On the recordDecember 1, 2010
I would like to, first of all, praise the grandmother leadership of Speaker Pelosi and the leader of the committee, George Miller. There are no two legislators in the history of the United States Congress who have done more for children than Nancy Pelosi and George Miller, and I am really proud to come down and support the bill that they are supporting. Look, the largest cost to the United States Government is health care. It's a no-brainer that, if you want to cut the costs of government, you have got to invest in wellness. The biggest investment in wellness is children. We can't just be concerned with what we are putting in their minds without being equally concerned with what we are putting in their stomachs. You can't grow a healthy America without nutrition, and we have paid little attention to it. This bill is the start--it is the beginning--of better wellness in America and of healthier kids with healthier minds so that we can grow to be a competitive country and a healthy country and can bring down the costs of government. For you who are opposing this bill, it's nonsensical. It's one of those issues where you raise the cost of everything but have no understanding of the value of what you are trying to defeat. The value is a healthier America. That brings down costs. It is important that we get fresh grown vegetables and fresh grown fruit into our classrooms and get away from all of this processed stuff. Obesity is a huge problem in America.
