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, noted for her steadfast support of President Donald Trump, delivered a deadpan response during a town hall meeting on Friday in 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.
Positioned in front of a line of weathered headstones at a local cemetery, Ernst communicated to the camera in a video statement infused 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 realized that, yes, we are all going to leave this earth,’ Ernst stated with a thin smile.
‘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.
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.
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.’
