Bobby Jindal | |
|---|---|
 Jindal in 2015 | |
| 55thGovernor of Louisiana | |
| In office January 14, 2008 – January 11, 2016 | |
| Lieutenant | Mitch Landrieu Scott Angelle Jay Dardenne |
| Preceded by | Kathleen Blanco |
| Succeeded by | John Bel Edwards |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 14, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | David Vitter |
| Succeeded by | Steve Scalise |
| Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation | |
| In office July 9, 2001 – February 21, 2003 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Margaret Hamburg |
| Succeeded by | Michael O'Grady |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Piyush Jindal (1971-06-10)June 10, 1971 (age 54) Baton Rouge,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Brown University (BS) New College, Oxford (MLitt) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
Piyush "Bobby"Jindal (born June 10, 1971[1]) is an American politician who served as the 55thgovernor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. A member of theRepublican Party, Jindal previously served as aU.S. representative from Louisiana from 2005 to 2008, and served as chair of theRepublican Governors Association from 2012 to 2013.[2]
In 1995, Jindal was appointed secretary of theLouisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. In 1999, he was appointed president of theUniversity of Louisiana System. At 28, Jindal became the youngest person to hold the position. In 2001, PresidentGeorge W. Bush appointed Jindal as principal adviser to theU.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.[3]
Jindal first ran for governor of Louisiana in2003, but lost in therunoff election toDemocratic candidateKathleen Blanco. In 2004, he was elected to theU.S. House of Representatives, becoming the secondIndian American in Congress, and he was reelected in 2006. To date, he is the only Indian American Republican to have ever served in Congress. Jindal ran for governor again in the2007 election and won. Jindal was re-elected in2011 in a landslide, winning more than 65 percent of the vote.[3][4] He was the firstIndian American governor in U.S. history, and was the only Indian American governor in U.S. history untilNikki Haley becameGovernor of South Carolina in 2011.[5]
On June 24, 2015, Jindal announcedhis candidacy for theRepublican nomination in the2016 presidential election.[6] He suspended his campaign in November 2015,[7][8] subsequently announcing his support forMarco Rubio.[9] He finished his term as governor in January 2016.
Jindal was born on June 10, 1971, inBaton Rouge,Louisiana, to immigrantIndianPunjabiHindu parents.[1][10] He is the first of two sons of Raj (née Gupta) and Amar Jindal, fromPunjab,India. His father is acivil engineer and graduate ofGuru Nanak Dev University[11][12] andPunjab University.[13] His mother is a graduate ofRajasthan University and worked in nuclear physics at thePostgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research inChandigarh. Before migrating to the United States, both of his parents were lecturers at an Indian engineering college.[14]
At the time of their move to the U.S., Raj Jindal was to be a doctoral candidate in physics.[10] They leftMalerkotla,Punjab[15][16] in January 1971, six months before their son was born.[17] Jindal's paternal grandfather was a merchant fromKhanpur,Samrala and his maternal grandfather was aFerozepur banker.[18]
The family settled nearLouisiana State University. Jindal attendedBaton Rouge Magnet High School, graduating in 1988. While in high school, he competed in tennis tournaments, started various enterprises such as a computer newsletter, retail candy business, and a mail-order software company. He spent free time working in the stands atLSU football games.[19]
Jindal graduated fromBrown University in 1992 at the age of 20, withhonors in two majors:biology andpublic policy.[19][20]
Jindal was admitted to theProgram in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), guaranteeing him a place atBrown Medical School. He did not pursue his Medical Doctorate. Jindal has been credited with leadingBrown University'sCollege Republicans student group.[21]
Jindal was named to the 1992USA Today All-USA Academic Team. He applied to and was accepted by bothHarvard Medical School andYale Law School, but studied as aRhodes Scholar where he received anMLitt inpolitical science with an emphasis inhealth policy fromNew College, Oxford in 1994. The subject of histhesis was "A needs-based approach to health care".[19]
After completing his studies at Oxford, Jindal turned down an offer to study for aD.Phil. in politics, instead joining the consulting firmMcKinsey & Company.[22] He theninterned in the office of Rep.Jim McCrery of Louisiana, where McCrery assigned him to work on healthcare policy; Jindal spent two weeks studyingMedicare to compile an extensive report on possible solutions to Medicare's financial problems, which he presented to McCrery.[23]
In 1993, McCrery introduced Jindal to GovernorMike Foster. In 1996, Foster appointed Jindal as Secretary of theLouisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, an agency that represented about 40 percent of the statebudget and employed over 12,000 people. Foster called Jindal a genius who had a great deal of medical knowledge.[24] Jindal was 24 at the time.[25]
