Jindal pitching aid request in Washington BATON ROUGE, LA. (AP) (wrkf) - Governor Bobby Jindal is in Washington, seeking federal aid to help Louisiana recover from the blows of hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

State officials are asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in immediate relief and likely billions of dollars for long-term recovery efforts.

The state is fighting the clock because Washington lawmakers only have a few weeks left at most before an election season break.

Jindal is meeting today with Louisiana's congressional delegation to discuss the state's recovery needs and work on strategy for ways to get federal help.

On the list is a request for the federal government to pick up all the costs of debris removal, public assistance and FEMA individual assistance programs, rather than requiring the state to pay 25 percent. The state's cost-share was waived after Katrina. © Copyright 2009, wrkf