Republican senator responds to uproar after telling constituents 'we're all going to die'
By James Gordon
Daily Mail
May 31, 2025
A town hall erupted into a shouting match this morning when Republican Senator Joni Ernst issued a harsh remark in defense of Medicaid spending cuts
A Republican senator has responded to critics after telling a town hall that 'we're all going to die' after being challenged about Medicaid.
Iowa's Joni Ernst, known for her unwavering loyalty to President Donald Trump, issued the deadpan response during a town hall on Friday in the town of Butler.
Constituents had pleaded with the senator to reconsider proposed cuts to Medicaid, warning that 'people will die.'
'People are not - well, we're all going to die,' Ernst's responded dismissively.
But on Saturday, Ernst emerged with an apology of sorts - though it was far from contrite.
Standing before a row of weathered headstones in a local cemetery, Ernst addressed the camera in a video statement dripping with sarcasm and evangelical fervor.
'Hello everyone,' she began. 'I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall.'
She recounted how a 'distraught' woman had screamed from the back of the auditorium: 'People are going to die!'
'I
made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood
that, yes, we are all going to perish from this earth,' Ernst said with
a thin smile.
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, the Republican firebrand known for her blunt talk and unwavering loyalty to President Donald Trump, has responded after her stunning remark during a town hall on Friday in the town of Butler, Iowa
Ernst is a Trump loyalist and regularly speaks in defense of the president. She is pictured alongside him in September 2024
'So I apologize. And I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well.'
Pivoting seamlessly, Ernst then turned the moment into a sermon.
'For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life,' she declared, her voice lifting, 'I encourage you to embrace my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.'
The setting, a graveyard, the final resting place of countless Iowans, was not lost on viewers for slammed the senator for being callous.
'If you missed it, she’s walking through a cemetery and smugly laughing about killing Americans,' wrote one viewer.
'Using Jesus’ name to make fun of the needy is evil,' said another.
'She’s evil. And I’m saying this as a conservative,' tweeted a third.
'A woman yells 'People are going to die' at Joni Ernst's town hall. Her response? Sarcasm about the Tooth Fairy and a plug for Jesus. This isn't leadership. Disgusting!' raged a fourth.
Viewing to Ernst's video were far from impressed with her message
Ernst was taken to task by the Iowa Democratic Party who saw through the veneer of her apology
Ernst was answering questions about the House budget reconciliation package when a constituent in Butler, Iowa shouted 'people will die' because of the proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Ernst responded by asserting that 'we're all going to die', prompting gasps and boos from the crowd
Ernst's flippant response was headline news in Iowa's paper of record
In Iowa, more than one in five of the sates residents are on Medicaid. Pictured, protestors earlier this month are seen rallying to save Medicaid and prevent cuts
Iowans are concerned that the Trump administration will make severe cuts to Medicaid
Almost 700,000 Iowans are on Medicaid benefits of which many are desperate to protect
Her 'non-apology' came after Friday evening's clip of the exchange at the town hall went viral with critics accusing Ernst of trivializing the real consequences of the Republican-backed 'One Big Beautiful Bill'.
The sweeping legislative package includes nearly $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid.
The bill, passed by the House by the slimmest of margins and now awaiting action in the Senate, demands that able-bodied adults without dependents complete 80 hours of work, education, or community engagement per month to maintain Medicaid eligibility.
Verification would be required twice a year, and immigrants living illegally in the US would also be purged from the program.
In Iowa, more than one in five residents are on Medicaid, but the measure, celebrated by the GOP as fiscal responsibility and decried by Democrats as cruelty, will not take effect until 2029, after Trump leaves office.
Embedded in the 1,000-page bill are $5 trillion in tax cuts, partially funded by rolling back the Biden-era clean energy tax credits.
Opponents warn the cuts will leave millions without healthcare or food assistance.
Following Trump's re-election Ernst went down to Mar-a-Lago to have dinner with the president and Elon Musk
Trump appeared to be fond of Ernst. The pair have been pictured regularly across the years. Pictured here in June 2024
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' is intended to be an encompassing piece of legislation to allow President Donald Trump to move forward with much of his agenda, with policies ranging from tax cuts to immigration. Trump is pictured alongside Ernst in August 2016
Ernst herself has refused to walk back her support of the bill, doubling down on her defense during the now-infamous town hall. She is pictured alongside Trump in June 2017
Video of Ernst's comment started making the rounds among Democratic elected officials and candidates. Ernst is up for reelection in 2026.
'This morning, Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud,' said Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement. He added that Republicans do not care 'about whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer.'
The Congressional Budget Office estimates 8.6 million fewer Americans would have health insurance under the plan, and 3 million fewer would receive SNAP benefits monthly.
Republicans argue the bill will rein in waste and fraud while spurring economic growth.
'There's only two certainties in life: death and taxes,' a spokesperson for Ernst told the Daily Mail. 'And she's working to ease the burden of both by fighting to keep more of Iowans' hard-earned tax dollars in their own pockets and ensuring their benefits are protected from waste, fraud, and abuse.'
Ernst herself has refused to walk back her support of the bill, doubling down on her defense during the now-infamous town hall.
'Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect,' she insisted. 'Medicaid is extremely important here in the State of Iowa.'
So many folks have voiced their concerns over cutting benefits but I cannot find the cuts with the exception of fraud.
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