Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act

IMPROVED NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ACT

Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I wish to engage in a colloquy with the distinguished majority leader, the Senator from Tennessee, Mr. FRIST. From time to time, Congress is confronted with a public health crisis of such magnitude that we have no choice but to act. For a number of reasons, including the changing physical environment, eating and physical activity habits, obesity has now emerged as a serious new public health threat. More than 65 percent of American adults and 15 percent of children are obese or overweight. These figures double the levels during the 1980s for adults and triple the levels for children. Obesity now contributes to an estimated 300,000 deaths annually. We also know that obesity contributes to diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancers and heart disease. The economic impact also is alarming. The Surgeon General reports that obesity costs the Nation over $117 billion directly and indirectly. These tends will continue if we do not develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent and treat this condition.

I commend Senator FRIST and others for introducing the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act to begin to tackle this challenge. Senator FRIST as a physician certainly understands the impact of rising obesity rates. I commend his leadership on this issue. I believe that he and I agree that this IMPACT bill is an important step forward, but that more may need to be done to prevent and treat obesity. In view of the continuing and growing public health threat, I wonder if my friend and colleague would agree with me now that the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, as the committee of jurisdiction in this policy area, should devote further attention to this problem next year. I wonder whether he, as a fellow member of that HELP Committee, would agree with me now to urge chairman and ranking member of that committee to hold a hearing early in the next session of this Congress for that purpose.

Mr. FRIST. I thank my colleague for his kind remarks. As he knows, I believe this issue of obesity is one of the largest unaddressed public health issues we face today, and I am pleased by the action we are taking today. I agree that it is critical that we continue to direct our attention to this issue, and it is my hope that the HELP Committee will continue to examine the issue, including by holding a hearing next year.

Mr. HARKIN. I appreciate the attention of the majority leader to this subject. I commend his work and congratulate him on passage of this bill. I look forward to sending a joint letter to the HELP Committee, requesting a hearing, and I look forward to working with the Senator from Tennessee and others to build on this important start in combating harmful obesity.