List of U.S. executive branch czars

High-level officials who oversee a particular policy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the United States, the informal term "czar" (or, less often, "tsar") is employed in media and popular usage to refer to high-level executive branch officials who oversee a particular policy field. The earliest known use of the term for a U.S. government official was in the administration of Franklin Roosevelt (1933–1945), during which eleven unique positions (or twelve if one were to count "economic czar" and "economic czar of World War II" as distinct) were so described.[1]

The list of those identified as czars is based on subjective judgments, as individuals or offices may be referred to with the nickname by some publications or public figures, while not by others. A more limited (though no less subjective) definition of the term would encompass only those officials appointed without Senate confirmation.

By administration

More information President, Party ...
Summary table
President Party In office Number of
czar titles
Number of
appointees
Appointees not
confirmed by Senate
Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 1933–1945 11 19 18
Harry S. Truman 1945–1953 6 5
Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 1953–1961 1 0
Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic 1963–1969 3 1
Richard Nixon Republican 1969–1974 3 5
Gerald Ford 1974–1977 2
Jimmy Carter Democratic 1977–1981 2 3 2
Ronald Reagan Republican 1981–1989 1
George H. W. Bush 1989–1993 2 3 0
Bill Clinton Democratic 1993–2001 8 11 7
George W. Bush Republican 2001–2009 33 49 28
Barack Obama Democratic 2009–2017 38 50 39
Donald Trump Republican 2017–2021; 2025–present 5 6 5
Joe Biden Democratic 2021–2025 4 7 4
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The numbers are based upon the sortable list below, which includes further details and references.

Note that the holders of certain official positions have been referred to as "czars" for only part of the time those positions have existed. For example, there has been an Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health since the passage of the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, but the phrase "mine safety czar" has been applied to the position only since the appointment of Richard Stickler to the post in 2006. Similarly, there has been a director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs since the office was created by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, but the term "regulatory czar" was not applied to the post until 2001.

List of executive branch czars

The following are executive branch officials who have been described by the media as a czar of some kind.

