# 119-hr-1978: To direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy to treat obesity as a disease and reduce the prevalence of obesity in certain Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

119-hr-1978, To direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy to treat obesity as a disease and reduce the prevalence of obesity in certain Armed Forces, and for other purposes., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] (R-FL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1978
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1978
- Congress: 119
- Title: To direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy to treat obesity as a disease and reduce the prevalence of obesity in certain Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] (R-FL)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Treating obesity as a medical disease across the U.S. military.** H.R. 1978 would require the Department of Defense to develop a coordinated strategy and run an educational campaign to promote diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of obesity in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force. - Service members would face expanded screening, prevention messaging, and clearer paths to diagnosis and treatment as obesity is reframed as a disease. DoD would also have to report unmet weight standards in reports on enlistment disqualifications and medical discharges. - Military health care providers would get targeted education and guidance, because the bill directs assessments of nutrition training and updates to provider guidance to improve diagnosis and treatment. - The Department of Defense would assess and coordinate existing obesity, food, and nutrition programs, submit a report to Congress with legislative recommendations within one year, and the Government Accountability Office would analyze current programs while the Defense Health Agency reports annually on effectiveness.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Plan to treat obesity in the military: benefit, low. This bill would require the Defense Department to create a plan within one year to treat obesity as a disease and lower its rates among service members. The plan would coordinate programs, review what works, and update training for military doctors and clinicians. DoD would run an educational campa…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-7432: Fostering the Future Act
- 119-hr-2548: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-1978 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1978)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-7432: Fostering the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7432)
- [119-hr-2548: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2548)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1978 (as of 2026-04-21).