Ever wonder who all those Czars are that Obama is reported to have appointed? (There are 45 of them.) Well, Judaical Watch has produced a report on Obama’s Czars, and it’s very instructive.
Want to relive some of the juicy details of his most controversial appointments or their departures? It’s in there.
How did Obama by-pass Senate confirmations? How about some discussion on the Constitutionality and transparency issues surrounding powerful "officers" of the Executive branch who wield significant budgets and power? You’ll find something to entertain you.
Or maybe you are just (remotely) interested in knowing who these people are and what they are supposed to be in charge of?
There is a complete list of Czars on the jump. (Make sure you scroll down to look at the list of open and ‘Planned Czars," positions they’d like to fill but have not. "Income Redistribution czar," "Radio-internet fairness czar," and "Voter list czar," were all suitably chilling.
Obama’s Czars
Manufacturing Czar: Ron BloomAssistant to the President for Manufacturing PolicyCar/Manufacturing Czar serving both Treasury and White HouseNew position on White House staffAppointed January 28, 20116Resignation announced by White House on August 9, 2011
Electronic Health Records Czar: Dr. David Blumenthal
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Appointed March 20, 20097
Note: Dr. Blumenthal announced his departure in Spring 2011 to return to his position at Harvard. Health and Human Services will be conducting a national search for his successor.8
Terrorism Czar: John Brennan
Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security
Executive Order 13228 and Presidential Directive, issued October 18, 20019
Note: Reported to have resigned and been replaced by Daniel Benjamin, but Brennan still serves as Terrorism Czar, with no sign of actually leaving.
Energy and Climate Change Czar: Carol Browner
Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change10
Executive Order 12859 issued August 16, 1993
Note: Browner departed from the White House in March 2011, reportedly taking a position at the Center for American Progress. There is no plan to fill her position; her office has been consolidated into the Domestic Policy Council.11
Weapons Czar: Ashton Carter
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
Position established under 10 U.S.C. §133– Armed Forces, January 200412
Confirmed April 23, 200913
Technology Czar: Aneesh Chopra Federal Chief Technology Officer
Position announced by President Barack Obama April 18, 200914
Confirmed May 21, 200915
Intelligence Czar: James Clapper
United States Director of National Intelligence
Position created under President George W. Bush in the Intelligence Reform and Prevention Act of 200416
Confirmed August 9, 201017
AIDS Czar: Jeffrey Crowley
Director of the Office of National AIDs Policy18
Executive Order 12963 issued June 1995 and amended by Executive Order 13009, issued June 14, 1996
Great Lakes Czar: Cameron Davis
Senior Advisor to the Administrator
Position is within the Environmental Protection Agency
Appointed June 4, 200919
Tobacco Czar: Lawrence Deyton
Director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products
Reports to: FDA Commissioner
Position is within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products
Position created in the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009
Appointed August 19, 200920
Stimulus Czar: Earl Devaney
Chairman of the Recovery Act Accountability Transparency Board
Position created in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Confirmed as Inspector General in 199921
Appointed as Chairman in February 200922
Mideast Policy/Central Region/Iran Czar: Philo Dibble
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (DAS) for Iran in Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
Appointed August 1, 201023
Faith-based Czar: Joshua Dubois
Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships24
Executive Order 13199 issued July 29, 2001, and amended by Executive Order 13498, issued February 5, 2009
IP Enforcement Czar: Victoria Espinel
Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator
Appointed December 3, 200925
Workplace Czar: Chai Feldblum
Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Appointed March 27, 201026
Guantanamo Closure Czar: Danny Fried
Special Envoy to Oversee the Closure of the Detention Center at Guantanamo Bay
(aka Special Envoy to Guantanamo Bay)
Position is within the U.S. Department of State
Appointed March 12, 2009
Asian Carp Czar: John Goss
Director of Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee
Appointed September 8, 201027
Sudan Czar: J. Scott Gration
Special Envoy to Sudan and Ambassador to Republic of Kenya
Position is within U.S. Department of State28
Special Envoy position created under President George W. Bush29
Appointed Special Envoy March 18, 2009; nominated Ambassador February 2011
Afghanistan Czar: Marc Grossman
Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (AFPAK)
Appointed in February 2011 after death of Richard Holbrooke, former Afghanistan Czar30
California Water Czar: David J. Hayes
Deputy Secretary of the Interior
Position established by 43 U.S.C. §145231
Confirmed May 20, 200932
Science Czar: John Holdren Director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy
Position created under President Ford in 1976 by the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 197633
Confirmed March 19, 200934
Jobs Czar: Jeffrey Immelt
Chair of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness35
Executive Order 13501, issued February 6, 2009
Note: Council name changed from Economic Recovery Advisory Board when Immelt replaced Paul Volcker on January 21, 2011.