More information Czar title, Official title ...
Czar title Official title Office holder Tenure Type of appointment Appointing administration Senate confirmed
AI and crypto czar White House AI and Crypto Czar[2] David Sacks[3] 2025–present President appointed Donald Trump
AfPak czar, Afghanistan and Pakistan czar Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke[4] 2009–2010 Barack Obama
AIDS czar National AIDS Policy Coordinator, Member of White House Domestic Policy Council Kristine Gebbie[5] 1993–1994 Bill Clinton
Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy Patricia Fleming[6] 1993–1997
Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, Presidential Envoy for AIDS Cooperation Sandra Thurman[7] 1997–2000
Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy Scott Evertz[8] 2001–2002 George W. Bush
Joe O'Neill[9] 2002–2003
Carol Thompson[10] 2004–2006
Jeffrey Crowley[11] 2009–2012 Barack Obama
Grant Colfax[12] 2012–2014
Douglas Brooks[13] 2014–2016
anti-poverty czar, poverty czar Director of Office of Economic Opportunity Sargent Shriver[14] 1965–1969 President nominated, Senate confirmed Lyndon Johnson
Asian Carp czar Asian Carp Director, Council on Environmental Quality John Goss[15] 2010–Unknown Council on Environmental Quality selected Barack Obama
auto czar, car czar Treasury Advisor, Head of the Auto Task Force Steve Rattner[16] 2009 Feb–Jul Sec. of Treasury appointed
Senior Advisor President's Automotive Task Force Ron Bloom[17] 2009–2011 President appointed
auto recovery czar, autoworker czar Member Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers Edward B. Montgomery[18] 2009–Unknown
bank bailout czar, Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) czar United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability, Senior Advisor to Secretary of the Treasury Neel Kashkari[19] 2008–2009 (New position), President nominated, Senate confirmed George W. Bush
bank bailout czar, TARP czar United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability Herb Allison[20] 2009–2013 President nominated, Senate confirmed Barack Obama
bioethics czar Advisor to the President, Chairman of The President's Council on Bioethics Leon Kass[21] 2001–2005 (New position), Exec order, President appointed George W. Bush
bird flu czar Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, Advisor to the President for Public Health Emergency Preparedness Stewart Simonson[22] 2004–2006 (New position), President appointed
birth control czar Deputy Assistant Secretary of Population Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services Eric Keroack[23] 2006–2007 President appointed
border czar U.S. attorney and Special Representative for the Southwest Border, Department of Justice Alan Bersin[24][25] 1995–1998 President nominated, Senate confirmed as U.S. Attorney, Appointed as Special Representative Bill Clinton
Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, Special Representative for Border Affairs, Dept of Homeland Security 2009–2011 Sec of Homeland Security appointed Barack Obama
Special Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Southern Border Roberta S. Jacobson[26] 2021 Jan–Apr President appointed Joe Biden
Border Czar[27] Thomas Homan[28] 2019[a]/2025–present[b] President appointed Donald Trump
budget czar Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mitch Daniels[30] 2001–2003 President nominated, Senate confirmed George W. Bush
Josh Bolten[31] 2003–2006
Rob Portman[32] 2006–2007
car czar Chief domestic policy advisor and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Bruce Reed[33] 1993–2001 (New position), Exec order, President appointed Bill Clinton
czar of censorship Director, Office of Censorship Byron Price[34] 1941–1945 Exec Order, President appointed Franklin Roosevelt
cleanup czar Special Assistant Attorney General (to investigate corruption) Newbold Morris[35] 1952, fired after 63 days by Attorney General (AG) for demanding records access; AG then forced to resign by President Truman Attorney General appointed Harry Truman
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, Department of Energy (nuclear cleanup) Jessie Roberson[36] 2001–2004 President nominated, Senate confirmed George W. Bush
James Rispoli[37] 2005–2008 Sec. of Energy appointed, Senate confirmed
climate czar Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary, President's Coordinator for Climate Change, Senior negotiator at Kyoto and Beuenos Aires negotiations Todd Stern[38] 1997–1999 President appointed Bill Clinton
Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern[39] 2009 Sec. of State appointed Barack Obama
climate czar, energy czar, global warming czar Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner[40] 2009–2011 (New position)
copyright czar Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator vacant; position approved but not filled during Bush administration[41] 2008–2009 George W. Bush
Victoria Espinel[42] 2009–2013 (first at position) Barack Obama
communications czar Counselor to the President, Special counselor to the President Dan Bartlett[43] 2005–2007 President appointed George W. Bush
compensation czar, Gulf claims czar, pay czar Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation Kenneth Feinberg[44] 2009–2011, 2014–2016? Sec. of Treasury appointed Barack Obama
consumer czar Special Advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Elizabeth Warren[45] 2010–2011 (New position), President appointed
