[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 11, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H3304-H3308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SENSE OF HOUSE ON IMPROVING MEN'S HEALTH

  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 438) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that improving men's health through fitness and the 
reduction of obesity should be a priority.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 438

       Whereas the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service 
     has identified obesity as a major health problem;
       Whereas 61 percent of adults in the United States are 
     considered overweight or obese, as indicated by a body mass 
     index (the most reliable measure) of 25 or greater;
       Whereas 300,000 deaths each year in the United States are 
     associated with being overweight or obese;
       Whereas the economic cost of obesity in the United States 
     was about $177 billion in 2000;
       Whereas being overweight or obese puts people at a greater 
     risk of heart disease, certain types of cancer, type 2 
     diabetes, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems, and 
     depression;
       Whereas men who are overweight are 50 percent more likely 
     to have erectile dysfunction and men who are obese are 200 
     percent more likely to have erectile dysfunction;
       Whereas fewer than a third of American adults engage in the 
     recommended level of physical activity, which is 30 minutes, 
     3 to 4 times a week; and
       Whereas the number of overweight and obese children has 
     nearly tripled in the past two decades: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes that being overweight or obese is a major 
     health concern in the United States;
       (2) commends and supports the work of all organizations 
     that are taking steps to combat this health problem;
       (3) urges all governmental, State, and private 
     organizations to do everything in their power to promote a 
     healthy lifestyle; and
       (4) pledges to take proactive steps to intensify its 
     efforts to combat this health problem.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Fossella) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella).


                             General Leave

  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous materials on House Resolution 438.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of House Resolution 438 
to express the sense of Congress that improving men's health through 
fitness and reduction of obesity should be a priority. The gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey) is absolutely correct. Obesity is a 
major health problem for our society. We must help inform the American 
public about these risks so that they can take corrective actions to 
make changes in their food consumption and exercise behaviors.
  Over 61 percent of U.S. adults are overweight, along with 13 percent 
of children. Approximately 300,000 American deaths a year are 
associated with obesity. What is frightening is that this trend is 
exponentially increasing. Since 1980, obesity among adults has doubled, 
and overweight children and adolescents have tripled. Americans need to 
know that being overweight places people at a higher risk for heart 
disease, cancer and stroke, all top killers in America, in addition to 
arthritis, breathing problems, and depression. New research has 
revealed that obesity can lead to Type 2 diabetes in children

[[Page H3305]]

as well. There is hope, however, because obesity is preventable. 
Americans should not needlessly place themselves at risk.
  Personal responsibility is key to ending this trend. Most Americans 
recognize that exercise and a healthy diet helps one stay fit and trim. 
Dieticians have made it perfectly clear: one truly can eat any food in 
moderation and remain perfectly healthy, but Americans are choosing not 
to eat foods in moderation and are all too often shortchanging vitamins 
and nutrients that are essential to fighting disease. Americans are 
also choosing not to exercise.
  Americans have literally hundreds of options available to them to 
help lose weight and stay fit. We must help inform Americans about the 
risks that obesity imposes on their overall health and that fighting 
obesity will help save lives. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Toomey) for raising the level of attention on this important 
issue. I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleague's resolution highlights a public health 
issue that undoubtedly deserves more attention. Obesity is linked to a 
host of acute and chronic conditions and costs our health care system 
as much as $100 billion every year. It is the second leading cause of 
unnecessary deaths in this country. Obesity can cause reproductive 
problems, pulmonary problems, osteoarthritis, liver disease, and can 
dramatically increase a person's risk for cancer and for diabetes. I do 
not doubt my colleague's sincere concern and desire to provoke a more 
serious Federal response to the obesity problem.
  I look at H. Res. 438, at the title, Mr. Speaker, and it says 
``Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that improving 
men's health through fitness and the reduction of obesity should be a 
priority.'' That is what we are voting on today. My question is, as it 
has been with each of the health care-oriented resolutions we have 
considered this year, how does all this rhetoric about wanting to 
address health care issues align with what we are actually doing to 
address health care issues?
  Again, this resolution, Mr. Speaker, says ``Expressing the sense of 
the House of Representatives in improving men's health through fitness 
and the reduction of obesity should be a priority.'' Of course it 
should be; but, again, it is one more resolution begging the question: 
What is this House of Representatives doing when it comes to 
prescription drugs, when it comes to dealing with disparities between 
rich and poor in the health care that is delivered, when it comes to 
deal with any of the health care problems that we face?

