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Title: Budget Cuts: The End of the Obama Czars
Source:
L.A. Times
URL Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/politic ... czars-20110412,0,4175971.story
Published: Apr 13, 2011
Author: Michael A. Memoli
Post Date: 2011-04-13 03:10:46 by Murron
Keywords: None
Views: 2333
Comments: 8
Budget Cuts: The End of the Obama Czars Carol Browner, who recently left the administration, was one of President Obama's so-called policy "czars." The budget compromise defunds that position. (AP Photo) By Michael A. Memoli One of the final battles in Congress in the 2011 budget showdown was over a set of cuts close to conservatives' hearts: Planned Parenthood (read: abortion), environmental regulation and the health care reform law. Under the 11th hour compromise, funding for the Environmental Protection Agency was restored, and line items for Planned Parenthood and health reform will get their own separate votes. But beyond the sum total of cuts, conservatives scored another symbolic victory. From Lisa Mascaro's report: "[The budget deal] preserves funding for some of President Obama's cherished initiatives, including the healthcare and Wall Street overhauls and his education program, Race to the Top. But four of the president's policy czars get the ax: healthcare, climate change, cars and urban affairs." Obama was not the first president to employ so-called "czars" -- officials appointed by the president but not confirmed by Congress who are charged with a specific policy focus. But the sheer number in the administration has been one of a host of knocks against the White House in the conservative blogosphere and talk radio.
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Budget Deal Axes 'czars' Already Gone The only real victim of the budget deal could be Ron Bloom, a senior adviser on autos. By ROBIN BRAVENDER 4/12/11 House Republicans won a symbolic victory by dethroning four White House "czars" under the contentious federal spending agreement rolled out early Tuesday morning, but symbolism may be all they got. The language in the short-term budget agreement seeks to put four of President Barack Obama's policy czars out of jobs — those appointed to assist the president on health care, climate change, autos and manufacturing, and urban affairs. The catch: At least three of those four czars have already moved out of the czar jobs. Energy and climate adviser Carol Browner resigned earlier this year; health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle was promoted to deputy White House chief of staff; and Obama's urban affairs adviser, Adolfo Carrión, left the White House to become a regional director for HUD. The only real victim of the budget deal could be Ron Bloom, a senior adviser on autos at Treasury before being named senior counselor to the president on manufacturing. But the White House said Tuesday morning that Bloom is no longer the auto adviser and won’t be affected by the budget deal, which it characterized as merely confirming changes it has already made. "Over the last several months, the White House has undergone a reorganization that involved the consolidation of several offices and positions," the White House told POLITICO. "Included in that larger reorganization, earlier this year the Domestic Policy Council assumed responsibility for health care, as well as energy and climate change policy coordination and development in the White House. The agreements reflect those changes." House Republicans attached an amendment to a spending bill that passed the chamber in February to block funding for nine White House policy advisers. Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, the author of that amendment, warned at the time against what he called "a very disturbing proliferation of czars" under President Obama. "These unappointed, unaccountable people who are literally running a shadow government, heading up these little fiefdoms that nobody can really seem to identify where they are or what they're doing," Scalise said in February. "But we do know that they're wielding vast amounts of power." Senate Democrats at the time vowed to fight the measure, calling the language "an intrusive micromanagement of the president's White House staff via appropriations." With the narrower anti-czar rider, both sides have an opportunity to claim victory. Republicans walk away with the talking point that they dethroned unelected officials playing key roles on controversial policy initiatives; the White House and Senate Democrats can claim they protected most of the advisers that matter — those who are still there.
Well, they'll just have to go back to stealing on Wall Street.
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