Political Quotes

“Mr. President, childhood obesity is a growing concern in the U.S. and I am pleased that the President and First Lady have decided to tackle this issue with the goal of solving the problem in a generation. Today, one in three children is overweight or obese, which means that they are at a greater risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer over the course of their lives. We are spending nearly $150 billion a year to treat obesity-related medical conditions, and this problem will only become worse if we don't do something about it now. One way that the Federal Government can play an important role in addressing this problem is by helping to make schools healthier. Students spend an average of nearly 7 hours a day at school, and it is one of the places where kids formally learn and then can practice healthy habits related to nutrition and physical activity. While education is primarily funded by the states, the Federal government plays a significant role in this issue as well because of its funding of the National School Lunch Program. This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, will spend $10.2 billion on the school lunch program, which serves 31 million children across the country every day. In my home State of Illinois, 1.1 million students in over 4,000 schools participate.…”