ‘Proud Military,’ and a New Orleans Saints 3D magnet.
What the bill does
The $2.50 for America’s 250th Act would create a new $2.50 coin for the Declaration of Independence’s upcoming milestone anniversary in 2026.
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL4) introduced the House version on September 30, while Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced the Senate version that same day.
Unrelated to the reported Trump coin
A recent controversial draft design would depict President Donald Trump on a potential new $1 coin, also tied to the Declaration’s upcoming 250th anniversary. To clarify: this legislation is bipartisan and completely separate from that.
Five years ago, Congress enacted the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which allowed the government to mint a new $1 coin design for the Declaration’s anniversary in 2026. However, Congress didn’t specify who or what this design would depict, leaving the decision up to the Treasury.
Trump’s U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach confirmed the leaked drafts depicting Trump himself were real and under consideration, though no final decision has yet been made on whether to depict him after all.
This bill is distinct in two ways: it relates to a potential new $2.50 coin rather than the $1 coin, plus the actual designs are specified in the legislative language.
The design
So, if enacted, what would the $2.50 coin depict?
The coin’s design would replicate the 1926 design used a century ago during the Declaration’s 150th anniversary. The front depicted Lady Liberty holding the Declaration in one hand and a torch in the other, while the back depicted Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where the document was originally signed.
That coin was also worth $2.50, even though it marked the Declaration’s 150th anniversary, rather than the 250th. (It was worth a lot more then than the current version would be, though: $2.50 back in 1926 would be worth approximately $46 today.)
Indeed, the $2.50 coin actually has a long history, though it’s now little known outside the numismatics community. A $2.50 coin was minted for more than half the country’s duration, from 1796 to 1929. For example, a 1925 design for the $2.50 coin depicted a Native American man in traditional headdress on the front and an eagle on the back.
What supporters say
Supporters argue that a new coin would help encourage patriotism and national pride during an important upcoming anniversary.
“The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a turning point in the history of the United States and the world, one that warrants national recognition,” Rep. Aderholt said in a press release. “[This bill] recognizes this importance through a meaningful coin that links our nation’s past to its present and future.”
“As America’s 250th birthday approaches, my legislation revives a 100-year-old tradition that celebrates our founding principles and joins a new generation of Americans with those who celebrated our nation’s founding 100 years ago,” Sen. Lummis said in a separate press release. “[The bill would] celebrate the values we hold so dear and create a lasting tribute families can treasure for generations.”
Odds of passage
The House version has attracted 45 cosponsors: 26 Republicans and 19 Democrats. It awaits a potential vote in the House Financial Services Committee.
The Senate version has attracted five bipartisan cosponsors: three Republicans and two Democrats. It awaits a potential vote in the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
The Fulcrum was unable to locate any explicit statements of opposition. The aforementioned Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which allowed for a new $1 coin in 2026, passed without objection in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate.
Similar bills
The Fulcrum recently covered another congressional bill related to the Declaration’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration: legislation for Congress to meet on July 2, 2026, at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where the Declaration was originally signed.
The Fulcrum also covered recent bills to make changes to coins or money, including legislation to suspend both penny and nickel production for 10 years, and to put President Trump’s face on a potential new $250 billJesse Rifkin is a freelance journalist with The Fulcrum. Don’t miss his report, Congress Bill Spotlight, on The Fulcrum. Rifkin’s writings about politics and Congress have been published in the Washington Post, Politico, Roll Call, Los Angeles Times, CNN Opinion, GovTrack, and USA Today.
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