McDowell Introduces BIDEN Act to End the Abuse of the Presidential Autopen
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Addison McDowell (NC-06) introduced the Ban on Inkless Directives and Executive Notarizations Act of 2025 (BIDEN) Act, legislation to ban the use of autopens for signing bills, executive orders, pardons, and commutations.
“The American people elect a President to run the country, not a cabal of woke staffers. Sadly, that is exactly what the American people received under Joe Biden,” said Congressman Addison McDowell. “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. 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."
What the Ban on Inkless Directives and Executive Notarizations Act of 2025 (BIDEN Act) does:
- Amends Title 3 of the U.S. Code to ensure only the President personally may sign:
- Engrossed Bills
- Executive Orders
- Pardons or Commutations
- The bill explicitly prohibits:
- Any person other than the President from signing the above documents.
- Use of automated signing devices (e.g., autopen) for those actions.
- Any bill, executive order, pardon, or commutation signed in violation of this rule—past or future—would be considered invalid and have no legal effect.
The BIDEN Act comes on the heels of a bombshell new interview from President Biden in which he admits he was not specifically aware of the 1,500 individuals receiving pardons in the final weeks of his term as staff used an autopen to sign the documents on his behalf.
You can find the full bill here.
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