House GOP scuttles nutrition bill at center of first lady’s anti-obesity drive

House Republicans on Wednesday scuttled a Democratic bid to
pass a child nutrition bill that’s at the center of first lady Michelle Obama’s
anti-obesity agenda.

The $4.5 billion legislation, which has already been
approved unanimously by the Senate, expands eligibility and funding for school
lunch programs. Democrats had expected it to pass on Wednesday and be sent to
President Obama for his signature, but Republicans used their last chance to
amend the bill to offer a motion that would require criminal background checks
for childcare workers and would have removed the federal mandate for paid meals
in schools.

When Democrats saw that the poison-pill amendment was headed for passage, they pulled the bill off the floor, a Democratic aide said. 

“I am disappointed Republicans chose to play politics with a bill that enjoys strong bipartisan support and would increase access to school meal programs, improve the standards of food provided, and help reduce childhood obesity,” Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said. “The real purpose of this motion to recommit was to delay this bipartisan bill from being signed into law.”

Hoyer said Democrats would pass the background check provision as a stand-alone bill and then try again on the child nutrition legislation on Thursday.

Republicans, who have complained about a lack of open debate
on legislation, have repeatedly torpedoed non-controversial legislation using
the motion to recommit, which is the minority party’s final opportunity to
amend a bill or send it back to committee. Earlier this year they used an
anti-pornography measure to defeat a science-funding bill, which Democrats
later successfully passed.

Democrats have accused the GOP of playing political games
with serious policy issues — it remains to be seen whether House Democrats will
use the same tactics to scuttle GOP legislation when the parties’ roles are
reversed next year.

Before the vote, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
hailed the anti-obesity legislation as a “moral issue” and a measure that would
help U.S. competitiveness and military readiness. She cited statistics showing
that more than one-quarter of young Americans are unable to serve in the
military because they are overweight.