GOP Hopeful Jindal Touts Economic Record, Healthcare Plan

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination this week, touted his economic record and his plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.

During an interview with FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo, Jindal said he cut his state’s budget by 26%, and Louisiana is among the 10 fastest-growing states based on private sector jobs.

“There are a lot of talkers in this race. We’ve got a talker in the White House. I’m a doer,” Jindal said Friday on Mornings with Maria. “We measure success by how people are doing in the real world, not in the government sector.”

Jindal has served as governor of Louisiana since 2008, following a stint as a U.S. congressman. When he announced his candidacy Wednesday, Jindal became the 13th major Republican to join the 2016 race. Another GOP governor, Chris Christie of New Jersey, is expected to enter the fray next week.

Jindal, the son of Indian immigrants and a former Rhodes Scholar, stressed his disagreement with the Supreme Court’s ruling that allowed Obamacare subsidies to remain intact.

Jindal said he’s the only GOP candidate to put forward a detailed healthcare plan, which includes a standard tax deduction for health insurance and allots $10 billion a year for Americans with preexisting conditions.

He believes the plan would reduce average premiums by $5,000 per family.

“Our plan actually does what [President Barack Obama] said he wanted to do,” said Jindal, who served as Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush. “It does what the American people want health reform to do, with just a lower cost, [and] gives them access to high-quality healthcare.”