Obama Signs Child Nutrition Bill, Kids Michelle About 'Sleeping on the Couch'

President Obama signed a nutrition bill on Monday with funding to improve food choices for children, a central element of First Lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity crusade. Obama joked that getting Congress to pass it was a priority for him.

"Not only am I very proud of the bill, but had I not been able to get this passed, I would be sleeping on the couch," the president said as he introduced his wife at the bill signing event at a Washington, D.C., elementary school.

Mrs. Obama seemed to take the inference about their home life in stride, replying, "And all kidding aside, my husband worked very hard to make sure that this bill was a priority in this session, and I am grateful to you."

"Because I would have been sleeping on the couch," the president repeated.

Said Mrs. Obama, "But I am thrilled to be here -- we won't go into that. We'll just take -- don't have to go down that road. But I am thrilled to be here with all of you today as my husband signs the 'Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act' into law."

The first lady had urged passage of the legislation in more than 20 speeches over the past year.

The bill, which increases federal funding for school lunches for the first time in more than three decades, gives the secretary of agriculture the power to set standards for foods sold in schools, including those in vending machines. The legislation also combats child hunger by making more than 100,000 children on Medicaid eligible for free lunches.