For years, Americans have speculated about who was really making decisions in the Biden White House as concerns about President Joe Biden’s cognitive health grew. Now, in a striking revelation, we may finally have the answer.
In recent testimony before the House Oversight Committee, former Biden aide Neera Tanden admitted that she controlled President Biden’s autopen—the device used to sign documents in the president’s name—from October 2021 through May 2023.
During that period, Tanden says she was “authorized” to use the autopen on President Biden’s behalf. But critics argue that this effectively gave an unelected official extraordinary power—allowing Tanden to sign off on official presidential documents and decisions without Biden’s direct input. The implications are profound: between late 2021 and mid-2023, critical decisions were being approved without the democratically elected president personally reviewing or signing off on them.
Tanden stepped away from controlling the autopen in May 2023 when she became head of the Domestic Policy Council, further cementing her central role in shaping far-left policy during Joe Biden’s term.
While supporters claim her use of the autopen followed legal protocols, the situation raises serious ethical and constitutional questions. Was this elder abuse—taking advantage of a president in cognitive decline? And how legal is it for someone unelected by the people to wield the powers of the presidency, even with supposed authorization?
The practice has also sparked concerns about transparency. If Biden was unable to perform basic presidential duties, why was this hidden from the public? Why did it take closed-door congressional testimony to reveal the extent of Tanden’s power?
Tanden’s long history with the Democratic establishment only adds to the controversy. A longtime operative for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Tanden played a role in drafting the Affordable Care Act and helped promote the now-debunked Russia collusion narrative during the 2016 election. She also led the Center for American Progress, a Democrat-aligned think tank known for channeling government funds into left-leaning NGOs.
During her time controlling the autopen, critics say Tanden helped funnel tax dollars toward these NGOs, many of which played key roles in controversial policies like facilitating migrant resettlement across every American community. Without the millions these NGOs received from Tanden, the 10 million+ immigrants who crossed the border under President Biden’s watch would not have been able to spread themselves out across the country so successfully.
This situation reveals not only a disturbing abuse of presidential power but also highlights how fragile our constitutional safeguards can be when unelected officials assume powers meant solely for the commander-in-chief.
Congress must now confront the hard questions: How did this happen? Who else was involved? And what measures will prevent it from happening again?
Watch the video here to see Tanden’s testimony and decide for yourself who was really calling the shots:
REPORTER: “Was there an effort to disguise President Biden’s condition?”
Former Biden official Neera Tanden after holding a closed-door hearing with the Oversight Committee: “Absolutely not.”
Then she literally runs away. Insane.pic.twitter.com/uogKGRaTMH
— Suburban Black Man (@niceblackdude) June 24, 2025