Former President Joe Biden’s admission that he did not sign off on each of a large number of pardons before he left office has prompted new legislation that seeks to restrain the use of autopen for signing off on major acts, The Daily Wire can reveal.
Rep. Addison McDowell (R-NC) is introducing a bill called the “Ban on Inkless Directives and Executive Notarizations Act of 2025 (BIDEN) Act” that would amend Title 3 of the U.S. Code to prevent a president from using such a device for signing bills, executive orders, pardons, and commutations.
It comes as GOP lawmakers became increasingly concerned that Biden was not mentally competent or even aware when staffers used the device to stamp his signature on clemency decisions after the former president and his aides conceded to The New York Times that he did not individually approve each of the pardons, but rather authorized the overarching criteria used to determine who qualified.
“The American people elect a President to run the country, not a cabal of woke staffers,” McDowell told The Daily Wire. “Sadly, that is exactly what the American people received under Joe Biden.”
McDowell’s bill aims to ensure that a president personally signs off on bills, executive orders, pardons, and commutations. His office also contends the legislation would dictate that any of these acts signed in violation of this rule, both in the past or the future, would be considered invalid and have no legal effect.
The report said the only clemency warrant that Biden personally signed in his final weeks in office was one used to pardon his son, Hunter. Others that relied on the autopen included those for Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the January 6 Committee.
“While Joe Biden worried more about breaking glass ceilings as commander in chief, his legacy will forever be tied to the lack of oversight he provided to the presidential autopen,” McDowell said. “The BIDEN Act will ensure that rogue bureaucrats can no longer take advantage of a mentally incompetent President to seize authority awarded to the Oval office.”
