Gov. Bobby Jindal reversed his position Monday and vetoed a bill to double legislators’ salaries, breaking a promise to lawmakers that he would stay out of the matter.
The veto announcement came after the pay raise infuriated voters, leading some to file recall petitions against the governor and two of his top allies in the Legislature. Jindal said he should not have promised lawmakers that he’d withhold his veto pen.
“Today I am correcting my mistake,” Jindal said Monday.
The announcement came two weeks after lawmakers approved the pay raise bill.
Jindal said at the time that he disapproved, but that he would allow the raise of more than 100 percent to become law – a position that triggered the first wave of criticism in his six months as governor. He became a daily target for stinging attacks from editorialists, talk radio callers and bloggers, many of whom questioned whether the governor was being pushed around by the Legislature.
Critics had also noted that Jindal made campaign promises this past year to “prohibit” lawmakers from approving such a pay raise for themselves.
On Monday, Jindal said breaking his promise to lawmakers could make them angry but added he hopes they will continue to back his proposals.
“They’ve got a right to be angry with me,” he said. “I made a mistake in telling them I’d stay out of it.”
Jindal made the surprise announcement at a news conference that had been scheduled to discuss state budget matters.
A poll conducted during the weekend – as the controversy reached its peak – found that Jindal’s approval ratings have sunk. Southern Media & Opinion Research polled 600 likely voters statewide, and 59.3 percent had a favorable view of the governor compared with 35.8 percent who had an unfavorable view. The poll had a margin of error of 4 percent.
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