Todd Young facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Todd Young
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Official portrait, 2021
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| United States Senator from Indiana |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2017 Serving with Jim Banks
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| Preceded by | Dan Coats |
| Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 |
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| Leader | Mitch McConnell |
| Preceded by | Cory Gardner |
| Succeeded by | Rick Scott |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 9th district |
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| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Baron Hill |
| Succeeded by | Trey Hollingsworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Todd Christopher Young
August 24, 1972 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Jennifer Tucker
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Dan Quayle (uncle-in-law) |
| Education |
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| Military service | |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service |
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| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | VMUT-2 |
Todd Christopher Young was born on August 24, 1972. He is an American politician, a lawyer, and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He currently serves as a U.S. Senator for Indiana. He has held this important role since 2017.
Young is a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming a senator, he was a U.S. Representative for Indiana's 9th district. He was first elected to the Senate in 2016, taking over from Dan Coats. From 2019 to 2021, he led the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Young was reelected as a senator in 2022.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Todd Young was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on August 24, 1972. He was the second of three children. He lived in Marion County, Indiana, for several years. Later, his family settled in Hamilton County, Indiana. There, he went to public schools. He even won a state soccer championship! In 1990, Young graduated from Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana.
Military Career
After high school, Young joined the United States Navy. He began his service in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1991, he was accepted into the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. His classmates chose him as a class officer. He also played soccer for Navy's NCAA Division I team.
Young graduated in 1995 with honors. He earned a degree in political science. After graduating, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He trained for six months in Quantico, Virginia. In 1996, he completed a course to become a Naval Intelligence Officer. Young then led the intelligence team for VMU-2. This was a squadron that used unmanned aircraft. In 2000, while in Chicago, he earned an MBA degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Life After the Military
Young left active duty in 2000 as a U.S. Marine Captain. After that, he spent a year in London. He studied at the University of London's Institute of United States Studies. In 2001, he earned his MA degree in American politics. His thesis was about the economic history of farming in the Midwest.
In 2001, Young traveled to Eastern Europe. He studied how former communist countries changed to free markets. He also worked as a professor at Indiana University. At night, he went to law school. In 2004, he became a management consultant. He helped local governments in Indiana improve their services.
In 2006, Young earned his law degree from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He was president of the school's Federalist Society. After law school, he joined a law firm in Paoli, Indiana.
Early Political Work
In 2001, Young moved to Washington, D.C. He worked briefly at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group. Then, he became a staff member for U.S. Senator Richard Lugar. In 2003, Young volunteered for Mitch Daniels's campaign for governor of Indiana. He also represented his party at the Indiana Republican state convention. From 2007 to 2010, Young worked as a prosecutor in Orange County, Indiana. In 2007, he started a group focused on responsible government spending.
U.S. House of Representatives
House Elections
Young decided to run for Congress in 2009. He wanted to represent Indiana's 9th congressional district. He won the Republican nomination. He then challenged the current Democrat, Baron Hill. Young received support from many important politicians.
Young won both the primary and general elections. He defeated Baron Hill. He started serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2011. He was reelected in 2012 and 2014.
House Work and Views
Young is part of the Republican Main Street Partnership. This group includes Republicans who are considered more moderate. In 2013, a group called the National Journal looked at his voting record. They found he voted mostly conservatively.
In the House, Young often voted with the Republican Party. He worked on issues like the federal budget and military matters. He focused on naval power and electronic warfare.
Young has spoken about climate change. In 2010, he said he was unsure what caused the Earth's warming. He thought it could be natural cycles. He also signed a promise to vote against any climate change laws that would raise taxes.
Bills He Supported
- Fairness for American Families Act: This bill aimed to delay a rule from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). It would have pushed back the requirement for individuals to have health insurance until 2015. Young argued that families deserved the same delays that businesses were getting.
- Save American Workers Act of 2013: This bill wanted to change how "full-time" work was defined under Obamacare. It proposed raising the definition from 30 hours to 40 hours a week. This was to prevent companies from cutting employee hours to avoid providing health care.
- In 2023, Young worked with Senator Tim Kaine on a bill. It aimed to end old congressional approvals for military force from 1991 and 2002. This bill passed with support from both parties.
House Committees
Young was a member of important committees in the House:
- House Budget Committee
- House Armed Services Committee
U.S. Senate
Senate Elections
Instead of running for the House again, Young decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 2016. He wanted to fill the seat of the retiring Senator Dan Coats. He won the Republican primary election.
In the general election, Young faced Evan Bayh. Bayh had held the Senate seat before. Young defeated Bayh in November 2016. He won with 52% of the votes. Young was reelected in 2022. He defeated Thomas McDermott Jr. with 58.6% of the vote.
Senate Work and Views
Young was sworn into the United States Senate on January 3, 2017. He was known for working with both political parties. He joined more bipartisan bills than any other new senator in his first term.
In 2021, Young supported certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. He said that "the law matters" when it comes to election results. He was at the U.S. Capitol when it was stormed on January 6, 2021. He tweeted that the events were "violence and reprehensible."
In 2022, Young worked with Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer. They supported the CHIPS and Science Act. This bill provides $280 billion for technology research and development. It focuses on making computer chips in America. The goal is to help the U.S. compete better in technology. The bill passed and became law in August 2022.
Since 2023, Young has been in charge of the Candy Desk in the Senate. This is a special desk where senators can get candy.
Senate Committees
Young is a member of several important Senate committees:
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Committee on Finance
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
He also serves on the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.
Political Positions
Young is part of the Republican Main Street Partnership. This group aims to find middle-ground solutions in politics. His voting record shows he is generally conservative.
In March 2024, Young announced that he would not support Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Gun Laws
The NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) supported Young in 2016. They gave him a high rating for his support of gun rights. In 2022, Young voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This bill aimed to improve gun safety.
Immigration
Young does not support the DREAM Act. He also opposes a direct path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He believes the immigration system should focus on skills and job needs. In 2018, he worked on a bill to stop family separations at the border.
LGBT Rights
Young's record on LGBT issues has been mixed. He believes that states should decide on same-sex marriage. He supports allowing gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military. In 2016, he voted to prevent discrimination against federal contractors based on sexual orientation. In 2022, he was one of 12 Republicans who voted to support the Respect for Marriage Act. This law would protect same-sex marriage across the country.
Supreme Court
In 2018, Young voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. In 2019, he supported a plan to limit the Supreme Court to nine justices.
Foreign Policy
In 2017, Young voted for a law that placed sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea. He also supported a law that would make boycotts against Israel illegal for U.S. companies.
Young has spoken out against the violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. He called for a stronger response to this crisis.
He has also been involved in discussions about Saudi Arabia. In 2019, he supported efforts to address the war in Yemen. He voted to block some arms sales to Saudi Arabia. In 2021, he worked on a bill to end old war authorizations in the Middle East.
In January 2023, Young visited Taiwan. He met with leaders to discuss relations, security, and trade.
2021 Capitol Attack
In May 2021, Young voted against creating a special group to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack.
Personal Life
Todd Young married Jennifer Tucker in 2005. Jennifer is related to former Vice President Dan Quayle. Todd and Jennifer have four children. He is a Protestant.
Images for kids
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Young with state senator Jim Merritt in January 2013
See also
In Spanish: Todd Young para niños