COVID-19 czar Counselor to the President of the United States Jeff Zients 2021–2022 President appointed Joe Biden
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha 2022–2023
cruise czar Fact-Finding Officer for the Federal Maritime Commission Louis E. Sola[46] 2020–2023 President nominated, Senate confirmed Donald Trump
cyber security czar, cyber czar Special Advisor to the President on Cybersecurity, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Richard A. Clarke[47] 2001 Oct – 2003 Feb (New position), President appointed George W. Bush
Director, National Cybersecurity Center Rod Beckstrom[48] 2008–2009 (New position), Presidential directive, President appointed
Director of the White House Office of Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Coordinator Melissa Hathaway[49] 2009 May–Jul, Acting czar[50] Office created May 31, 2009. Barack Obama
Tom Bossert[51] 2017–2018 Donald Trump
Robert Joyce[52] 2018
democracy czar Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy Elliott Abrams[53] 2005–2008 President appointed George W. Bush
domestic czar Special Assistant to the President, domestic policy aide Joseph Califano[54] 1965–1969 Lyndon Johnson
domestic policy czar Chief Domestic Policy Coordinator, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove[55] 2004–2006 George W. Bush
domestic violence czar Advisor to the President and the Vice President on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Issues Lynn Rosenthal[56] 2009 Vice President appointed Barack Obama
drug czar Head of Drug programs, Special Action Office of Drug Abuse Prevention Jerome Jaffe[57] 1971 President appointed Richard Nixon
Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and head of the Narcotics Treatment Administration Robert DuPont 1973–1978 Gerald Ford
Director of the White House Drug Abuse Policy (1982), Special Assistant to the President for Drug Abuse (1983), Member of Executive Board of the National Narcotics Border Interdiction System Cabinet Level (1983), Deputy Assistant to the President for Drug Abuse Policy (1985) Carlton Turner[58] 1982–1988 (New position), Exec order, President appointed Ronald Reagan
Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy William Bennett[59] 1989–1990 (New position) created by Congress, President nominated, Senate confirmed George H. W. Bush
Bob Martinez[60] 1991–1993 President nominated, Senate confirmed
Director, National Drug Control Policy Lee P. Brown[61] 1993–1995 Bill Clinton
Barry McCaffrey[62] 1996–2001
John P. Walters[63] 2001–2009 George W. Bush
Director, National Drug Control Policy (cabinet rank removed) Gil Kerlikowske[64] 2009–2014 Barack Obama
Director, National Drug Control Policy Michael Botticelli[65] 2015–2017
Ebola czar Ebola Response Coordinator Ron Klain 2014–2015 President appointed
e-commerce czar, e-czar Executive Director, Electronic Commerce Working Group Elizabeth Echols[66] 1998–2000 Vice President appointed Bill Clinton
economic czar, economic czar of World War II Director, Office of Economic Stabilization James F. Byrnes[67] 1942–1943 (New position), Exec order, President appointed Franklin Roosevelt
economic czar Fred M. Vinson[68] 1943–1945 President appointed
William Hammatt Davis[69] 1945–1946
economic czar, big-picture economic czar Chairman, Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul A. Volcker[70] 2009 Barack Obama
energy czar Director of the Energy Policy Office John Arthur Love[71] 1973 (New position), Exec order, President appointed Richard Nixon
Federal Energy Office Administrator William E. Simon[72] 1973–1974 President appointed
Administrator, Federal Energy Administration John Sawhill[73] 1974
Administrator, Federal Energy Administration, Assistant to the President for Energy Affairs, Executive Director of Energy Resources Council Frank Zarb[74] 1974–1977 Gerald Ford
Director, Department of Energy (cabinet-level position) James Schlesinger[75] 1977–1979 (New position), Legislation enacted, President nominated, Senate confirmed Jimmy Carter
ethics czar, transparency czar Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform Norm Eisen[76] 2009–2010 (New position), Exec order, President appointed Barack Obama
White House Counsel Robert Bauer[77] 2010–2011 President appointed
faith-based czar, faith czar Director, White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives John DiIulio[78] 2001–2002 (New position), Exec order, President appointed George W. Bush
Jim Towey[79] 2002–2006 President appointed
Jay Hein[80] 2006–2008
faith-based czar Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois[81] 2009–2013 Barack Obama
Melissa Rogers[82] 2013–2014?
food czar Food Administrator and Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard[83] 1942–1943 Exec order Franklin Roosevelt
War Food Administrator Chester C. Davis[84] 1943
John Marvin Jones[85] 1943–1945
Chairman Citizens Food Committee Charles Luckman[86] 1947 Sep–Nov President appointed Harry Truman
food safety czar Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection David W. K. Acheson[87] 2007–2008 George W. Bush
foreign aid czar Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Randall Tobias[88][89] 2006–2007 President nominated, Senate confirmed
global AIDS czar Coordinator of U.S. Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally with the rank of Ambassador 2003–2006 (New position), President nominated, Senate confirmed