                              {time}  1415

  The President's budget cuts funding for chronic disease programs at 
CDC, yet we have this resolution on the House floor. It is the very 
program that pays attention to public health issues like obesity. The 
President ostensibly proposed cuts like this one to make room for the 
$665 billion price tag associated with making his tax cut permanent. 
Again, no money for an adequate prescription drug benefit; no real work 
on this issue, other than a resolution saying let us make it a 
priority.
  Is this body going to restore the CDC funding so that we can really 
address the problems of obesity, or are we too wed to this tax cut that 
goes overwhelmingly to the richest people in our society? Are we going 
to target any funding to reducing the rates of obesity in this country? 
Where are the dollars going to come from, or are we just going to again 
pass a resolution that sounds real good that could help my friend from 
Pennsylvania in his fight for reelection because it looks good and we 
can send a news release out, but what does it really do, Mr. Speaker?
  We have passed, largely along party lines, six pieces of legislation 
that dramatically reduce the Federal tax revenues available for 
existing public health initiatives, much less new ones like this. Six 
pieces of legislation, always overwhelmingly giving tax cuts to the 
richest people in this country. We have passed these six bills, yet we 
passed exactly one piece of legislation that would actually improve the 
public health, the bipartisan bioterrorism bill, approved last week to 
be signed by the President tomorrow.
  Mr. Speaker, we are draining trillions of dollars from the Federal 
coffers and, at the same time, pledging to do more to combat a host of 
public health problems, including obesity. Talk, Mr. Speaker, is cheap. 
If Congress could address public health problems just by talking about 
them, which seems to be what my Republican friends that run this 
Chamber seem to be all about, then there would be no public health 
problems. Each time we pass one of these resolutions, as meritorious as 
the subject matter may, in fact, be, we get away with talking about a 
significant issue rather than actually doing something about a 
significant issue. Somehow, this body feels justified in acknowledging 
that we need to do more, but never saying how we are going to do that, 
while draining the budget through tax cuts for the richest Americans 
after tax cut for the richest Americans.
  I hope that every Member, Mr. Speaker, who votes for this resolution 
and pledges ``to take proactive steps to intensify our efforts to 
combat this health problem'' remembers that pledge and all of the other 
pledges when the next tax-cut-for-the-rich vote comes around.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he 
may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey), a leader 
in, among other things, the battle for public health and public health 
awareness in this House.
  Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for 
yielding the time. I would just observe to my colleagues that it is not 
at all clear to me that the majority party's respect for personal and 
economic freedom and the desire for families to keep more of what they 
earn is in any way the cause of the numerous health problems, including 
the one we are going to discuss today.
  I am glad that we are bringing this resolution to the floor. The 
reason we are picking this week is because it is the week leading up to 
Father's Day that is National Men's Health Week. House Resolution 438 
expresses the sense of the House that improving men's health through 
fitness and the reduction of obesity should be a priority for all of 
us, and I feel strongly about that.
  I should observe that National Men's Health Week is currently 
celebrating its eighth year. I want to recognize one of the driving 
forces behind this recognition, and that is Rodale Publishing in 
Emmaus, Pennsylvania and, specifically, Men's Health Magazine, one of 
Rodale's flagship publications, has really driven this message and 
elevated the level of awareness of the problems that plague men, in 
particular health care problems.
  Back in 1993, Men's Health Magazine asked its readers to support a 
nationwide initiative to identify and treat health issues of particular 
interest to men. This public awareness campaign was spearheaded by the 
National Men's Health Foundation with the help of Men's Health 
Magazine. As a result of their efforts, Congress passed a bill in 1994 
naming the week prior to and including Father's Day as National Men's 
Health Week. They designated this week as an opportunity to encourage 
preventive health behavior, as well as early detection of diseases that 
disproportionately claim men as victims. It is one week out of the year 
to have a focused public service campaign to educate men and their 
families about the importance of positive health attitudes, preventive 
health practices, and treatments of health problems for men. It is 
important because, after all, men do lag behind women by 6 years in 
average life expectancy.
  This message of wellness and disease prevention and individuals 
taking control of their own lives for the betterment of their lives is 
a big part of the tradition at Rodale Publishing. Rodale's magazines 
include Men's Health, Prevention, Runner's World, Bicycling, and a 
whole host of magazines geared towards helping people to improve really 
the quality of their lives, often by improving their fitness.
  I also want to take a minute to recognize the tremendous work being 
done

