New Orleans Times-Picayune
By Bruce Alpert
September 18, 2009

“Some Republicans are taking aim at the Obama administration over the president’s appointment of special advisers, the so-called ‘czars’ that GOP lawmakers say circumvent the normal vetting of the Senate confirmation process.

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, one of the leaders of the ‘anti-czar movement,’ has proposed legislation that would phase out the 30 or so positions by the end of the year except for people who have secured Senate confirmation.

‘Our federal government should not be running banks, we should not be running car companies and we should not have all of these czars,’ Scalise said.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., also proposed an amendment to a pending Interior Department spending bill, which would deny money to any programs or policies initiated by the White House Climate Change coordinator.

‘I think we’re seeing a very disturbing trend with the president appointing czars into leadership positions that have some obvious influence over federal agencies and policy even though they are not confirmed by the Senate,’ Vitter said…

Not all of the questioning of Obama’s appointments comes from Republicans. Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., wrote to Obama’s legal advisers this week asking them to explain how such appointments square with the Senate’s responsibility to confirm important presidential appointees. Feingold and Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, said their constituents are expressing concerns.

‘They see these czar positions being handed out as candy suckers, and they wonder what kind of accountability and transparency comes with these czars,’ Neugebauer said.”

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