On Friday, Republican Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) exposed the cruelty behind Republicans’ agenda to slash health care for millions to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy: “Well, we’re all going to die.” The comment came during a town hall in Iowa after a concerned constituent called out that the GOP plan to slash Medicaid will cause people to die prematurely. While Senator Ernst and Republicans in Washington hand out massive tax breaks to billionaires, they are making the largest health care cuts in American history – cuts that will be particularly devastating in rural states like Iowa where hospitals and care facilities could be forced to shut down. In a sarcastic non-apology, Ernst mocked worried constituents as she walked in a cemetery and brought up the tooth fairy.
“Senator Ernst displayed a stunning level of disregard for the life-altering consequences her party’s health care cuts will unleash on everyday Americans,” said Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse. “For millions of Americans, Medicaid is the difference between life and death. But when faced by worried constituents, Ernst shrugged them off, and then made fun of them. If Republicans get their way, families will be forced to choose between groceries or seeing a doctor, sick children will be turned away from care, and lives will be lost – and Ernst and Republicans don’t seem to care. That’s because the Republican health care agenda isn’t about protecting families or lowering costs, it’s about slashing millions’ health care in order to bankroll massive tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals and companies.”
The New York Times: Defending Medicaid Cuts, Ernst Tells Iowans, ‘We All Are Going to Die’
- The sprawling legislation Ms. Ernst was discussing, which contains a $4 trillion tax cut that would provide the biggest savings to the wealthy, also would make several changes to Medicaid, including adding a strict new work requirement. The independent, nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected that the bill would cause around 10 million Americans to become uninsured. Ms. Ernst’s comment on Friday came after town hall attendees interrupted her as she was highlighting provisions in the domestic policy measure that seek to ensure that undocumented immigrants, who are not eligible to enroll in Medicaid, would not receive any services.
Newsweek: Republican Senator To Medicaid Cuts Protesters — ‘We’re All Going To Die’
- During a tense exchange with protesters at a town hall, Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa responded to concerns over potential Medicaid cuts by declaring, “Well, we are all going to die.” The remark came as demonstrators pressed her on the impact that proposed reductions could have on vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly and disabled. The comment quickly drew attention, with critics calling it dismissive and insensitive given the stakes of the health care debate.
Des Moines Register: ‘Well, We All Are Going To Die’: Sen. Ernst Defends Medicaid Cuts At Heated Iowa Town Hall
- “People are not — well, we all are going to die,” Ernst said, prompting shouting from the audience. “For heaven’s sakes, folks.” Ernst said the goal of the bill is to make sure that people who are not eligible for Medicaid benefits don’t receive them. “What you don’t want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable,” Ernst said. “Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them. Medicaid is extremely important here in the state of Iowa. If you don’t want to listen, that’s fine.” Talking to reporters later in the day at a Google data center construction site, Ernst said the now-viral reaction to her comments is “hysteria that’s out there coming from the left.”
KCRG: GOP Senator Doubles Down On ‘We’re All Going To Die’ Talk By Mocking Voters
- At the town hall, Sen. Ernst defended efforts to rollback, as she called it, benefits for people she said were not supposed to be eligible for Medicaid benefits. That response drew shouting from the crowd including one woman who yelled “people will die”. An exacerbated Ernst gave a sarcastic reply “well we are all going to die”, which drew more angst from the crowd. On Saturday, Ernst posted on her Instagram story a “sincere apology,” saying sarcastically “I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this earth.” Ernst went on to say “So, I apologize. And I am really really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well.”
USA Today: Opinion: Sen. Joni Ernst Helps GOP Find Its Authentic Voice: ‘We All Are Going To Die.’
- Spot on, Sen. Ernst! Whether it’s robbing low-income Americans of food and health care or pulling funding from U.S. foreign-aid programs that literally keep impoverished people around the world alive, the GOP under President Donald Trump has seemed dead set on … well … death.
