PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Mar 10, 2025
This bill requires the Defense Health Agency within the Department of Defense (DOD) to take actions to improve the transparency and frequency of military obesity reports.
The bill requires DOD to conduct studies and submit reports to Congress on
the contribution of obesity to in-service injuries and medical discharges and annual costs to the Armed Forces associated with such obesity-related injuries and discharges,
how it can transform its food procurement processes to procure healthier food that promotes better health outcomes, and
issues relating to access to healthy foods for families of members of the Armed Forces.
Additionally, DOD must submit a report to Congress regarding the impact on national security readiness of the rising levels of obesity among active-duty members of the Armed Forces.
People & committees
Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] · R–FL
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 27, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-10 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would require the Defense Department to study obesity-related military injuries, medical discharges and costs, healthier food purchasing, and military families’ access to healthy food. It would also require reporting on obesity’s impact on military readiness and steps to improve military obesity reports. These are proposed study and reporting requirements.
The Director of the Defense Health Agency shall take such actions as the Director considers appropriate to improve the transparency and frequency of military obesity reports.
The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on— (A) the contribution of obesity to in-service injuries and medical discharges; and (B) annual costs to the Armed Forces associated with obesity-related in-service injuries and medical discharges.
The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on how the Department of Defense can transform the food procurement processes of the Department to procure healthier food that promotes better health outcomes.
The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on issues relating to access to healthy foods for families of members of the Armed Forces.
the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the impact on national security readiness of the rising levels of obesity among active-duty members of the Armed Forces.
The Defense Health Agency Director would have to take steps to improve the transparency and frequency of military obesity reports, while retaining discretion over which steps are appropriate.
(a) Improvement of transparency and frequency of military obesity reports The Director of the Defense Health Agency shall take such actions as the Director considers appropriate to improve the transparency and frequency of military obesity reports.
The Defense Secretary would have to study how obesity contributes to injuries during military service and departures from service for medical reasons, along with the associated annual costs to the Armed Forces. A report to the congressional defense committees would be due within one year after enactment.
(b) Study and report on contribution of obesity to in-Service injuries and medical discharges (1) Study The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on— (A) the contribution of obesity to in-service injuries and medical discharges; and (B) annual costs to the Armed Forces associated with obesity-related in-service injuries and medical discharges. (2) Report Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).
The Defense Secretary would have to study how the department could change its food purchasing processes to obtain healthier food that promotes better health outcomes. The study report would be due to the congressional defense committees within one year after enactment; this provision requires a study, without directing specific purchasing changes.
(c) Study and report on transformation of food procurement processes (1) Study The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on how the Department of Defense can transform the food procurement processes of the Department to procure healthier food that promotes better health outcomes. (2) Report Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).
The Defense Secretary would have to study military families’ access to healthy foods and report the results to the congressional defense committees within one year after enactment.
(d) Study and report on access to healthy foods (1) Study The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on issues relating to access to healthy foods for families of members of the Armed Forces. (2) Report Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).
The Defense Secretary would have to report to the congressional defense committees on how rising obesity levels among active-duty service members affect readiness to meet national security needs. The report would be due within one year after enactment.
(e) Report on impact of obesity on national security readiness Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the impact on national security readiness of the rising levels of obesity among active-duty members of the Armed Forces.
The bill would use the existing definition of “congressional defense committees” in section 101(a)(16) of title 10 of the United States Code to identify the report recipients.
(f) congressional defense committees defined In this section, the term congressional defense committees has the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated August 27, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Armed Services on March 10, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-08-27T21:47:31Z. 2025-03-10: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services. 2025-03-10: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-10. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 27, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI