Simpson backs effort to codify Trump’s reintroduced Presidential Fitness Test for American students
Seth Ratliff
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KIFI) — Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson announced he is cosponsoring a bill to permanently establish the Presidential Fitness Test in national schools, as the program begins to roll out in states like Mississippi and Virginia for the 2025-2026 school year.
On Monday, Nov. 17, Congressman Simpson publicly joined the effort to codify President Trump’s June 2025 executive order, which reestablished the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and the corresponding fitness assessment. The executive order aims to counter rising national rates of “obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition” among American children by fostering “a new generation of healthy, active citizens.”
The bill, known as the Make America’s Youth Healthy Again Act (H.R.5404), was introduced on September 16, 2025, by Congressman Greg Murphy (R-NC). Its primary goal is to codify the terms of the executive order, ensuring that a future administration cannot easily revoke the council or the test.
The original Presidential Fitness Test was established in 1966 and was discontinued during the Obama administration following the 2012-2013 school year.
“Study after study has shown that obesity, chronic health conditions, and depression rates have skyrocketed in America’s youth over the last decade,” stated Congressman Simpson in a news release. “Revitalizing the Presidential Fitness Test in schools should not be a political issue, as it is a step in the right direction to combat these concerning statistics.”
While H.R.5404 works its way through Congress, the reintroduction of the test is already moving forward in some parts of the country. Following President Trump’s order, Mississippi and Virginia began implementing the fitness assessment during the current 2025-2026 school year, with other states preparing to roll out the program the following year.
Congressman Simpson concluded, “I applaud President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again in the classroom and beyond, which is why I am proud to codify this critical executive order.”