During his tenure, Louisiana'sMedicaid program went frombankruptcy with a $400 milliondeficit into three years ofsurpluses totaling $220 million.[26]
Jindal was criticized during the 2007 campaign by the LouisianaAFL–CIO for closing some local clinics to reach that surplus.[27] Under Jindal's term, Louisiana nationally rose to third place in child healthcare screenings, with child immunizations rising, and introduced new and expanded services for the elderly and the disabled.[28]
In 1998, Jindal was appointed executive director of theNational Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, a 17-member panel charged with devising plans to reformMedicare. In 1999, at the request of the Louisiana governor's office and theLouisiana State Legislature, Jindal examined how Louisiana might use its $4.4 billion share of thetobacco settlement.[citation needed]
In 1998, Jindal received the Samuel S. Beard Award for greatest public service by an individual 35 years old or under, an award given annually byJefferson Awards.[29]
At 28 years of age in 1999, Jindal was appointed to become the youngest-ever president of theUniversity of Louisiana System, the nation's 16th largest system of higher education with over 80,000 students.[30]
In March 2001, he was nominated byPresidentGeorge W. Bush to beAssistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation.[31] He was later unanimously confirmed by a vote of theUnited States Senate and began serving on July 9, 2001. In that position, he served as the principal policy adviser to theSecretary of Health and Human Services.[32] He resigned from that post on February 21, 2003, to return to Louisiana and run for governor.[33] He was assigned to help fight thenurse shortage by examining steps to improvenursing education.[34]
Jindal came to national prominence during the2003 election for governor of Louisiana. In what Louisianans call an "open primary" (but which is technically anonpartisan blanket primary), Jindal finished first with 33 percent of the vote. He received endorsements from the largest paper in Louisiana, theTimes-Picayune; the newly elected Democraticmayor of New Orleans,Ray Nagin; and the outgoing Republican governor,Mike Foster.[35]
In the second balloting, Jindal faced the outgoing lieutenant governor,Kathleen Babineaux Blanco ofLafayette, a Democrat. Despite winning in Blanco's hometown, he lost many normallyconservative parishes in north Louisiana, and Blanco prevailed with 52 percent of the popular vote.[citation needed]
Some political analysts blamed Jindal's loss for his refusal to answer questions targeted at his religion and ethnic background brought up in several Democratic advertisements,[36][37] which the Jindal campaign called "negative attack ads." Despite losing the election in 2003, the run for governor made Jindal a well-known figure on the state's political scene and a rising star within the Republican Party.
A few weeks after the 2003 gubernatorial runoff, Jindal decided to run forLouisiana's 1st congressional district. The incumbent,David Vitter, was running for theSenate seat being vacated byJohn Breaux. The Louisiana Republican Party endorsed him in the primary although Mike Rogers, also a Republican, was running for the same seat. The 1st District has been in Republican hands since a 1977special election and is widely considered to be staunchly conservative.[38] Jindal's campaign was able to raise over $1 million very early in the campaign, making it harder for other candidates to effectively raise funds to oppose him. He won the 2004 election with 78 percent of the vote.[citation needed]
Jindal was only the secondIndian-American to be elected to the United States Congress, afterDalip Singh Saund was elected in November 1955.[39]
Jindal won re-election to a second term with 88% of the vote.
He was the secondIndian American elected to Congress.[40] He has reportedly lived inKenner,[41]Metairie, andBaton Rouge.[42]
In 2005, Jindal criticized Bush's budget for not calling for enough spending cuts.[43] He warned of the growth ofMedicaid saying "Congress may act without them...there seems to be growing momentum that the status quo is not defensible."[44] Jindal praised Bush's leadership on social security reform, saying "The administration has a lot more work to do to continue educating the American people about the very serious challenges facing Social Security."[45]
In response toHurricane Katrina, Jindal stated "If we had been investing resources in restoring our coast, it wouldn't have prevented the storm, but the barrier islands would have absorbed some of the tidal surge."[46]
He was made vice-chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attacks. Jindal served as president of the incoming freshman class of congressmen, in 2004. He was elected to the position of House assistant majority whip, a senior leadership role. He served in this capacity from 2004 to 2006.[19]
On January 22, 2007, Jindal announced his candidacy for governor.[47] Polling data showed him with an early lead in the race, and he remained the favorite throughout the campaign. He defeated eleven opponents in thenonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, including two prominent Democrats,State SenatorWalter Boasso ofChalmette andLouisiana Public Service CommissionerFoster Campbell ofBossier City, and anindependent, New OrleansbusinessmanJohn Georges.