Coordinator of U.S.Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally, with the rank of Ambassador Mark Dybul[90] 2006–2009 President nominated, Senate confirmed
Great Lakes czar Senior Advisor to the EPA Administrator Cameron Davis[91] 2009–2017 (New position) Barack Obama
green-jobs czar Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation at the White House, Member of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Van Jones[92] 2009 Apr–Sep President appointed
Guantanamo Base closure czar US Department of State Special Envoy Daniel Fried[93] 2009–2013 Sec. of State appointed
health care czar, technology czar, internet czar, e-czar Senior Advisor for Policy Development Ira Magaziner[94] 1993–1998 President appointed Bill Clinton
health czar Director of the White House Office of Health Reform and Counselor to the President Nancy-Ann DeParle[95] 2009–2011 Exec Order Barack Obama
health czar for the World Trade Center (WTC) Special coordinator to respond to health effects of September 11 attacks, World Trade Center (WTC) Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program, also served as Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health John Howard[96] 2006–2008 President Appointed George W. Bush
health IT czar National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) David Brailer[97] 2004–2006 (New position), Exec order, appointed by Sec. of HHS
David Blumenthal 2009–2011 Exec order, appointed by Sec. of HHS Barack Obama
homeland security czar Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Tom Ridge[98][99] 2001–2002 (New position), Exec Order, President appointed George W. Bush
Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2003–2004 (New position), Legislation enacted, President nominated, Senate confirmed
Michael Chertoff[100] 2005–2009 President nominated, Senate confirmed
homeless czar, homelessness czar Executive Director, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Phil Mangano[101][102] 2002–2008 President appointed
housing czar Housing Expediter in the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion Wilson Wyatt[103] 1945–1946 (New position), President appointed Harry Truman
human trafficking czar Special Advisor in the Office of Domestic Policy Council Heather Fischer[104][105] 2020 Donald Trump
Gulf Coast reconstruction czar, Hurricane Katrina recovery czar Federal Coordinator of Hurricane Katrina Recovery Effort Donald E. Powell[106] 2005–2008 President appointed George W. Bush
inflation czar, anti-inflation czar Special Trade Representative, Chief U.S. trade negotiator Robert S. Strauss[107] 1978 Jimmy Carter
inflation czar Advisor to the President, Chairman Council on Wage and Price Stability Alfred E. Kahn[108] 1977–1980
czar of information Director, Office of War Information Elmer Davis[109] 1942–1945 Exec Order, President appointed Franklin Roosevelt
information czar, Infotech Czar Chief Information Officer at the White House Vivek Kundra[110] 2009–2011 (New position), created by statute, President appointed Barack Obama
Steven VanRoekel[111] 2011–2014 created by statute, President appointed
intelligence czar Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte[112] 2005–2007 (New position), Congress mandated, President nominated, Senate confirmed George W. Bush
John Michael McConnell[113] 2007–2009 President nominated, Senate confirmed
Dennis C. Blair[114] 2009–2010 Barack Obama
James R. Clapper[115] 2010–2017
Iran czar Special Advisor for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia (which includes Iran) Dennis Ross[116] 2009–2011 President appointed
czar of Latin American affairs Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Thomas C. Mann[117] 1964–1965 President nominated, Senate confirmed Lyndon Johnson
manpower czar Director, War Manpower Commission Paul V. McNutt[118] 1942–1945 Exec order Franklin Roosevelt
manufacturing czar Assistant Secretary for manufacturing and services, U.S. Commerce Department Albert Frink[119] 2004–2007 (New position), President nominated, Senate confirmed George W. Bush
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services William G. Sutton[120] 2007–2008 President nominated, Senate confirmed
Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy Ron Bloom[17] 2009–2011 President appointed Barack Obama
Middle East czar Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George J. Mitchell[121] Sec. of State appointed
mine safety czar Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Richard Stickler[122] 2006–2008 Recess appointment—2 prior presidential nominations were rejected by the Senate George W. Bush
missile czar Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Research and Development Trevor Gardner[123] 1954–1956 Sec. of Defense appointed, Senate confirmed Dwight D. Eisenhower
mobilization czar, civilian economy czar Director, Office of Defense Mobilization Charles Edward Wilson[124] 1950–1952 (New position), Exec order Harry Truman
oil czar Petroleum Coordinator for National Defense, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes[125] 1941–1946 President nominated, Senate confirmed as Sec. of Interior Franklin Roosevelt
pardon czar Pardon Czar[126] Alice Marie Johnson[127] 2025–present President appointed Donald Trump
patronage czar Postmaster General Post Office Department, Cabinet-level position Robert E. Hannegan[128] 1945–1947 President nominated, Senate confirmed Harry Truman
