First lady ties school meals to the elections
June 03, 2014 | 11:59 AM
In a campaign appearance in Boston Monday, First Lady Michelle Obama said that Republican opposition to the school meals rules is a reason people should vote Democratic in the 2014 congressional elections.
Speaking of the congressional Republicans at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser geared toward women, the first lady said, “it's gotten so bad . . . they’re even trying to block the work that I do on childhood obesity — and that’s really saying something.”
“I mean, for most folks in this country, making sure our kids get decent nutrition isn’t all that controversial,” Obama said.
“And that’s why, back in 2010, we passed legislation to ensure that our school lunches meet modern nutrition standards — standards set by experts, based on sound science. Because I think we can all agree that when parents are working hard to serve balanced meals at home, they have a right to expect that their kids will get decent food in our schools. And we all have a right to expect that our hard-earned taxpayer dollars won’t be spent on junk food for our kids.”
She continued, “But believe it or not, some folks in Congress are actually working to repeal these standards. And that’s simply not acceptable. It is not. As parents, there is nothing we wouldn’t do for our kids — nothing. We always put our kids’ interests first — always. We wake up every morning, go to bed every night thinking and worrying about their health and their happiness and their futures.”
The first lady concluded, “So we deserve a Congress that will do the same, I believe, don’t we?”
“We deserve a Congress that believes, like we do, that no matter how our kids start out in life, if they’re willing to work for it, they should have every opportunity to fulfill their boundless promise. They should have every opportunity to get a good education, build a decent life for themselves and an even better life for their kids. And that’s the American dream we all believe in. That’s what we’re working for. And that’s what these midterm elections are all about.”
▪ White House — First Lady’s Remarks
▪ MassLive — First Lady attends Boston fundraiser
Speaking of the congressional Republicans at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser geared toward women, the first lady said, “it's gotten so bad . . . they’re even trying to block the work that I do on childhood obesity — and that’s really saying something.”
“I mean, for most folks in this country, making sure our kids get decent nutrition isn’t all that controversial,” Obama said.
“And that’s why, back in 2010, we passed legislation to ensure that our school lunches meet modern nutrition standards — standards set by experts, based on sound science. Because I think we can all agree that when parents are working hard to serve balanced meals at home, they have a right to expect that their kids will get decent food in our schools. And we all have a right to expect that our hard-earned taxpayer dollars won’t be spent on junk food for our kids.”
She continued, “But believe it or not, some folks in Congress are actually working to repeal these standards. And that’s simply not acceptable. It is not. As parents, there is nothing we wouldn’t do for our kids — nothing. We always put our kids’ interests first — always. We wake up every morning, go to bed every night thinking and worrying about their health and their happiness and their futures.”
The first lady concluded, “So we deserve a Congress that will do the same, I believe, don’t we?”
“We deserve a Congress that believes, like we do, that no matter how our kids start out in life, if they’re willing to work for it, they should have every opportunity to fulfill their boundless promise. They should have every opportunity to get a good education, build a decent life for themselves and an even better life for their kids. And that’s the American dream we all believe in. That’s what we’re working for. And that’s what these midterm elections are all about.”
▪ White House — First Lady’s Remarks
▪ MassLive — First Lady attends Boston fundraiser