Jindal finished with 699,672 votes (54 percent). Boasso ran second with 226,364 votes (17 percent). Georges finished with 186,800 (14 percent), and Campbell, who is also a former state senator, ran fourth with 161,425 (12 percent). The remaining candidates collectively polled three percent of the vote.[48] This marked the first time that a non-incumbent candidate for governor was elected without a runoff under the Louisiana election system.[49]
As governor-elect, Jindal named a new ethics team, with DemocraticShreveport businesswomanVirginia Kilpatrick Shehee, the first woman to have served in the state senate, as the vice-chairman of the panel. Jindal assumed the position of governor when he took theoath of office on January 14, 2008. At thirty-six, he became the youngest sitting governor in the United States. He is also Louisiana's first non-white governor sinceP. B. S. Pinchback served for thirty-five days duringReconstruction, and the first non-white governor to be elected (Pinchback succeeded to the position of lieutenant governor on the death ofOscar Dunn, then to governor upon the impeachment ofHenry Clay Warmoth).[50] Additionally, Jindal became the firstIndian American to be elected governor of any state in the United States.[4] In a salute to the2007 LSU Tigers football national championship team during his January 14, 2008, inauguration speech, Jindal stated in part "...They revere our athletes. Geaux Tigers...."[51]
In 2008, Jindal was ranked one of the nation's most popular governors with an approval rating of 77%.[52][53][54]
Thereafter, Janice Clark, a state district court judge in Baton Rouge, declared that portion of the law enhancing the retirement benefits of Edmonson to be unconstitutional.[55][56][57][58]
On June 27, 2008, Louisiana's Secretary of State confirmed that arecall petition had been filed against Jindal in response to Jindal's refusal toveto a bill that would have more than doubled the current state legislative pay. During his gubernatorial campaign, Jindal had pledged to prevent legislative pay raises that would take effect during the current term.[59][60]
Jindal responded by saying that he is opposed to the pay increase, but that he had pledged to let the legislature govern themselves.[61]
On June 30, 2008, Jindal reversed his earlier position by vetoing the pay raise legislation, stating that he made a mistake by staying out of the pay raise issue. In response, the petitioners dropped their recall effort.[62]
Standard and Poor's raised Louisiana's bond rating and credit outlook from stable to positive in 2009. In announcing this change, the organization gave credit to the state's strong management and "commitment to streamlining its government functions."[63] Jindal met with PresidentBarack Obama in October 2009 where the governor pushed for increased federal dollars to cover rising Medicaid costs, speeding the construction of hurricane-protection barriers, and financing the proposed Louisiana State University teaching hospital. During a town hall meeting, Obama praised Jindal as a "hard working man who is doing a good job" for the State, and expressed support for the governor's overhaul of the State's educational system in the area of increased charter schools.[64][65]
Jindal negotiated an agreement whereby Foster Farms, a private chicken processor, would receive $50 million in taxpayer funds to purchase a chicken processing plant owned by bankruptPilgrim's Pride.[citation needed]
Some claimed there is a conflict of interest in that Pilgrim's Pride founder Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim contributed $2500 to Jindal's campaign in 2007.[66] Other contributors to Jindal's campaign who benefited from economic development spending include Albemarle and Edison Chouest Offshore.[66] Jindal however released a statement saying that this legislation saved over 1,000 jobs, serves as a stimulus to Louisiana's economy, and had wide bipartisan support.[67]
Jindal oversaw one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history (nearly two million people) in late August 2008 prior to the Louisiana landfall ofHurricane Gustav.[68] He issued mandatory evacuation orders for the state's coastal areas and activated 3,000 National Guardsman to aid in the exodus. He also ordered the state to purchase generators to provide needed power to hospitals and nursing homes without power. Government officials vacated hospitals and nursing homes and put the poor, the ill, and the elderly on buses and trains out of town. The evacuation was credited as one reason that Gustav resulted in only 16 deaths in the U.S. The state's successful response toHurricane Gustav was in stark contrast to the failedhurricane response system forHurricane Katrina in 2005. Jindal received bipartisan praise for his leadership during Gustav.[69] Jindal had been scheduled to address the Republican National Convention, but cancelled his plans in order to focus on Louisiana's needs during the storm.[70]
Jindal announced his intention to seek reelection in 2011. In the face of Jindal's highapproval ratings and big amounts ofcampaign funds,[71] Democrats struggled to land a recruit of any substance.[72] Running against four Democrats, a Libertarian and four independents in thejungle primary, Jindal received 66% of the vote in the blanket primary, thereby winning election in the first round.[73]
In August 2011, theAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) awarded Jindal the Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award for "outstanding public service".[74]
