Meet Obama's Czars
With the Obama Administration's latest creation of a new czar position - the pay czar, announced Wednesday - TPM decided to take a look at just how many have been named so far.
When he announced his 9th czar, Obama already had more than any other President. We gave him a break and didn't include the special envoys - like George Mitchell to the Middle East - considered czars by some. Despite that, there are still upwards of 20 (and more to come, for cyber security and intellectual property). John McCain's words ring true: Obama has more czars than the Romanovs.
Drug Czar
Czar R. Gil Kerlikowske
What it means:
The former police chief of Seattle, Kerlikowske was sworn in as the the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy on May 7. According to the official website, he "coordinates all aspects of Federal drug control programs and implementation of the President's National Drug Control Strategy."
Energy Czar
Czar Carol Browner
What it means:
Officially the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, this is what Obama said at the press conference announcing her nomination: "Carol understands that our efforts to create jobs, achieve energy security and combat climate change demand integration among different agencies, cooperation between federal, state and local governments and partnership with the private sector."
Auto Recovery Czar
Czar Ed Montgomery
What it means:
Montgomery is the director of recovery for auto communities and workers - he's spent time in Detroit at workshops "on applying for federal grants and other financial assistance." The title can possibly be shared with Steve Rattner, who the NYT calls the "car czar lite" - "one of 14 people on a committee that is orchestrating the rescue of the giant automakers."
Urban Affairs Czar
Czar Adolfo Carrion, Jr.
What it means:
As head of the new White House Office of Urban Affairs, this former Bronx Borough President is in charge of the planning and execution of all urban affairs policy and programs. According to the National Journal, Carrion will also "work across traditional Cabinet divisions to coordinate health, education and environmental initiatives in American's cities."
Information Czar
Czar Vivek Kundra
What it means:
Officially the Federal Chief Information Officer at the White House, Kundra "directs the policy and strategic planning of federal information technology investments and is responsible for oversight of federal technology spending."
Technology Czar
Czar Aneesh Chopra
What it means:
Officially the Chief Technology Officer at the White House, Chopra will "promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities -- from creating jobs and reducing health care costs to keeping our nation secure," as Obama said at his press conference introduction. Chopra works with Kundra and Chief Performance Officer (or Performance Czar) Jeffrey Zients, not pictured.
Great Lakes Czar
Czar Cameron Davis
What it means:
Appointed by Obama to oversee the cleanup of the Great Lakes.
Intelligence Czar
Czar Dennis Blair
What it means:
Charged with filling the seats on Obama's National Intelligence Council and coordinating among agencies.
Health Czar
Czar Nancy-Ann DeParle
What it means:
As TIME puts it, DeParle is "behind the scenes but leading the charge" on health care, working alongside Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.
Economic Czar
Czar Paul Volcker
What it means:
Often referred to as Obama's "big-picture" economic czar, Volcker is charged with coordinating with the Treasury Department and other relevant agencies.
Regulatory Czar
Czar Cass Sunstein
What it means:
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs "oversees regulations throughout the government, from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration...the job will be crucial as the new administration overhauls financial-services regulations, attempts to pass universal health care and tries to forge a new approach to controlling emissions of greenhouse gases."
Bailout Czar (or TARP Czar)
Czar Herb Allison
What it means:
This former Fannie Mae CEO is overseeing the Troubled Assets Relief Program, the $700 billion bank bailout that happened under Bush.
Stimulus Accountability Czar
Czar Earl Devaney
What it means:
Devaney oversees the $787 billion stimulus package passed earlier this year ("the kind of guy you'd want guarding your cash," Devaney is a former Secret Service agent who investigated Jack Abramoff).
Border Czar
Czar Alan Bersin
What it means:
Bersin, who had a similar position under the Clinton Administration, is working with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to curb the violence and trafficking of drugs along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Non-Proliferation Czar
Czar Gary Samore
What it means:
Samore, also known as the WMD Czar, is Obama's point man for ensuring the proliferation of such weapons doesn't occur. Samore has already said back in January that he wanted "immediate talks" with Iran and that he wanted to "manage North Korea until it collapsed."
Guantanamo Closure Czar
Czar Danny Fried
What it means:
Fried has the unenviable task of "plead[ing] individual war on terror detainee cases in Europe and the Middle East."
Terrorism Czar
Czar John Brennan
What it means:
Brennan, a veteran of the CIA, is President Obama's top adviser on counterterrorism.
Faith-Based Czar
Czar Joshua DuBois
What it means:
The 26-year-old DuBois is heading up the faith-based office created under former President Bush, which is concentrating on these issues, according to TIME: "domestic poverty, responsible fatherhood, reducing the need for abortion and preventing unintended pregnancy, and interreligious dialogue and cooperation."
Weapons Czar
Czar Ashton Carter
What it means:
Also known as the Pentagon Acquisition Czar, Carter is in charge of improving the Pentagon's system for the procurement of weapons.
Green Jobs Czar
Czar Van Jones
What it means:
Jones is the special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation in the Obama administration, tasked with creating and managing various green jobs-related initiatives among different agencies.
Science Czar
Czar John Holdren
What it means:
As head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Holdren is Obama's primary science adviser.
AIDS Czar
Czar Jeffrey Crowley
What it means:
As the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), Crowley has much work to catch up on - the Bush Administration didn't even fill this slot for the last 2 years.
Pay Czar
Czar Kenneth Feinberg
What it means:
The White House announced Wednesday, June 10 that Feinberg - who oversaw the 9/11 victims' compensation fund - is the new pay czar, or Special Master of Compensation. "Feinberg will have broad authority to set pay limits for the top 100 employees of institutions that have received a substantial amount of TARP funds," says MarketWatch, including GM, Bank of America, and AIG.
