Politics | Barack Obama Obama's Kitchen Has Too Many Chefs President's 32 czars an 'end-run' around Congress: Cantor By Kevin Spak Posted Jul 30, 2009 11:42 AM CDT Copied In this photo provided by FOX News, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., appears on "Fox News Sunday" in Washington, Sunday, July 12, 2009. (AP Photo/FOX News Sunday, Freddie Lee) President Obama has broken his promise to restore the power of Congress “by appointing a virtual army of ‘czars,’” Republican Eric Cantor writes in the Washington Post. The administration now has at least 32 czars—more than Russia ever did—with each spearheading major policy initiatives. That’s an “end-run around the legislative branch of historic proportions,” the House minority whip contends, because the president's czars don’t need to be confirmed. The constitution requires that all “principal officers” of the executive branch be approved by Congress. Well, the czars seem fairly principal. The recently deposed car czar managed the government auto takeover, and the pay czar controls the compensation at the top TARP recipients. It’s “not that President Obama’s reliance on czars is illegal,” Cantor writes. “It’s that we have no idea what they’re doing.” Read These Next Husband of the Coldplay 'Kiss Cam' woman breaks his silence. Wall Street is getting twitchy over falling lumber prices. Those discarded COVID masks are shedding chemicals. He was on the run with his kids for 4 years. It just ended badly. Report an error