Newsweek: Joni Ernst’s Sarcastic ‘Apology’ for Medicaid Cuts Response Sparks Fury
- In the background of the video, which has since widely circulated on X, she appears to be walking through a cemetery as what look like gravestones can be seen scattered behind her on the grass. After she shared the video, the internet exploded with comments responding to the senator’s statement. Keith Edwards, a political commentator and YouTuber with more than 138,000 followers on X, wrote on the social media platform: “Against all odds, Joni Ernst has made it worse.”
Huffington Post: GOP Senator On Fears Medicaid Cuts Will Lead To Deaths: ‘We All Are Going To Die’
- “We’re not going to cut those benefits, what we are doing is making sure that those who are not Medicaid eligible are not receiving benefits,” Ernst, who is facing reelection next year, said of the GOP bill at the town hall. Experts, however, consider tightening Medicaid eligibility and thereby reducing its expenditures to be the same as cutting the program. One major study also found that Medicaid reduced the risk of death.
The Hill: Joni Ernst Responds To Jeers On Medicaid Cuts: ‘Well, We’re All Going To Die’
- Someone in the crowd tried to talk over Ernst, interrupting her answer about changes to Medicaid and SNAP, yelling out that people are “going to die” because of the reforms. Ernst answered: “Well, we’re all going to die.” That quip produced a raucous jeer from the crowd.
The Independent: Joni Ernst Doubles Down On Bleak ‘We Are All Going To Die’ Comments In Sarcastic Non-Apology
- The senator went viral after she said, “We all are going to die,” when responding to a question about the proposed cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax legislation during a town hall in Parkersburg on Friday. As Ernst began to answer the question, a person in the audience shouted, “People will die!” “People are not — well, we all are going to die. For heaven’s sakes, folks,” she said in response. The comment received national media attention and was widely criticized by Democrats who have slammed the possible ramifications of the proposed cuts to Medicaid.
Daily Mail: Republican Senator Responds To Uproar After Telling Constituents ‘We’re All Going To Die’
- 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.
MSNBC: Pressed On Medicaid Cuts, Iowa’s Ernst Tells Constituents, ‘Well, We’re All Going To Die’
- Told that people would die as a result of her party’s health care cuts, the Iowa Republican really did say, “Well, we all are going to die.” Ernst went on to tell the audience, however, “What you don’t want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable. Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them.” The problem with that, however, is that her assurances aren’t altogether true. According to the Congressional Budget Office, many struggling Americans who currently meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid would likely lose their health security as a direct result of the Republican’s reconciliation package.
People: GOP Senator Bashes Constituents Who Say Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Cuts Will Kill People: ‘Well, We’re All Going To Die’
- The “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which narrowly passed in the House in a party-line 215-214 vote, revives President Donald Trump‘s tax cuts from 2017; prioritizes funding for deportation and border efforts; diminishes green energy tax incentives; increases the national deficit by $3.8 trillion; and, as discussed at the town hall, puts stricter limits on who can claim benefits from Medicaid and SNAP.
Bossip: “We’re All Going to Die”: Iowa Senator Joni Ernst’s Medicaid Dig
- She later doubled down in a follow-up video on her Instagram Stories. Ernst sarcastically joked about the tooth fairy and saving constituents from the inevitability of death and taxes. Meanwhile, 20% of Americans (including 20% of Iowans) who rely on Medicaid would face more of both under this proposed bill.
Rolling Stone: Senator Dismisses Medicaid Cuts Killing People: ‘Well, We’re All Going To Die’
- Republicans have been struggling to justify the tax bill’s cuts to Medicaid and other social services, which are wildly unpopular. GOP lawmakers have been arguing that the millions of Americans who are expected to lose health care over the cuts are undeserving and are abusing the system…Ernst said before her constituent pointed out that people will die. “When you are arguing about illegals who are receiving Medicaid benefits, 1.4 million, they are no eligible, so they will be coming off.” This is total bullshit. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) pointed out while arguing against the bill last week that of the millions of Americans projected to lose coverage because of the “big, beautiful” bill, exactly zero are undocumented, as undocumented immigrants are ineligible for Medicaid.