performance czar United States Chief Performance Officer and Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget Jeffrey Zients[129] 2009–2013 Barack Obama
policy czar Assistant to the President for Policy and Strategic Planning Michael Gerson[130] 2005–2006 President appointed George W. Bush
price czar Administrator, Office of Price Administration Leon Henderson[131] 1941–1942 (New position), Exec order, President appointed Franklin Roosevelt
Prentiss M. Brown[132] 1942–1943 President appointed
Chester Bowles[133] 1943–1946
Chairman of the Price Commission Grayson Jackson[134] 1971 (New position), President appointed Richard Nixon
production czar Director, War Production Board Donald M. Nelson[135] 1942–1944 (New position), Exec order, President appointed Franklin Roosevelt
Julius A. Krug[136] 1944–1945 President appointed
public diplomacy czar Special advisor to the President, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes[137] 2005–2007 President nominated, Senate confirmed George W. Bush
Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy James Glassman[138] 2008–2009
reading czar President's Advisor on Reading First Initiative, Member of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education Reid Lyon[139] 2001–2005 President appointed
reconversion czar Director of War Mobilization and Reconversion John W. Snyder[140] 1945–1946 Harry Truman
regulatory czar Director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Office of Management and Budget John Graham[141] 2001–2006 President nominated, Senate confirmed George W. Bush
Susan Dudley[142] 2006–2009 Recess appointment, nominee did not receive a Senate vote
Cass Sunstein[143] 2009–2012 President nominated, Senate confirmed Barack Obama
rubber czar Rubber Director Bill Jeffers[144] 1942–1943 (New position), Exec order, appointed by Chairman of War Production Board Franklin Roosevelt
savings & loan czar Director, Office of Thrift Supervision Timothy Ryan[145] 1990–1997 President nominated, Senate confirmed George H. W. Bush
science czar Science Advisor to the President, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy John Marburger[146] 2001 Oct – 2009 Jan George W. Bush
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy John Holdren[147] 2009–2017 Barack Obama
shipping czar Administrator, War Shipping Administration Emory S. Land[148] 1942–1946 Exec order Franklin Roosevelt
stimulus accountability, stimulus oversight Chairman, Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board Earl Devaney[149] 2009 (New position), created by statute, President appointed Barack Obama
technology czar, chief technology czar Associate Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Assistant to the President Aneesh Chopra[150] 2009–2012 President nominated, Senate confirmed Barack Obama
terrorism czar, counter-terrorism czar National coordinator for security, infrastructure protection and counter-terrorism, member of National Security Council, cabinet-level position Richard A. Clarke[151][152] 1998–2001 President appointed Bill Clinton
terrorism czar National coordinator for security, infrastructure protection and counter-terrorism, cabinet level rank removed 2001 Jan–Oct (Held over from prior administration) President Clinton appointed George W. Bush
terrorism czar, counterterrorism czar National Director for Combating Terrorism, Deputy National Security Advisor Wayne Downing[153] 2001 Nov – 2002 Jun (New position), President appointed
terrorism czar Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John O. Brennan[154] 2009 President appointed Barack Obama
trade czar Senior Policy Advisor in the White House on behalf of the United States Trade Representative. Mary Ryckman 2012 Appointed by USTR Michael Froman in 2012[155] She also represents the USTR on the President's Council on Women and Girls.[156]
transportation czar Director, Office of Defense Transportation Joseph Bartlett Eastman[157] 1941–1944 (New position), Exec order, President appointed Franklin Roosevelt
J. Monroe Johnson[158] 1944–1949 President appointed
urban affairs czar Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs Policy Adolfo Carrion[159] 2009–2010 Exec Order, President appointed Barack Obama
war czar Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan Douglas Lute[160] 2007–2009 (New position), President nominated, Senate confirmed George W. Bush
2009–2010? (Held over from prior administration) President Bush nominated, Senate confirmed Barack Obama
weapons czar Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (AT&L) Ashton Carter[161] 2009 President nominated, Senate confirmed
weapons of mass destruction czar, nonproliferation czar Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation, and Terrorism Gary Samore[162] 2009–2013 President appointed
weatherization czar Program Manager, Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program, U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Gil Sperling[163] 2008–Unknown Career incumbent, retained from George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush
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See also

Notes

  1. In 2019, a "border czar" was named,[28] but never formally appointed.[29]
  2. Trump appointed Homan as the border czar for his second administration as well.

References

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