[[Page H3306]]

in this area by a friend of mine, Dave Zinczenko, the editor in chief 
of Men's Health Magazine. Dave is clearly dedicated, as well as his 
colleagues, to helping men find ways to live longer, healthier, better 
lives, and he has been a driving force behind this recognition of men's 
health needs.
  So every year, Men's Health Magazine has now focused its coverage on 
this week to some topic, some topic specific to men's health. Last year 
was prostate cancer, the second leading cancer killer in men, and this 
year it is obesity which, according to the Surgeon General, will soon 
overtake smoking as America's number one leading health concern.
  This year, the magazine's editors have launched the ``Million Pound 
Challenge.'' It is a campaign to help the men of America drop the 
weight that quite literally threatens their lives. Media outlets from 
Good Morning America and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have done major 
coverage of this nationwide campaign to lose this excess weight, and 
the resolution we are debating today specifically underscores this 
effort.
  I think it is worth distinguishing between two terms that are 
sometimes used interchangeably. Being overweight is different from 
suffering from obesity. It is really largely a matter of degree, but 
being overweight simply indicates that a person's weight exceeds the 
normal or the average weight for a given body height and frame size 
that may often lead to health problems, but not necessarily so. 
Obesity, on the other hand, is the condition in which an individual has 
an excessive amount of body fat. It has been demonstrated that the 
average individual in this country will gain approximately 1 pound of 
additional weight each year after the age of 25. Such a seemingly small 
gain results in 30 pounds of excess weight by the age of 55 years, and 
since bone and muscle mass sort of naturally decrease in a person at a 
rate of approximately 1\1/2\ pounds each year due to a reduction in 
physical activity, the fat is actually increasing at a rate of 1\1/2\ 
pounds each year. So that means somebody over a 30-year period when 
they reach middle age is often faced with 45 pounds of excess weight in 
the form of fat. This leads to obesity and can lead to serious health 
problems.
  As I said, the Surgeon General has identified obesity as a major 
health problem already. Sixty-one percent of adults in the United 
States are now considered overweight or obese. As my colleague from New 
York pointed out, approximately 300,000 deaths each year occur 
prematurely in the United States and they are associated with the 
condition of being overweight or obese.
  The economic cost of obesity in the United States is staggering. It 
is approximately $177 billion a year. Being overweight or obese puts 
people at a greater risk of a number of serious, life-threatening 
conditions, including heart disease, certain types of cancer, type 2 
diabetes, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems and depression.
  So how do people combat obesity? Well, people become overweight and 
obese for a variety of reasons: dietary, some socioeconomic, some 
genetic, but mostly it is lifestyle factors, and the long-term solution 
requires the recognition of the benefits of a well-balanced, a well-
proportioned, moderate diet and a commitment to regular physical 
activity. Those are really the two things that are necessary.
  In short, it is moderation and it is control of a lifestyle that is 
the key to fitness and can help dramatically increase the likelihood of 
longevity in one's life.
  Unfortunately, too many adults do not even get the moderate amount of 
exercise that can make a huge difference. More than 60 percent of U.S. 
adults do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity, 
which is only 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a week, but so many of us find it 
so hard to squeeze that in. Approximately 25 percent of all U.S. adults 
are not active at all.
  We are here today to encourage everyone to improve their lifestyles 
through fitness and nutrition and seek out the experts and 
organizations that can provide the help if people need that. I want to 
commend those organizations that are already hard at work at addressing 