On October 25, 2011, in preparing for his second term, Jindal tapped Republican state representative Chuck Kleckley ofLake Charles[75] and State SenatorJohn Alario ofWestwego as his choices forSpeaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives andLouisiana Senate President, respectively. Both were confirmed by legislators. Alario is a long-term Democrat who switched parties prior to the 2011 elections.[76] In January 2012, Jindal elevatedJohn C. White, the short-term superintendent at the Recovery School District in New Orleans, to the position of state superintendent of education.[77]
In August 2012, Jindal declared a statewidestate of emergency due to the threat of subsidence and subsurface instability that threatens the lives and property of the citizens of the state.[78]
By the end of Jindal's second term, he saw a marked drop in his state popularity and problems such as a budget deficit and cuts to public expenditure.[79] He could not stand for a third term because the governor of Louisiana is subject to term limits.[80]
In January 2013, Jindal released a plan that would eliminate the Louisianastate income tax, which he felt would expand business investment in the state, and then raisesales taxes in order to keep the plan revenue-neutral.[81] Self-styled taxpayer watchdog and former legislative aide C.B. Forgotston correctly predicted that Jindal's plan would fail to clear the legislature because of the higher sales taxes, the lack of needed support from Democrats, and the likelihood that the plan would not increase overall state revenues.[82]
On April 8, 2013, the first day of the legislative session, Jindal dropped the plan after acknowledging some negative response to the plan from legislators and the public, but said he would still like the legislature to formulate its own plan that could end the state income tax.[83]
Jindal announced, in September 2014, a six-point energy platform that would, among other things, open up energy production on federal land and eliminated proposed carbon restrictions.[84]
In 2017, Jindal took a position as an operating adviser forAres Management, a global investment firm based inLos Angeles.[85]
In September 2022, telehealth companyLifeMD (NASDAQ:LFMD) named Jindal to its board of directors.[86]
On February 8, 2008, conservative radio hostRush Limbaugh mentioned on his syndicated show that Jindal could be a possible choice for the Republicanvice presidential nomination in 2008. He said that Jindal might be perceived as an asset toJohn McCain's campaign because he has wide support in the conservative and moderate wings of the Republican Party. If McCain had won the presidency, he would have been the oldest president ever inaugurated to a first term.[87]
Heightening the speculation, McCain invited Jindal, GovernorCharlie Crist ofFlorida, GovernorTim Pawlenty ofMinnesota and his former rivalsMitt Romney andMike Huckabee to meet at his home inArizona on May 23, 2008, according to a Republican familiar with the decision; Romney, Huckabee, and Pawlenty, all of whom were already well acquainted with McCain, declined because of prior commitments.[88] The meeting may have served a different purpose, such as consideration of Jindal for the opportunity to speak at the2008 Republican National Convention, in a similar fashion toBarack Obama at the2004 Democratic National Convention, cementing a place for him in the party and opening the gate for a future run for the presidency.[89] Speculation was fueled by simultaneous July 21, 2008, reports that McCain was making a sudden visit to Louisiana to confer again with Jindal and that McCain was readying to name his running mate within a week. However, on July 23, 2008, Jindal said that he would not be the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008.[90] Jindal added that he "never talked to the senator [McCain] about the vice presidency or his thoughts on selecting the vice president."[90] Ultimately, on August 29, 2008, McCain chose then-Gov.Sarah Palin ofAlaska as his running mate. While Jindal was given a prime-time speech slot at the party convention, he was not offered thekeynote speech. During the presidential campaign, Jindal expressed admiration for both Senators McCain and Obama, and maintained that both have made positive contributions to the nation.[91]
On February 24, 2009, Jindal delivered the official Republican response to President Obama'saddress to a joint session of Congress. Jindal called the president's economic stimulus plan "irresponsible" and argued against government intervention.[92] He usedHurricane Katrina to warn against government solutions to the economic crisis. "Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us," Jindal said. "Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts." He praised the late sheriffHarry Lee for standing up to the government during Katrina.[93][94]
The speech met with biting reviews from some members of both the Democratic and the Republican parties. Referring to Jindal as "devoid of substantive ideas for governing the country", political commentatorRachel Maddow summarized Jindal's Katrina remark as follows: "[Jindal states that] since government failed during Hurricane Katrina, we should understand, not that government should not be allowed to fail again, but that government...never works. That government can't work, and therefore we should stop seeking a functioning government."[95] David Johnson, a Republican political strategist criticized Jindal's mention of Hurricane Katrina, stating "The one thing Republicans want to forget is Katrina."[96] While Jindal's speech was poorly received by several Democratic and Republican critics, others argued that the speech should be judged on substance rather than delivery style.[97][98]
