Watchdog Alleges Biden Never Knew About Key Climate Orders—Demands Autopen Probe

A major energy watchdog is calling for a full investigation into whether Joe Biden ever authorized—or even knew about—several sweeping climate executive orders issued during his final years in office. The bombshell allegation: that some of these orders may have been signed by autopen, without Biden's direct knowledge or consent.

Power the Future, a nonprofit that defends American energy jobs, reviewed eight major executive orders that shifted U.S. energy policy, including Arctic drilling bans and federal net-zero mandates. Incredibly, the group says Biden never publicly spoke about any of them—sparking fears that they were pushed through by unelected advisors, not the former president himself.

“These are not obscure bureaucratic memos; these were foundational shifts in American energy policy, yet not once did Joe Biden speak about them publicly,”
— Daniel Turner, Executive Director, Power the Future

Among the most alarming orders were:

• A 2023 Arctic drilling ban
• A 2021 net-zero emissions mandate for the federal government
• A directive to create so-called "clean energy" AI centers
• A sweeping offshore drilling ban issued just before Biden left office in January 2025

Yet Biden never addressed these orders in public—not once. Power the Future says that raises red flags about who actually issued the directives and whether Biden was even aware of them.

This week, the group fired off letters to the DOJ, EPA, DOI, DOE, and congressional oversight bodies demanding an investigation. Their concern is clear: the federal bureaucracy may have acted unilaterally, bypassing the commander-in-chief entirely.

“In light of the growing evidence that actions purportedly taken by the former president may not have been approved or signed by him, but instead promulgated by a small coterie of advisers in his name without his knowledge or over his signature using an ‘autopen,’ the need for congressional access to information has grown in importance with these revelations,”
— Letter to House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer

The letter questions who wrote the orders, who instructed the agencies to act, and who actually signed the documents—if not Biden himself. It presses Congress to investigate whether these policies were implemented with or without presidential authorization.

“Congress deserves to know how or whether these executive actions were authorized, and whether the former President was aware of such orders before they were implemented by the federal bureaucracy.”

The organization cited a growing body of evidence, including revelations from Original Sin—a recent book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson. The book details Biden’s mental and cognitive decline during his presidency and alleges a coordinated cover-up by his senior staff.

“Power The Future remains concerned that key policies of major economic and national security significance directed by the White House during the Biden administration may have been undertaken without presidential awareness and approval, but perhaps instead by a small coterie of staff.”

The report suggests that Biden’s aides may have quietly taken over key functions of the presidency, using autopen devices to push through sweeping executive action without public input or transparency.

During his first public appearance since being diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, Biden responded to the allegations with a bizarre attempt at humor.

“You can see that I’m mentally incompetent and I can’t walk and I can beat the hell out of both of them,”
— Joe Biden, referencing Tapper and Thompson

According to the New York Post, Biden’s “beat the hell out of both of them” remark was likely aimed at the Original Sin authors. He also added:

“I don’t have any regrets” about running again—despite being forced out of the 2024 race last July following a disastrous debate against then-likely GOP nominee, President Donald Trump.

As the truth continues to unravel about Biden’s final years in office, questions remain: Who was really running the show—and what else were Americans never told?