this problem of obesity.
  Because of the true national scope of the problem, I urge my 
colleagues to pass this resolution. The resolution simply resolves that 
the United States House of Representatives recognizes that being 
overweight or obese is a major health concern in the United States. It 
commends and supports the work of all organizations that are taking 
steps to combat this health problem. It urges all governmental, State 
and private organizations to do everything in their power to promote 
healthier lifestyles, and it pledges to take proactive steps to 
intensify its efforts to combat this health problem.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman 
from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), who has been a leader in this and other 
issues like this.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in 
allowing me to speak on this resolution.
  I think it is important for us to spend a few minutes not just 
celebrating it in a verbal sense, but thinking about what Congress can 
do to step up to actually make it possible for citizens to lead more 
healthy lifestyles. We have already heard the statistics from my 
colleagues about obesity. We have heard about premature deaths. We have 
heard about problems that are related to that.
  Well, I think it is pretty simple for us, because I was thinking 
about this as I rode my bicycle over to the Capitol to make this 
presentation. It is not rocket science to be able to deal with making 
these programs successful. We ought to, first of all, focus here in 
this Congress by leading by example. If we know that a third of adults, 
less than a third of adults engage in recommended amounts of physical 
activity, what is it that we can do here to make a difference?
  Well, first and foremost, we can do something to make sure that our 
communities are welcoming for people to exercise. I look at what has 
happened in Atlanta. The gentleman talked about obesity. Atlanta has 
seen the highest rate of increase in obesity. The Centers for Disease 
Control in the last decade was looking at that. What is the problem in 
Atlanta? Well, as part of their rapid expansion, the most rapid 
expansion in the history of human settlement, they have sort of left 
out things that make it possible for people to be physically active, 
like sidewalks, safe places to bicycle. The air is not healthy in 
Atlanta, and so people are complaining even if they had an opportunity 
to have the facilities to exercise, it would not be healthy to do so.
  The Surgeon General has recommended that communities create safe 
playgrounds, sidewalks, walking trails, particularly in urban areas; 
that employers should provide time for workers to get physical activity 
on the job; that schools provide physical education on a daily basis in 
every grade.
  What has this Congress done to advance those objectives? I would 
suggest not very much.
  These advances really pay for themselves. The incremental costs per 
person, if we are going to talk about obesity, are higher than smoking 
and twice the cost of alcoholism. Employers pay an average of $4,400 
per year more for employee beneficiaries who have diabetes. The USDA 
has estimated that $71 billion could be saved if inactive Americans 
become active.
  Well, I would suggest that part of what we are doing here in Congress 
ought to be looking at those facilities around the country. We are 
going to soon be re-enacting the Surface Transportation Act. The 
physical environment has a tremendous impact, as I mentioned relative 
to Atlanta. St. Louis University has done a study of 17 new rural 
trails, and after the building of those trails, 60 percent of the trail 
users report they are more physically active than before the 
construction.
  One of the things we do with the bicycle caucus as we are asking 
people to focus on it is to ask people to stop and reflect how many 
people in America right this minute are stuck in traffic on their way 
to ride a stationary bike in a health club. By providing the facilities 
that make it safe and convenient for people to get the over 150 million 
bicycles in this country out of the garages, out of the attics, out of 
the basements and put them on the street where people can use them, it 
is going to make a difference.

