Czar vs. Cabinet

[undamned]

I really hope this doesn't blow up in to some ridiculous argument about "Obama Rules" vs "Obama is evil," but after doing some reading this evening (yes, I know czars existed in US gov. pre-Obama) I'm still confused about the difference between a "czar" in the US gov. vs. a traditional presidential cabinet member. Is it just a difference in titles with the same function? Why would one be more or less desirable than another?

(Apparently my U.S. Government class in high school has failed me ) Thanks!
-ud

[Ex-Cyber]

"Czar" isn't a real title; it's political/media shorthand for an executive officer who is in charge of a particular policy issue rather than being in a traditional cabinet position. AFAIK, they are considered less prestigious than cabinet secretaries. IIRC, it was popularized in reference to the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy being the "drug czar".

[nikkos010]

I really hope this doesn't blow up in to some ridiculous argument about "Obama Rules" vs "Obama is evil," but after doing some reading this evening (yes, I know czars existed in US gov. pre-Obama) I'm still confused about the difference between a "czar" in the US gov. vs. a traditional presidential cabinet member. Is it just a difference in titles with the same function? Why would one be more or less desirable than another?

(Apparently my U.S. Government class in high school has failed me ) Thanks!
-ud

I'll keep this as apolitical as possible:

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments — the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General.

A Czar is a President-Created position that is not a cabinet position. These folks are not the head of any executive department. Instead they are specifically tasked to wield executive (presidential) power in dealing with specific issues. They do not answer to Congress, go through no vetting process, and only the president can hire and fire them.

There are currently 16 Czars in President Obama's administration:
· Energy Czar, Carol Browner
· Border Czar, Alan Berstein
· Pay Czar, Kenneth Feinberg
· Car Czar (Leader of small taskforce), Steve Rattner
· Urban Czar, Adolfo Carrion Jr
· Infotech Czar Vivek Kundra
· Faith Czar, Joshua DuBois
· Health Reforme Czar, Nancy-Ann DeParle
· TARP Czar, Herb Allison
· Stimulus Accountability Czar, Earl Devaney
· Non-Proliferation Czar, Gary Samore
· Terrorism Czar, John Brennan
· Regulatory Czar, Cass Sunstein
· Drug Czar, Gil Kerlikowske
· Guantanamo Closure Czar, Damiel Fried
· Great Lakes Czar, Cameron Davis

[undamned]

Thanks, guys! So, is the traditional reason for creating a czar position because there does not exist a fitting cabinet position? Or can the president invent new cabinet positions?
-ud

[nikkos010]

Thanks, guys! So, is the traditional reason for creating a czar position because there does not exist a fitting cabinet position? Or can the president invent new cabinet positions?
-ud

As the cabinet consists of heads of the various executive departments, to create a new cabinet position requires the creation of a new executive department. This requires an act of Congress.

The traditional reason for creating a czar has always been a way to exert the power of the White House on a particular issue. For instance, the health reform czar, whos job it is to influence, and support creation of, National Healthcare Reform. This is different than the Secretary of Health and Human Services, who's job is to oversee: (From Wikipedia)

Office of the Secretary (OS)

* Immediate Office of the Secretary (IOS) - currently led by Kathleen Sebelius
* Office of the Deputy Secretary (DS) - currently led by Deputy Secretary Bill Corr
* Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (ASAM)
o Program Support Center (PSC) - currently led by Director Philip Van Landingham
* Assistant Secretary for Legislation (ASL)
* Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
* Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
o Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)
+ Project BioShield
+ Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE)
* Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA)
* Assistant Secretary for Resources and Technology (ASRT)
* Departmental Appeals Board (DAB)
* Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
* Office of Global Health Affairs (OGHA)
* Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA)
* Office of the Secretary's Regional Directors
* Office of the General Counsel (OGC)
* Office of Inspector General (OIG) - currently led by Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson
* Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA)
* Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
* Public Health Service (PHS) / Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH)[5] - currently led by Assistant Secretary, Howard K. Koh
o Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS)
o Office of the Surgeon General - currently led by Acting Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson
+ U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps
* Office on Disability (OD - currently led by Director Henry Claypool
* Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI)

[edit] Operating divisions

* Administration for Children and Families (ACF) - currently led by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary David Hansell
* Administration on Aging (AoA) - currently led by Assistant Secretary Kathy Greenlee
* Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) - currently led by Director Carolyn Clancy
* Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) - currently led by Director Howard Frumkin
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - currently led by acting Director Thomas R. Frieden
* Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)- currently led by Acting Administrator Charlene Frizzera
* Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - currently led by Commissioner Margaret Hamburg
* Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - currently led by Administrator Mary Wakefield
* Indian Health Service (IHS) - currently led by Acting Director, Robert G. McSwain
* National Institutes of Health (NIH) - currently led by Acting Director Raynard Kington
* Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - currently led by Administrator Charles Curie


(Several agencies within HHS are components of the Public Health Service (PHS), including AHRQ, ASPR, ATSDR, CDC, FDA, HRSA, IHS, NIH, SAMHSA, OGHA, and OPHS).[6]