Jindal's story of meeting Lee in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was questioned following the speech, as Jindal was not in New Orleans at the time.[99] On February 27, 2009, a spokesman for Jindal clarified the timing of the meeting, stating that the story took place days after the storm.[100] The opportunity to give the response to President Obama's speech was compared by some commentators to winning "second prize in a beauty contest", a reference to the board gameMonopoly.[101]
Jindal had been mentioned as a potential candidate for the2012 presidential election. On December 10, 2008, Jindal indicated that he would likely not run for president in 2012, saying he will focus on hisre-election in 2011 and that this would make transitioning to a national campaign difficult, though he did not rule out a possible 2012 presidential bid.[102]Speculation increased when Republicans chose Jindal to deliver the response to President Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress.[103]
The Jindal for President Draft Council Inc.PAC was formed in 2009 to raise funds for a future presidential run. Jindal has stated that he has no involvement with the PAC.[citation needed] In April 2010, while speaking at theSouthern Republican Leadership Conference, Jindal ruled out running for the Republican nomination for president in 2012.[104]
In2012, Jindal traveled across the country in support of theMitt Romney-Paul Ryan ticket. Because Louisiana and otherDeep South states voted heavily for the GOP, Jindal could hence devote his campaign time elsewhere. In August 2012,Politico reported that "Bobby Jindal would be considered [for] and would likely take" appointment asUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services in a potentialRomneycabinet.[105]
After the defeat of Romney-Ryan, Jindal called for his party to return to "the basics... If we want people to like us, we have to like them first," he said on the interview programFox News Sunday.[106] As the incoming president of theRepublican Governors Association, which had thirty members in 2013, Jindal questioned Romney for having criticized President Obama as having provided "extraordinary financial gifts from the government".[106] In reply to Romney, Jindal said, "You don't start to like people by insulting them and saying their votes were bought."[106] Jindal said that his party must convince a majority of voters that it supports the middle class and the principle ofupward mobility. He also criticized what he termed "stupid" remarks regarding rape and conception made in 2012 by defeated Republican U.S. Senate nomineesTodd Akin inMissouri andRichard Mourdock inIndiana.[106]
In November 2012, after the election, Jindal was featured in aTime magazine article titled "2016: Let's Get The Party Started", where he was listed as a possible Republican candidate for the presidency in 2016. The article cited his fiscal and social conservative policies and his Indian American background, which would bring diversity to the GOP.[107]
In 2013, with polls showing Jindal's approval ratings in Louisiana falling significantly,[108] some analysts wrote off Jindal as a serious national contender,[109] though others pointed to Romney as an example of someone who still won the Presidential nomination despite poor approval ratings from his home state.[110] In October 2013, Jindal toldFox News Sunday that he was still mulling a 2016 presidential run.[111]
On May 18, 2015, Jindal formed a presidential exploratory committee to determine whether he would run as a candidate in the2016 presidential election,[112] and he announced his candidacy on June 24.[113]
As of early September, Jindal was polling at 1 percent among the Republican primary electorate.[114] On November 17, 2015, Jindal appeared onSpecial Report with Bret Baier on the Fox News Channel, announcing that he was ending his run for president, saying "I've come to the realization that this is not my time."[7]
During his campaign, Jindal calledDonald Trump a "narcissist" and an "egomaniacal madman", but afterward said that he would support Trump because "electing Donald Trump would be the second-worst thing we could do this November, better only than electing Hillary Clinton to serve as the third term for the Obama administration's radical policies."[115]
Jindal has a stronglyanti-abortion voting record according to theNational Right to Life Committee.[116] He opposesabortion in general, but does not condemn medical procedures aimed at saving the life of the mother that indirectly result in the loss of the unborn child, such assalpingectomy for an ectopic pregnancy.[117][118][119][120][121]
In 2003, Jindal stated that he did not object to the use ofemergency contraception in the case ofrape if the victim requests it.[118] While in the House of Representatives, he supported two bills to prohibit transporting minors across state lines to obtain an abortion; the bills aimed to prevent doctors and others from helping a minor avoid parental notification laws in their home state by procuring an abortion in another state.[116] He opposed and voted against expanding public funding ofembryonic stem cell research.[116][122]