                              {time}  1430

  Think about in how many communities it is not safe for children to 
walk

[[Page H3307]]

or bike to school. A generation ago, 90 percent of the children could 
get to school on their own safely. Today, that ratio has reversed, 
where only 10 percent of the children can do that; and it means there 
is a rush hour twice a day because people are trying to get the kids 
off-loaded at school, as well as having the attendant congestion air 
quality problems and lack of exercise.
  I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that we in Congress ought to take the 
lead, it is something each Member of Congress can do, by scheduling two 
or three meetings, of which we have a gazillion every week. And maybe 
if we have two or three of them that are involved with walking or 
running, a meeting on the move, we will be healthier; they will 
probably be shorter; our constituents will like it; we will have less 
caloric intake; and I would think it would be an opportunity for us to 
help shape ourselves up, our staff, and the people that we work with.
  Make sure that the next authorization of the surface transportation 
act, and if Members will remember, we had ISTEA in 1991, we had TEA-21 
in 1997, and the next one ought to be green tea, where we have an 
opportunity to be able to make our communities more livable with that 
investment.
  Last but not least, I would suggest that in the time our Committee on 
Ways and Means is involved with all sorts of tax changes, maybe one tax 
change they could make would be to make sure that pedestrians and 
bicyclists have the same commuter tax benefit as people who drive or 
take transit, a very simple change of very low cost, but would send the 
right sort of signals for people to be physically fit in our country.
  I would suggest that Congress should not just pass a resolution, but 
we ought to lead by example and do something about it to make sure that 
our communities are more livable and that our families are safe, 
healthy, and more economically secure.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the intent of this sense of the House 
resolution on obesity and health. It is time to do more than pass this 
resolution, to do more than talk about this issue.
  Until 2001, this Congress had never taken any substantial action to 
combat the most widespread health problem in the United States today: 
obesity and overweight. I worked with then chairman John Porter, now 
retired, chairman of the Committee on Labor, Health and Human Services, 
and Education. He had an abiding interest in this issue.
  Chairman Porter, before whom I testified on my own bill on this 
issue, put the first substantial funding to combat overweight and 
obesity, $125 million. It is pathetic that I am calling $125 million 
substantial funding. That is only when measured by what we had done 
before, a couple or $3 million every year.
  But, Mr. Speaker, there was no money. After Chairman Porter put $125 
million, there was no money in the President's budget last year. I came 
to the floor, worked with the Committee on Appropriations, and we got 
something above $68 million in. That is a little over half of what 
Chairman Porter left as his legacy: $125 million.
  Now we are in 2003, Mr. Speaker. Once again, there is no money in the 
administration's budget for overweight and obesity, our most widespread 
health problem. We have to do it again, Mr. Speaker, unless we are 
going to be satisfied with this resolution. I do not think even those 
who offered it would be satisfied with this alone.
  The $125 million is meant chiefly for combatting overweight and 
obesity among children. That is where the epidemic is the worst. Of 
course, that is where it is most preventable.
  Chairman Porter agreed on the floor to incorporate sections of my own 
bill called LIFE, Lifetime Improvement in Health and Exercise. It had 
three sections, three rather commonsense sections:
  First was training health professionals to recognize overweight 
before it becomes obesity. When people get to be obese, it is too late. 
It is very hard to come down, even from being overweight, much less 
obese. The health professions do not get in there early enough;
  Secondly, strategies so people in their own workplaces and 
communities could begin on a mass schedule to incorporate exercise that 
people can do, that elderly people can do, that children can do, that 
harried middle-class working people can do;
  Third, there is mass education. I am pleased to report, Mr. Speaker, 
that the first section of our bill is about to be under way this year. 
CDC, which was charged with this first $125 million, is about to launch 
a 15-city tour where it will roll out this new mass education, which 
means ads we will see on television trying to get children and their 
parents off of the fast food that is among what is making them obese.
  Our response this year, remember, is zero funding. I implore 
everybody who votes for this resolution to help us get money in the 
appropriation bill to prevent at least a dozen diseases we could all 
name ourselves. This epidemic involves every race, every economic 
background, and every age group. It is amazing the young people, young 
people in their teens and early twenties, that are deeply involved in 
this overweight and obesity problem.
  Computers and cable made us all couch potatoes. We have an 
obligation, we and only we can do it, to assume leadership of the 
American people and try to get rid of this terrible epidemic. Only 
Congress can send a wake-up call to the American people to get out and 
exercise and get off the fast food.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 438, a 
resolution in support of improving men's health through fitness and the 
reduction of obesity.
  This resolution is timely as we focus on Men's Health Week. The 
question of obesity in our children and men is very concerning. Since 
1980, the percentage of children who are overweight has doubled. This 
has led to serious health consequences: Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, 
hypertension, stroke, and in many instances, poor self-esteem among 
children.
  The problem of obesity is magnified in African American and poor 
communities, where rates increased most in the last 10 years. It is 
estimated that the economic cost of obesity is more than $100 billion a 
year, or 8 percent of the health budget.
  In a number of States, legislators have introduced bills to tax soft 
drinks and restrict advertising to certain hours of the day. These 
bills in effect limit personal freedom and responsibility. I believe 
that we must begin to seriously encourage people to exercise and pay 
attention to their diet. As a matter of fact, in some places, people 
are beginning to say that it is time that we learn to eat to live and 
not live to eat.
  I want to commend the Grocery Manufacturers of America for their 
efforts to begin to deal with the issue of obesity in a serious way. 
There are initiatives under way by Kraft and other food companies to 
make healthier products readily available. Additionally, they are 
looking at partnering with community-based organizations, churches and 
others, to spread the message that fitness and nutrition are two 
components to a long life.
  So again, I commend the gentleman for his resolution and look forward 
to working with him and others. I also want to be associated with the 
comments made by the gentleman from Ohio. I do indeed believe it is 
time that this House does serious work towards elimination of health 
disparities.
  But I believe that we have to move in a real way towards the ultimate 
development of a national health plan, one that provides quality, 
comprehensive health care for every American, without regard to their 
ability to pay. It is then and only then do I believe that we will 
become the healthy Nation that we have the potential of being.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would close on our side with a couple of comments. I 
support the resolution offered by my friend, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania. I would hope that this resolution and discussions like 
this on the

