Bill Cassidy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Cassidy
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Official portrait, 2015
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| Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Bernie Sanders |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Burr |
| Succeeded by | Bernie Sanders |
| United States Senator from Louisiana |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2015 Serving with John Kennedy
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| Preceded by | Mary Landrieu |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 6th district |
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| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Don Cazayoux |
| Succeeded by | Garret Graves |
| Member of the Louisiana Senate from the 16th district |
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| In office December 20, 2006 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Jay Dardenne |
| Succeeded by | Dan Claitor |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Morgan Cassidy
September 28, 1957 Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (formerly) |
| Spouse |
Laura Layden
(m. 1989) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Louisiana State University (BS, MD) |
| Website | |
William Morgan Cassidy (born September 28, 1957) is an American doctor and politician. He is a United States Senator for Louisiana, a role he has held since 2015. As a member of the Republican Party, he currently leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee.
Before becoming a senator, Bill Cassidy served in the Louisiana State Senate from 2006 to 2009. He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015. He was born in Illinois and later moved to Louisiana. He studied at Louisiana State University and became a doctor specializing in stomach and intestine health.
Cassidy is known as a moderate Republican. He has sometimes disagreed with former President Donald Trump. For example, in 2021, he was one of a few Republican senators who voted to find Trump guilty during his second impeachment trial.
Contents
Early Life and Education
William Morgan Cassidy was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He was one of four sons. His family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when he was a baby.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in 1979. He then received his medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine in 1983.
Early Career and Medicine
After medical school, Dr. Cassidy became a gastroenterologist. This means he specialized in treating diseases of the liver, stomach, and intestines. He worked at the Earl K. Long Medical Center.
In 1998, Cassidy helped start the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic. This clinic provides free healthcare to people in the Baton Rouge area who do not have health insurance. It helps low-income families get free dental, medical, mental health, and vision care. Doctors volunteer their time to help patients.
He also helped create Health Centers in Schools. This program gives children in East Baton Rouge Parish schools important vaccinations, like those for hepatitis B and flu.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Cassidy led a group of healthcare volunteers. They turned an old Kmart store into an emergency health clinic. This clinic provided basic medical care to people affected by the hurricane.
Political Journey
Cassidy first entered politics in 2006. He was elected to the Louisiana State Senate as a Republican. Before this, he had supported some Democratic politicians. He explained that he switched parties because he felt the Democratic Party had become too focused on partisan politics. He also felt frustrated with the public hospital system's problems.
On December 9, 2006, Cassidy won a special election for the District 16 seat in the Louisiana Senate. He was reelected for a full term in 2007, winning with 76% of the votes.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
In 2008, Bill Cassidy was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented Louisiana's 6th congressional district. He won against the Democratic representative, Don Cazayoux. He was reelected easily in 2010 and 2012.
As a representative, Cassidy worked on several important issues:
- He pushed for rules that would make it easier to see how members of Congress spend money.
- He worked to make sure money from the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund was used for coastal restoration after the BP oil spill.
- He supported extending tax cuts and a balanced budget amendment.
- He introduced a bill to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to report on costly new regulations.
- He supported efforts to fight obesity by helping doctors treat it as a disease.
- He opposed the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), arguing it would not lower costs. He sponsored a bill to allow people to keep health insurance plans that did not meet all of Obamacare's rules.
Becoming a U.S. Senator
In 2014, Cassidy ran for the U.S. Senate. He won against the Democratic senator, Mary Landrieu, in a runoff election. He received 56% of the votes. This was the first time a Republican had won that Senate seat since 1883.
He was reelected in 2020 with 59.32% of the votes.
Key Senate Work
- Healthcare: In 2017, Cassidy discussed healthcare on the TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He said any new healthcare law should pass the "Jimmy Kimmel test." This test asks if a child born with a serious heart condition would get all the care they need. Later, he and Senator Lindsey Graham proposed a bill to change the Affordable Care Act. Critics said this bill would not meet the "Jimmy Kimmel test" and could leave many more Americans without health insurance.
- January 6 Capitol Attack: Cassidy was at the U.S. Capitol when it was attacked on January 6, 2021. He called the attackers "hooligans" and said their actions were "un-American." He voted to confirm the results of the 2020 presidential election.
- Trump Impeachment: He was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict former President Trump during his second impeachment trial. After this vote, the Republican Party of Louisiana criticized him.
- Classified Documents: In 2023, after Trump was accused of mishandling classified documents, Cassidy suggested Trump should not run for president in 2024. When Trump won the Republican nomination, Cassidy chose not to publicly support him.
Political Views
Bill Cassidy is seen as a moderate Republican.
Agriculture
In 2019, Cassidy helped introduce a bill called the Agricultural Trucking Relief Act. This bill aimed to make it easier for trucks to transport farm products by changing some rules.
Climate Change and Trade
In 2023, Cassidy supported a bill to put a special tax, called a carbon tariff, on imported goods. This tax would apply to products from countries that produce more greenhouse gases than the United States. The goal is to encourage other countries to reduce their pollution.
Defense
Cassidy has supported strong defense spending. In 2019, he joined other senators in asking for stable funding for the military to support the President's National Defense Strategy.
Government Spending
In 2023, Cassidy was one of the Republican senators who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act. This act aimed to deal with the national debt.
Foreign Policy
In October 2023, Cassidy visited China as part of a group of senators. They met with important Chinese leaders to discuss various issues. In January 2024, he voted against a resolution that would have applied human rights rules to U.S. military aid to Israel.
Gun Laws
Cassidy generally opposes strict gun control. In 2019, he supported a bill that would allow people with permits to carry concealed guns in their home state to do so in other states that also allow concealed carry.
In 2022, Cassidy said he was against banning assault rifles. However, he also said he was open to discussions about ways to prevent shootings. He supported a bipartisan agreement on gun control. This agreement included ideas like "red-flag laws" (allowing temporary removal of guns from dangerous people) and stronger background checks for young buyers.
Social Security
Cassidy wants to make sure Social Security can continue to pay benefits for a long time. In 2021, he suggested creating a large investment fund to help support Social Security.
Taxes
In 2019, Cassidy helped pass the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act. This bill lowered the tax on benefits that children receive when a parent dies while serving in the military.
He also worked on a proposal with Senator Kyrsten Sinema for paid parental leave. This plan would allow new parents to get a $5,000 cash benefit when they have or adopt a child. They would then have their child tax credit reduced over the next ten years.
Vaccinations
As a doctor who has always supported vaccines, Cassidy has been involved in discussions about vaccine policy. In 2025, during the confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Cassidy questioned Kennedy about his views on childhood vaccinations. Cassidy voted to advance Kennedy's nomination after receiving promises that Kennedy would not change the U.S. vaccination schedule or promote discredited theories about vaccines. However, after taking office, Kennedy announced plans to review the vaccination schedule, which Cassidy called a waste of money.
Personal Life
Bill Cassidy's wife, Laura, is also a doctor. They met during their medical training and married in 1989. They both worked at the Earl K. Long Medical Center. Laura was the head of surgery there.
They have three children. The family attends The Chapel on the Campus, a Christian church in Baton Rouge.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2015
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Bill Cassidy at Hudson Institute, May 2015
See also
In Spanish: Bill Cassidy para niños