Jindal opposed the legalization of bothsame-sex marriage andcivil unions. In Congress, he voted for theFederal Marriage Amendment to restrict marriage to a union between one man and one woman. He also voted against theLocal Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007.[123] In December 2008, Jindal announced the formation of the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family.[124]
Following the 2013 Supreme Court's rulings onDOMA andProposition 8, he said: "I believe every child deserves a mom and a dad. This opinion leaves the matter of marriage to the states where people can decide. In Louisiana, we will opt for traditional marriage. How about we let the people decide for themselves, via their representatives and via referendum?"[125]
In May 2015, the legislature killed the measure. Four Republican members,Pete Huval ofBreaux Bridge,Gregory A. Miller ofNorco,Clay Schexnayder ofGonzales, andNancy Landry ofLafayette, joined Democrats in killing the bill. Jindal responded by issuingExecutive Order BJ-2015-8, (the "Marriage and Conscience Order"), which attempted to achieve the goals of the failed legislation.[126] Johnson said he intended to re-introduce the measure in 2016.[127][128]
He vetoed state legislation to increase pay for state legislators.[129][130] However, the Louisiana governor's office was ranked last for transparency in the United States both prior, and subsequent, to Jindal's election, as reported by the WDSU I-Team. At least two legislators, state representativesWalker Hines andNeil Abramson, argued that this may be attributed to legislation that removed the governor's records from the public domain; they argued that the legislation was surreptitiously inserted as a last-minute amendment into an education bill by Jindal's office on the last day of the 2008 session, providing no time to properly review it before it passed the legislature and was signed into law by Jindal.[131][132]
Jindal is a fervent supporter of theSecond Amendment and generally opposesgun control. He has been endorsed by theNRAPolitical Victory Fund[133][134] and received an A grade fromGun Owners of America while he was in Congress.[135]
As a Congressman, he sponsored theDisaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006 with SenatorDavid Vitter.
In July 2015, during an interview with CBS, Jindal stated that he supported stricter background checks, and that every state should begin to enact tougher background checks on gun buyers.[136][137]
As a private citizen, Jindal voted in 2002 for the Louisiana constitutional amendment known as the Stelly Plan[138] which lowered somesales taxes in exchange for higherincome taxes. After taking office, Jindal cut taxes a total of six times, including the largest income tax cut in Louisiana's history – a cut of $1.1 billion over five years, along with accelerating the elimination of the tax on business investments.[139] In January 2013, Jindal said he wanted to eliminate all Louisiana corporate and personal income taxes, without giving details for his proposal.[140]
As U.S. Representative from Louisiana, Jindal received grades of B in 2005, B− in 2006, and C in 2007 from theNational Taxpayers Union, aconservativetaxpayers advocacy organization.[141] As Governor of Louisiana, Jindal received grades of A in 2010,[142][143] B in 2012,[144][145] and B in 2014[146][147] from theCato Institute, alibertarian think tank, in their biennial Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors.
In 2008, Jindal came out in favour of theCommon Core State Standards Initiative,[148] which Louisiana adopted in 2010.[149]
In 2014, Jindal wrote that "It has become fashionable in the news media to believe there is a right-wing conspiracy against Common Core."[150]
Jindal proposed budgets that impose cuts on higher education funding in Louisiana, leading to protests from students and education advocates.[151] Jindal proposed several controversial education reforms, including vouchers for low income students in public schools to attend private institutions usingMinimum Foundation Program funds.[152]
The legislation also included controversial changes in teacher evaluations, tenure and pensions. Hundreds of teachers, administrators and public education supporters protested against the legislation at the capital of Louisiana,[153] some of whom cancelled classes to attend demonstrations. Many participants circulated petitions to recall Jindal and Republican House Speaker Chuck Kleckley.[154] In April 2012, a Louisiana Public Broadcasting program examined possible conflicts between aspects of the Jindal education reform plan and the federal desegregation orders still in place in many parts of Louisiana.[155]
Jindal signed a law that permitted teachers atpublic schools to supplement standard evolutionary curricula with analysis and critiques that may includeintelligent design.[156] The law provides that "[c]lassroom instruction and materials shall not promote any religious doctrine", but LouisianaACLU Director Marjorie Esman said that that provision "is vague at best",[157] and stated that the Act is "susceptible to a constitutional challenge."[158] Despite calls for aveto fromJohn Derbyshire and some genetics professors atBrown University,[159] Jindal signed theLouisiana Academic Freedom Act which passed the voting in the State House and the State Senate in 2008.[160]
TheSociety for Integrative and Comparative Biology rejected New Orleans as a site for their 2010 meeting and theAmerican Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will not conduct future meetings in Louisiana.[161][162]