[[Page H3308]]

floor, following up on the excellent comments of the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis), lead to an examination of practices of those in 
this society who, by their actions, really promote obesity; not so much 
the people that ultimately pay the price of worse health and earlier 
death, but the fast food chains whose marketing techniques of biggie-
size this and biggie-size that encourage especially our young people to 
drink more high-caloried soda pop and eat more French fries and eat 
more, ingest more calories.
  Look at even the growing obesity of children in places like China, 
which had no obesity problems until we began to export the fast food 
industry to countries like that. I would hope that we would examine the 
practices of those who promote obesity, such as the marketers and the 
advertisers, who spend billions of dollars to encourage, again, 
especially children in bad eating habits, to eat unhealthy food.
  Imagine on television a marketer writing ads, a marketer who is maybe 
paid $500,000, using his or her skills to encourage a child to spend $3 
at a fast food restaurant. That is not exactly an even match.
  Look at even our schools, Mr. Speaker, where now schools in this 
country, because we underfund schools, they go to the private sector, 
they go to soft drink companies; and those soft drink companies will 
pay a fee to those schools so they can bring their pop machines into 
the cafeteria.
  I think we have all been in schoolrooms where we have seen kids with 
a can of pop on their desk or walking down the hall with a soft drink. 
Some schools do not allow that, but too many do. When I was in school 
at Mansfield Senior High School, Mansfield, Ohio, 30 years ago, I 
remember the only vending machine in the cafeteria was an apple 
machine. Today we see soft drink machines in the cafeterias, in the 
halls, near the gyms. Because we underfund our public education, we 
have to give tax cuts in this institution to the richest people, so we 
underfund public education and then we force our schools to go out and 
make contracts with companies to bring pop machines in the schools, so 
leading those kids to more health problems in the future. That is 
really one of the reasons we have obesity in this country. It is all 
pretty tied together.
  I hope this resolution in the future, and I plan to support the 
resolution of my friend, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, I hope it 
leads to an examination of the real issues surrounding this issue.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 438, expressing the sense of the Congress that improving men's 
health through fitness and the reduction of obesity should be a 
priority.
  Physical fitness is key towards the prevention and reduction of 
obesity. As a nation we should encourage all men to continue to live an 
active life beyond their high school sports and other extra curricula 
activity years and well into their retirement years.
  It's hard to believe that in the age of technological advances there 
are still very simple steps we can take to improve our health. Experts 
agree that moderate exercise; just 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week can 
have a significant impact on health. That's just an extra 15 minutes in 
the morning and evening. Exercise such as walking can reduce your risk 
of chronic, disabling and often fatal diseases like diabetes, 
cardiovascular disease, depression, stroke and cancer. It can reduce 
and even eliminate dependence on medications resulting in a significant 
amount of cash savings. Furthermore, exercise improves mental alertness 
and fosters healthy muscles, bones and joints.
  The technology of the 21st century has spoiled us. The World Wide Web 
has put the world at our fingertips. With our busy schedules we have 
grown dependent on the Internet for shopping, paying bills and even 
purchasing groceries. With a push of a button food is delivered 
directly to our homes.
  Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges in our time. 
The high number of uninsured individuals, the outrageous prices of 
