Legislation Aims to Combat Military Obesity
Efforts Will “Ensure the United States Remains the World’s Strongest and Healthiest Nation”
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chair of the Health Subcommittee, and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) announced the relaunch of the bipartisan Congressional Preventive Health and Wellness Caucus for the 119th Congress.
Buchanan and Moore also announced the introduction of two pieces of legislation intended to combat obesity within the military.
“With federal health care spending exceeding $4 trillion per year and obesity affecting approximately 42 percent of American adults, it’s clear that more needs to be done to address this growing health care crisis,” said Rep. Buchanan. “Obesity not only places a tremendous strain on our health care system but also directly impacts military readiness. I’m proud to work with Rep. Moore to relaunch the bipartisan Congressional Preventive Health and Wellness Caucus and introduce critical legislation to combat obesity within our military. Together, these efforts will strengthen our nation’s health, enhance military preparedness and help ensure the United States remains the world’s strongest and healthiest nation."
“Obesity is a growing issue in all populations, including in our Armed Forces. More than one in five active-duty service members have obesity,” said Rep. Moore. “As co-chair of the Preventive Health and Wellness Caucus, I’m partnering with Rep. Buchanan in seeking better information on how the obesity epidemic is affecting our nation’s military readiness and the health of our service members, which will hopefully help lead to the development of comprehensive strategies to address this challenge.”
The caucus will continue to work to bring awareness to the escalating obesity epidemic in the country and help promote policy-centric solutions.
This will be accomplished by:
- Quantifying and highlighting the cost of obesity to the U.S. as a whole and to federal health care programs as well as the potential savings incurred by preventing obesity
- Promoting legislation focused on the prevention, research and treatment of obesity
- Holding congressional hearings and briefings on tactics to address obesity in healthcare programs
The bipartisan group will focus on prevention, Food as Medicine (FAM), exercise, health disparities, coverage, stigma, maternal care, obesity’s effect on military readiness and physical fitness.
The Joint Economic Committee economists estimated in 2023 that Medicare and Medicaid will spend $4.1 trillion on obesity and obesity-related diseases between 2024 and 2033. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), roughly 74 percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight, including 43 percent who are considered obese. Furthermore, the increase of childhood obesity in the United States has tripled since the 1970’s.
The rising obesity epidemic is also a national security issue. According to the American Security Project, obesity rates among active duty servicemembers doubled in the past decade. According to the CDC, just over one in three young adults aged 17-24 are overweight and unable to serve in our military.
Buchanan’s two pieces of legislation address this national security issue by working to improve military readiness. His first bill directs the Department of Defense to develop a strategy and educational campaign to combat obesity within the military. The educational campaign will promote awareness, diagnosis and treatment of obesity as a disease and educate service members about best practices to prevent and mitigate obesity.
Buchanan’s second bill directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct several studies relating to obesity in the military. One required study will report on the contribution of obesity to in-service injuries and medical discharges, as well as the associated annual costs. Another study will report on access to healthy foods for service members and their families.
“Obesity is the most significant issue affecting our troops today. These brave men and women make enormous sacrifices to keep our nation safe, and we owe it to them to keep them healthy. That starts with knowing where we’re at, who’s most at risk, and how we can fix it. Without data showing there is a problem, our military can’t take action. Very glad to see these initiatives move forward,” said Lt. Gen. Norman R. Seip, Commander, 12th Air Force.
“These bills are a vital step forward to combating the obesity crisis in the military head-on. We can no longer ignore that more than 70 percent of our Active Duty and even more of our Reserve forces are struggling with their weight. Burying the data and ignoring the issue for so long has allowed it to become an urgent national security threat, and Congress and the American public deserve to know what we’re dealing with and how we’re planning to solve it,” said Courtney Manning, Director, AI Imperative 2030, American Security Project.
“I commend Chairman Buchanan for his relentless focus on tackling the obesity epidemic that is harming our service members and national security. This legislation will lead to meaningful progress by finally documenting the devastating human and financial costs of obesity on injuries, medical discharges and readiness, and developing plans to ensure service members and families have access to healthy food that is essential to improve health outcomes,” said Dr. Mark Hyman, Chairman of Food Fix Campaign and 15x New York Times Best-Selling Author.
Both of Buchanan’s bills were included as amendments in the House-passed FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) but were not included in their entirety in the final version of the bill signed into law.
Buchanan has been a leading advocate in Congress for preventing obesity and chronic diseases. Last week, Buchanan’s Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act (H.R. 919), which expands treatment options provided through employers’ healthcare coverage for Americans living with chronic diseases, passed the House with a unanimous bipartisan vote. Last fall, Buchanan chaired a Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Hearing on “Investing in a Healthier America” and the critical role preventive medicine and healthy living play in combatting chronic disease and the obesity epidemic.
In addition to being the Vice Chairman and most senior Republican on the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, Buchanan is also the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, which has broad jurisdiction over traditional Medicare, the Medicare prescription drug benefit program, and Medicare Advantage.