Jindal voted to extend thePatriot Act, voted in favor of theMilitary Commissions Act of 2006, supported aconstitutional amendment banningflag burning,[163] and voted for theReal ID Act of 2005.[164][165]
He criticizedillegal immigration as a drain on the economy, as well as being unfair to those who entered the country by legal means. He voted to build a fence along the Mexican border and opposed granting amnesty for illegal immigrants.[130][166][167]
Jindal refused to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid after the passage of theAffordable Care Act, costing his state $1.65 billion in federal health-care assistance for the poor.[168] He supported increased health insurance portability; laws promoting coverage of pre-existing medical conditions; a cap on malpractice lawsuits; an easing of restrictions on importation of prescription medications; the implementation of a streamlinedelectronic medical records system; an emphasis on preventative care rather than emergency room care; and tax benefits aimed at making health insurance more affordable for the uninsured and targeted to promote universal access. During Jindal tenure, over 11,000 uninsured children were added to the State'sChildren's Health Insurance Program. He also opposed a federal government-run, single-payer system, but supported state efforts to reduce the uninsured population.[169] He has also supported expanding services forautistic children, and promoted a national childhood cancer database.[130] Due to a congressional reduction in federal Medicaid financing rates, the Jindal administration chose to levy the largest slice of cuts on the network ofLSU charity hospitals and clinics, requiring some facilities to close.[170]
Jindal issued an executive order increasing office recycling programs, reducing solid waste and promoting paperless practices, offering tax credit for hybrid fuel vehicles, increasing average fuel economy goals by 2010, as well as increasing energy efficiency goals and standards for the state.[171] He has stated his opposition to and voted for the criminalization of oil cartels such asOPEC. As a representative in the House, he supported a $300-million bill to fund Louisiana coastal restoration. In addition, he was the chief sponsor of successful legislation to expand theJean Lafitte National Historical Park by over 3,000 acres (12 km2).[130][172] Jindal signed bill SB 469 that would limit actions aimed at oil and gas companies operating along the coast.[173][174] Jindal pledged state support for the development of economically friendly cars in northeastern Louisiana in conjunction with alternative energy advocateT. Boone Pickens.[175] In September 2014, Jindal stated thatglobal warming was more about increasing government regulation, and released an energy plan that was critical of the Obama Administration's policies.[176]
In 2007, Jindal led the Louisiana House delegation and ranked 14th among House members in requestedearmark funding at nearly $97 million (however in over 99% of these requests, Jindal was a co-sponsor and not the primary initiator of the earmark legislation).[177][178] $5 million of Jindal's earmark requests were for state defense and indigent healthcare related expenditures, another $50 million was for increasing the safety of Louisiana's waterways and levees after breaches followingHurricane Katrina, and the remainder was targeted towards coastal restoration and alternative energy research.[179][180] As governor, in 2008, Jindal used hisline item veto to strike $16 million in earmarks from the state budget but declined to veto $30 million in legislator-added spending. Jindal vetoed over 250 earmarks in the 2008 state budget, twice the total number of such vetoes by previous governors in the preceding 12 years.[181]
Jindal has been an opponent of theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Citing concerns that the augmentation ofunemployment insurance may obligate the state to raise taxes on businesses, Jindal had indicated his intention to forgo federal stimulus plan funds ($98 million) aimed at increasing unemployment insurance for Louisiana.[182] Louisiana has since been obligated to raise taxes on businesses because the unemployment trust fund had dropped below the prescribed threshold.[183] Louisiana was set to receive about $3.8 billion overall. Jindal intended to accept at least $2.4 billion from the stimulus package.[184] He called parts of the plan "irresponsible", saying that "the way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians."[185]
In 2015, Jindal traveled to the UK to speak at an event by the neoconservativeHenry Jackson Society.[186] In that speech, he alleged the existence of "no-go zones", allegedly established by Muslims in London and other western cities. London mayorBoris Johnson called Jindal's remarks "complete nonsense".[186] and earlier British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron had confirmed that there were not any no-go zones in the UK. Jindal later confirmed his meaning "I knew that by speaking the truth we were going to make people upset."[187][188] When later asked byCNN to provide specific examples, Jindal declined.[187] He later added that some Muslim immigrants are trying to "colonize" cities in Europe and "overtake the culture", and that it could happen next in the U.S.[189][190]
Jindal was raised in aHindu household. He is of Indian descent and is a U.S. citizen bybirthright. He converted toChristianity while inBaton Rouge Magnet High School. During his first year atBrown University, he was baptized into theCatholic Church as an adult under theRite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).[50]