prescription drugs and the down turn of the economy have forced us to 
take initiative and control over our health. The estimated medical cost 
for physically inactive Americans is $77 billion. We must rely on cost-
effective proven practices such as exercise that will contribute to the 
prevention and reduction of obesity.
  That is why I support their resolution. Although technology has 
advanced by leaps and bounds our health has suffered by many of life's 
new conveniences. We are eating more, exercising less and becoming 
obese. H. Res. 438 does not expect our men to become tri-athletes 
rather it recognizes that physical activity is the key to reducing and 
preventing obesity.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 438. I also encourage 
families, health professionals, businesses, community leaders, schools 
and universities to join in an effort to improve physical fitness 
through innovative approaches. Together we can join forces and conquer 
obesity and its cruel ramifications.
  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House 
Resolution 438, a sense of the House that improving men's health 
through fitness and reduction of obesity should be a priority. Obesity 
is a neglected public health problem in the United States. This disease 
affects approximately 51 million Americans and more than one quarter of 
all adults. The number of overweight and obese Americans has continued 
to increase since 1960. Unfortunately, this trend is not slowing down. 
Today, 61% of adult Americans (about 120 million) are categorized as 
being overweight or obese. While this resolution is focused solely on 
men's fitness and obesity issues, this epidemic transcends gender. 
While the prevalence of being overweight is higher for men (59.4%) than 
women (50.7%), the prevalence of obesity is higher for women (25.0%) 
than men (19.5%). Fitness and physical activity should be a priority 
for all Americans, regardless of gender.
  Obesity is the second leading cause of unnecessary deaths. Each year, 
obesity causes at least 300,000 excess deaths in the U.S., and 
healthcare costs of American adults with obesity amount to 
approximately $100 billion. Obesity increases the risk of illness for 
about 30 serious medical conditions, including cancer, birth defects, 
cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Yet despite this correlation, 
obesity has not received the attention it deserves. Research is 
severely limited by a shortage of funds, and inadequate insurance 
coverage limits access to treatment.
  Weight loss of about 10% of excess body weight is proven to benefit 
health by reducing many obesity related risk factors. Research has 
documented that physical activity is a key part of maintaining weight 
loss. Exercise can lower one's risk of heart disease and heart attack, 
high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. A decrease in the amount of 
daily activity related to work, transportation and personal chores is 
believed to contribute to the high percentage of overweight and obesity 
today. By adding moderate physical activity, progressing to 30 minutes 
or more on most or preferably all days of the week to one's daily 
routine, we can start to reverse the upward trend of obesity.
   Mr. Speaker, we should applaud those who live a healthy lifestyle 
and encourage our public health system to recognize obesity and 
inactive lifestyles as a true health care epidemic. Finally, as of this 
past fiscal year, the IRS announced a new policy stating that ``obesity 
is medically accepted to be a disease in its own right.'' For 
taxpayers, this means that treatment specifically for obesity can now 
be claimed as a medical deduction. I hope that this promotion of 
healthy lifestyles will continue as we try to curb this epidemic, and 
that a tax deduction for individuals who choose to stay healthy will be 
considered seriously by the IRS.
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 
438.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion are 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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