Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen came one step closer to finalizing her signature on the US dollar on Tuesday when President Biden appointed Marilynn Malerba as United States treasurer.
Ms. Malerba, the chief of the Mohegan tribe, will be the first Native American to hold this position. Her role, which does not require confirmation from the Senate, includes oversight of the US Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and Fort Knox.
While Ms. Yellen attended her official currency signing more than a year ago, her name could not appear on the dollar until there was a US treasurer. According to arcane rules, both signatures must be added to new sets of currencies at the same time.
Decorating each denomination with your signature is seen as an important benefit of being the Secretary of the Treasury, although it can come with risks.
Steven Mnuchin, who served as Secretary of the Treasury under President Donald J. Trump, was mocked in 2017 for the way he handled the rollout of the first dollar bill with his signature. He also went against tradition and printed his name, rather than using italics, as had been the norm.
Timothy F. Geithner, President Barack Obama’s first Secretary of the Treasury, acknowledged that he needed to work on his signature to make it more readable. And his successor, Jacob J. Lew, was ridiculed for his signature, which initially resembled a doodle.
Ms Yellen’s name is unlikely to appear on any bill for the next few weeks. A Treasury representative said that although she submitted her signature to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on March 10, 2021, it could take up to four to five months to update the printing plates for each denomination.
Those really curious about what it might look like can find some hints about documents she signed during her tenure as Federal Reserve chairman.
