GOP Blocks Child Nutrition Bill

Michelle Obama-backed bill stalls in House
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 2, 2010 12:50 AM CST
Updated Dec 2, 2010 7:57 AM CST
GOP Blocks Child Nutrition Bill
First lady Michelle Obama talks with students about nutrition as they taste fresh vegetables at Riverside Elementary School in Miami last month.   (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

House Republicans have blocked a bill to give school meals to more needy children and to make those meals healthier. The $4.5 billion child nutrition bill—which Michelle Obama has lobbied for as part of her campaign against childhood obesity—was stalled by a procedural move that Democrats said was an effort to kill the bill completely, AP reports. An identical bill has already been passed by the Senate.

Republicans say the bill, which would give the government the power to decide what kinds of food are sold in schools, is too expensive and is an example of government overreach. "It's not about making our children healthy and active," the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee said. "We all want to see our children healthy and active. This is about spending and the role of government and the size of government—a debate about whether we're listening to our constituents or not."
(More Michelle Obama stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X