The White House is set to send letters notifying members of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition of their dismissal, The Daily Caller has learned.
A source with intimate knowledge of the situation told TheDC that letters will be sent to members of the council whose tenures carried over from the Obama administration and to individuals appointed to the council but who never actually took office. White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed to TheDC that, “like other appointees from the last administration we will be replacing [the council members].”
Members of the council include famous athletes such as New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, former New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, and retired women’s tennis player Billie Jean King. TheDC’s source said that the future of the council, which was created in 1956, remains uncertain, as some in the Trump administration support not appointing any new members and others want to get rid of it entirely.
Spicer would not confirm whether the council will be dissolved, but his statement that the members will be replaced implies that the council will continue.
The council falls under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its activities are mostly limited to public awareness and education campaigns. The council’s mission, according to the HHS, is to “engage, educate, and empower all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.”
The council’s operating budget typically ranges above $1 million dollars. In 2014, the Obama administration requested more than $2.2 million for the council’s funding.
The council was first established in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as the President’s Council on Youth Fitness. In 2010, President Obama renamed it the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.