Special Advisor Czar: Valerie Jarrett
Senior Adviser and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls36
Executive Order 13506, issued February 11, 2009
Safe Schools Czar: Kevin Jennings
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Reports to: Deputy Secretary
Created under President George W. Bush37
Position is within the Department of Education38
Appointed May 19 200939
Healthy Foods Czar: Sam Kass
Senior Policy Officer for Healthy Food Initiatives
Appointed June 201040
Drug Czar: Richard Gil Kerlikowske
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Position established under President Reagan in 1988 by Anti-Drug Abuse Act41
Confirmed May 7, 200942
Information Technology Czar: Vivek KundraFederal Chief Information Officer
Appointed March 5, 200943
Diversity Czar: Mark Lloyd
Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer
Position is within the Federal Communications Commission
Appointed July 29, 200944
War Czar: Lt. General Douglas Lute
Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan
Position established under President George W. Bush in 200745
Confirmed June 28, 200746
Oil Czar: Ray Mabus
Oil Recovery Chief (also Secretary of Navy)
Appointed June 15, 201047
TARP Czar: Timothy MassadActing Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability and Chief TARP Counsel
Interim position created under President George W. Bush in 200948
Appointed Acting Head on September 22, 2010, after resignation of Herb Allison49
Middle-East Peace Czar: George J. Mitchell, Jr.
Special Envoy to the Middle East
Position is within the U.S. Department of State
Position created under President George W. Bush
Appointed January 22, 200950
Resigned May 13, 2011 (Mitchell’s deputy, David Hale, will serve as acting Mideast envoy.)
Domestic Violence Czar: Lynn Rosenthal
White House Adviser on Violence Against Women51
Executive Order 12859, issued August 16, 1993, and Executive Order 13500, issued February 5, 2009
WMD Czar: Gary Samore
Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation, and Terrorism
Position is within National Security Council
Appointed in January 200952
Cybersecurity Czar: Howard Schmidt
Director of White House Office of Cybersecurity
Appointed December 22, 200953
Economic Policy Czar: Gene Sperling
Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy54
Executive Order 12835, issued January 25, 1993, and amended by Executive Order 13499, issued February 5, 2009
Note: Appointed by Obama on January 7, 2011 to replace Lawrence Summers.
Climate Czar: Todd Stern
Special Envoy for Climate Change
Position is within the U.S. Department of State
Appointed January 26, 200955
Regulatory Czar: Cass Sunstein
Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Position established under President Carter by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 198056
Confirmed September 10, 200957
Food Safety Czar: Michael Taylor
Special Assistant to the FDA Commissioner for Food Safety, and also Deputy Commissioner for Foods
Appointed Special Assistant on July 7, 2009; appointed Deputy Commissioner
January 13, 201058
Native American Affairs Czar: Kimberley Teehee
Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs
Position is within The White House Domestic Policy Council
Appointed June 15, 200959
Latin American Czar: Arturo Valenzuela
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Appointed November 10, 200960
Consumer Czar: Elizabeth Warren
Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Appointed September 17, 201061
Note: Treasury reported that Elizabeth Warren would leave the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on August 1, 2011, to return to her prior position at Harvard. Former Ohio Attorney General “Richard Cordray was tapped by President Obama to lead the CFPB,” but he faces stiff opposition from Republicans, who are calling for structural reforms before confirmation of any nominee.62
Performance Czar: Jeffrey Zients
Federal Chief Performance Officer and Deputy Director for Management Office of Management and Budget
Position announced by Barack Obama in January 200963
Confirmed June 19, 200964
Open and Planned Appointments
As previously indicated, President Obama currently has a number of open and planned
positions for czars. Some are due to unfilled resignations, while others have been mentioned within the administration, but appear to be on a back-burner for now.
Following is a list of the unfilled positions as of September 15, 2011:
Autism czar- Planned, but no word on status
Behavioral czar- Planned, but no word on status
Car czar- Open due to resignation of Ron Bloom
Disinformation czar- Open due to resignation of Linda Douglass
Electronic health records czar- Open due to resignation of Dr. David Blumenthal; position to be filled
Ethics czar- Open due to resignation of Norm Eisen, but is not
likely to be filled∗
Green jobs czar- Open due to resignation of Anthony “Van” Jones
Health care czar- Open due to appointment of Nancy-Ann DeParle as
Deputy White House Chief of Staff; position may not
be filled
∗With the resignation of Norm Eisen as Ethics Czar and the announcement by the White House in August (2010) that the full time position of Ethics Czar would be eliminated, Steven P. Croley, Special Assistant to the President for Justice and Regulatory Policy, currently “oversees a team of White House staffers responsible for ethics issues.”
Income redistribution czar Planned, but no word on status
Internet czar Open due to resignation of Susan Crawford
Land-use czar Planned, but no word on status
Manufacturing czar Open due to resignation of Ron Bloom
Radio-internet fairness czar Planned, but no word on status
Student loan czar Planned, but no word on status
TARP czar Open due to resignation of Herbert Allison
Urban affairs/housing czar Open due to resignation of Adolfo Carrion, Jr.
Voter list czar Planned, but no word on status
Zoning czar Planned, but no word on status
