Reagan's Cabinet: Mixed Grades

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Samuel Pierce, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, has not noticeably increased his visibility since the notorious White House meeting last June when the President did not even recognize him. "Mister Mayor," said his boss, "how are things going in your city?" Pierce, 59, presides over a department that others in the Administration view mainly as a target for budget cuts. During the first round of reductions last spring, Pierce, a lifelong Republican, objected only to the proposed elimination of Urban Development Action Grants, which help finance private construction in inner cities. He was able to save the program, which is popular with many mayors. Pierce last week sent to the White House a much stronger appeal against further cutbacks in urban programs. But he toned down the harsh language in the memo, drafted by his staff, that warned of potential "rent strikes, riots and vandalism."

Pierce has not been an articulate salesman or apologist for the Administration's policies. "He underwhelms us," says one Democratic Congressman. Even the conservative Heritage Foundation faulted Pierce for not effectively promoting tax-exempt urban development zones, a concept he favors, and for seeming to have no creative policies to compensate for the budget cuts. Pierce says that he deliberately has kept a low profile while learning his department. His supporters say that he is now about ready to make his move. For the moment, he gets a slow-learner's C.

In the Driver's Seat

"He is just dynamite," says an admiring congressional aide. Drew Lewis' success in running the Department of Transportation is surpassed only by his effectiveness as a team player in the White House and his adroitness as a political operator on Capitol Hill. In Congress, Lewis, 50, is, in the words of one staffer, "the best Transportation Secretary since Hannibal, and has certainly moved more elephants over mountains."

Lewis' greatest triumph was his decisive handling of the air-traffic controllers' strike. When negotiations failed, the Federal Aviation Administration, which he oversees, managed to keep air traffic moving. Less visibly, Lewis has worked to get the Government out of the railway business and eventually divest itself of the Conrail freight line in the Northeast. He is also working to cut back federal subsidies for Amtrak passenger trains and for local transit systems. Many may strongly oppose his programs, but almost all who have dealt with him admire his effectiveness and his attention to political sensitivities. A possible candidate for promotion to a more important post, Lewis belongs on the Cabinet's A list.

Low Energy Level

Until James Edwards, 54, took over, the job of Energy Secretary was one of the most serious, controversial and demanding in the Cabinet. Now the main question is when the slow-talking dentist, who is probably the most amusing man in the Cabinet but sometimes is considered a bit of a joke, is going to go back home and, perhaps, run for Governor of South Carolina. Reagan often ridiculed the Energy Department during his campaign, saying that it had never produced a barrel of oil. He has pledged to abolish the agency and get the Government out of the energy business.