Before Jindal was born, his father Amar Jindal was assistant professor of engineering at Punjab University in Chandigarh. After settling into Louisiana, Jindal's father went on to work with a Louisiana railroad company, and his mother transitioned into Information Technology (IT). As of 2008, Jindal's mother, Raj Jindal,[11] wasinformation technology director for the Louisiana Workforce Commission (formerly the Louisiana Department of Labor) and served as Assistant Secretary to former State Labor Secretary Garey Forster during the administration of GovernorMike Foster.[191] Jindal has a younger brother, Nikesh, who is a registered Republican and supported his brother's campaign for governor.[192] Nikesh went toDartmouth College, where he graduated with honors, and thenYale Law School. Nikesh is now alawyer inWashington, D.C.[12]
Jindal'snickname dates to his childhood identification withBobby Brady, a character from the 1970's sitcomThe Brady Bunch.[193] He has been known by his nickname ever since, although his legal name remains Piyush Jindal.[194]
In 1997, Jindal married Supriya Jolly, who was born inNew Delhi, India, and moved to Baton Rouge when she was 4 years old.[195] The two attended the same high school, but Supriya's family moved from Baton Rouge to New Orleans after her freshman year. Supriya Jindal earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and an M.B.A. degree fromTulane University.[196] She created The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana's Children, a non-profit organization aimed at improving math and science education in grade schools.[197]
The Jindals have three children: Selia Elizabeth, Shaan Robert, and Slade Ryan. Shaan was born with acongenital heart defect and had surgery as an infant. The Jindals have been outspoken advocates for children with congenital defects, particularly those without insurance. In 2006, he assisted as his wife delivered their third child at home, with him receiving medical coaching by phone to deliver their boy.[198]
Jindal enjoys hunting in Louisiana.[10]
A list of Jindal's published writings up to 2001 can be found in the hearing report for his 2001 U.S. Senate confirmation.[199] They include newspaper columns, law review articles, and first authorships in several scientific and policy articles that have appeared in the prominentJournal of the American Medical Association,Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Association, andHospital Outlook.[citation needed]
Jindal's pre-2001 writings include several articles in theNew Oxford Review, one of which later made news during his 2003 gubernatorial race.[200] In a 1994 article titled "Physical Dimensions of Spiritual Warfare", Jindal described the events leading up to an apparent exorcism of a friend and how he felt unable to help her at the time. However, Jindal questioned whether what he saw was actually an example ofspiritual warfare.[201]
In November 2010, Jindal published the bookLeadership and Crisis, a semi-autobiography significantly influenced by theDeepwater Horizon explosion andoil spill.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)In the 1st Congressional District....the staunchly conservative district....
Ryan and Kourtney Fournier of Jefferson submitted paperwork to the Secretary of State's office that allows them to attempt to collect the nearly 1 million signatures needed over the next 180 days to force a recall election of the governor... He had pledged during his campaign last year to prohibit an immediate legislative pay raise.
'I am very sorry to see the Legislature do this,' he said. 'More than doubling legislative pay is not reasonable and the public has been clear on that... I will keep my pledge to let [the legislature] govern themselves and make their own decisions as a separate branch of government. I will not let anything, even this clearly excessive pay raise, stop us from moving forward with a clear plan of reform.'[permanent dead link]
Gov. Bobby Jindal announced today that he has vetoed the legislative pay raise. After days of saying he would not reject the unpopular measure, Jindal said this morning that he had changed his mind. 'I thank the people for their voice and their attention,' Jindal said of the public outcry against the raise. 'I am going to need your help to move this state forward. ... The voters have demanded change... I made a mistake by staying out if it'.
A person who has served as governor for more than one and one-half terms in two consecutive terms shall not be elected governor for the succeeding term.
He said he does not condemn medical procedures aimed at saving the life of the mother that result indirectly in the loss of the unborn child as a secondary effect.
Jindal is seen as solid on conservative social issues such as opposition to abortion and embryonic stem cell research.
H J RES 10 2/3 YEA-AND-NAY .....QUESTION: On Passage ...BILL TITLE: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States authorizing the Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.
I began to think that the demon would only attack me if I tried to pray or fight back.... Did I witness spiritual warfare? I do not have the answers....
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Louisiana 2003,2007,2011 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's 1st congressional district 2005–2008 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Governor of Louisiana 2008–2016 | Succeeded by |
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