WALLY HERGER: “The ethanol blenders tax credit, I feel, is a wasteful subsidy that distorts the economy.”

The President has repeatedly stated that he would not raise taxes for individuals earning less than $200,000 and married couples earning less than $250,000.

This highlights a concern I have. The President and congressional Democrats clearly went out of their way during the legislative debate to hide the fact that this is a tax.

Unfortunately, the Democrats' health law slashed payments to the Medicare Advantage program by more than $300 billion over the next 10 years to fund ObamaCare.

The issue of consolidation warrants this subcommittee's attention as all health care cost drivers need to be closely examined, especially in this challenging economic and budget environment.