White House Czars won’t testify to Congress
By Stephen Dinan
The White House has told Congress it will reject calls for many of President Obama’s policy czars to testify before Congress – a decision senators said goes against the president’s promises of transparency and openness and treads on Congress’ constitutional mandate to investigate the administration’s actions.
Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, said White House counsel Greg Craig told her in a meeting Wednesday that they will not make available any of the czars who work in the White House and don’t have to go through Senate confirmation. She said he was "murky" on whether other czars outside of the White House would be allowed to come before Congress.
Miss Collins said that doesn’t make sense when some of those czars are actually making policy or negotiating on behalf of Mr. Obama.
"I think Congress should be able to call the president’s climate czar, Carol Browner, the energy and environment czar, to ask her about the negotiations she conducted with the automobile industry that led to very significant policy changes with regard to emissions standards," Miss Collins said at a hearing Thursday that examined the proliferation of czars.
Related posts:
- Number of Obama czars raises concerns
- Czarred And Feathered
- House healthcare talks break down in anger
- Obama Organization set to lobby congress Today
- Obama’s ‘culture clash’ with Congress
Tags: Barack Obama, Congress, Czars, White House
October 26th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
The House of Representatives is supposed to control the purse strings. Any and all funding requests for the czar-enumerated activities should be withheld. Bills should be introduced in both the House and the Senate forbidding the appointment of czars or any other employee not approved by the Congress. In other words Congress should shut off the money!
October 26th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
i totally agree with this line of thinking . Thank you for stating it so clearly, that even the most ignorant of legislators could understand it.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Having all of those czars is unconstitutional to begin with. What has happened to "check and balances". Congress needs to cut off their salaries until they are allowed to appear before Congress. They definitely need to be investigated.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
As much as it make me sound like a pitchfork carrying bounty hunter, the Bama is acting and looking more and more like a Hitler. I think we have just seen the tip of the iceberg of the action and plans the Bama has in-store for us. I just pry that Va and NJ will start the sway back to the conservative way of life and then in 2010 get the House and Senate back from this insane person masquerading as a President. He is no more of a President then my Yorkie pup. He is over his head with only one thing in his mind.. destroy this country or as he puts it " fundamentally change America as we know it".
October 26th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
This goes right along with his appointing Muslims to the HSAC. Give away the Keys, and make NO ONE ACCOUNTABLE TO ANYONE!!! And he is doing right under the noses, and in many cases withe help of, OUR CONGRESS!!
October 26th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
It's puzzling that Congress will turn around and tolerate this defiance from "OOO's" administration. These Czars should be accountable to Congress if they are making policies or influencing them. Congress is our safety net against tyranny. Let's hope Congress has the guts to make a firm stand and insist these Czars answer their questions.
October 26th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
just because the rules state directives, unfortunately we are stuck with a person who thinks that he is above the rules. we need to impeach…..wait, you can't impeach a person who is there as a squatter. we need to remove from the premises and then the country. maybe his country of origin will take him in.
October 26th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
CONGRESS GET SOME BACK BONE AND TELL OBAMA " THE CZARS WILL TESTIFY OR FUNDING WILL BE CUT." WE THE AMERICAN CITIZENS KNOW WHAT THIS OBAMA AND CROOKS,CHEATS AND LIARS-COMMIES-ARE DOING. THEY ARE DESTROYING THIS COUNTRY UNDER OUR NOSE AND WHAT ARE "YOU" DOING ABOUT IT??? IT IS ABOUT TIME YOU STAND UP AND TELL OBAMA WHAT IS AND ISN'T POLITICAL CORRECT AND GO AND DO THE RIGHT THING. !! STAND UP-"NOW" AND DO THE RIGHT THING. GET RID OF ALL OF THEM INCLUDING IMPOSTER-"OBAMA".
October 26th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
You are exactly right. There is no reason why Obama and his czars are able to just do whatever they want and just get away with it. Other than contacting our congressmen, I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions?
October 26th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
another thing amazing to me.. the old saying "birds of a feather flock together" ??? LOOK at the nuts that surround this joke of a President.. there is not one of them that has a normal thought in their head.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Hey, if our Senators and Representatives don't get their heads out of their arses pretty soon, ya know what we'll have to call them? "Hey waiter!"
October 26th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I believe we should vote out all of the long term Senators, and Congressmen from office. The one who have been bought off, or blackmail.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Ithink there is not one real americen thinking man or women in our congress or senate.We should load them all in the MANS private airforce one and send them all to kenya.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
look at them and you know they are not good for our country.get rid of them with the MAN in the white house
October 26th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
it is high time to vote all incumbents out of office. We must expose imposter Obama by making him show his place of birth & real birth certicate, not the fake one that is floating around on th internet.
I beleive what his grandmother said on television "He was born in kenya, I know, I was there when it happend."
I have seen the fake birth certificate that is floating around on the internet. His birth name was Barry Otero, not the antichrist Baraq Hussien Obama.
It is high time to uncover this imposter, impeach the bastard and save our country before it is too late. Our great nation of 233 years cannot be undone by one man and his left wing commie Democrats. We must expose them and fire all the commie bastards.
October 27th, 2009 at 3:53 am
I find it very frightening that his grandmother died 2 days before the election.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:58 am
A grass root movement must be started, like the Tea Party, to force him to show the birth certificate. Also why is there no mention of the BC issue on any of the news anymore, even Fox ? Take a look at this article:
Who is behind quashing the birth certificate issue?
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/swirsky/09082...
If the author is right then payoffs and threats are involved. Where are the Rebuplicans ? They should be yelling that until he shows the BC he is NOT a legit president.
October 27th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Where are the Republicans? Do they have no backbone at all? At least put up a fight.
October 27th, 2009 at 7:11 am
[...] Read More and Comment: [...]
October 27th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
CONGRESS get off your butts and DO SOMETHING!!!!
October 28th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I just don't know where to start. But I feel time is running out on us