Former Johnson County Commissioner Mike Brown has emerged in Washington, D.C., as a lead proponent of a growing push to put President Donald Trump’s portrait on a new $250 bill, according to reporting from the Washington Post.
Brown, who is also a former head of the Kansas Republican Party, was recently appointed acting director of the bureau that oversees the printing of the nation’s currency.
Although federal law says only a deceased person’s image can be put on U.S. currency, Brown and U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach have been pressing officials at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to green-light a new $250 denomination featuring Trump’s portrait, on a bill that would also bear his signature.
Images of living people on currency have been banned since 1866, when a portrait of a mid-level bureaucrat on the 5-cent note resulted in scandal.
That could not happen without a change in federal law. A measure has been introduced in Congress to that end, but it has not progressed, according to the Washington Post.
In a Thursday briefing at the White House, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent backed the idea and said his agency is getting a mock-up ready, going so far as to display a page with an image of a $250 bill with Trump’s portrait on it.
The idea has created controversy within the printing bureau not only because of the prohibition of images of living persons on a bill. Bureau officials have said the introduction of a new bill generally takes years because of work with other agencies like the Secret Service to make it secure and not easily counterfeited.
A Washington Post report earlier this week said the bureau’s director of printing, Patricia “Patty” Soliemene, explained the legal and practical obstacles to Brown and Beach. Soliemene then abruptly resigned without giving a reason.
“I am proud to be a part of [Trump’s] team”
Before going to Washington, Brown represented the county’s sixth commission district for one term from 2017 to 2021.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Kansas Secretary of State’s office in 2022, then moved on to become chair of the state Republican party the next year.
He started at the Treasury Department in October and was appointed acting director of printing and engraving this month.
Brown did not immediately respond to the Johnson County Post’s attempts to reach him for comment. After he was appointed acting director of the printing bureau, he thanked Kansas Republicans for their support on the party’s Facebook page.
“It’s an amazing honor to serve as the Director of BEP, and one I earned the hard way — in Kansas. Donald Trump is the greatest President in American history, and I am proud to be a part of his team. Thank you Kansas. I wouldn’t be here without you!” he wrote.
Past positions in JoCo and Kansas marked by controversies
Brown’s tenure as state GOP chair was marked with controversy, as some Republicans blamed him for division between the MAGA and non-MAGA factions.
An incident at a Johnson County fundraiser drew national attention when videos were put online that showed people attacking a boxing mannequin said to represent President Joe Biden.
There was substantial criticism within Johnson County as well, along with dissatisfaction with how candidates fared during the 2023 nonpartisan election.
While a county commissioner in 2020, Brown also drew criticism for a social media post urging followers to arm themselves for a “coming war,” following unrest over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Current commission Chair Mike Kelly said Thursday he hadn’t heard of Brown’s efforts on the $250 bill, but said he’d prefer to focus on more immediate issues like the county budget and World Cup readiness.
