Medicaid Cuts Backlash Grows As Sen. Joni Ernst Tells Voters 'Well, We All Are Going To Die,' Mocks Critics From A Cemetery

During a town hall in Butler County on Friday, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) brushed off a voter's warning about the effects of losing healthcare with a reminder about collective mortality, drawing widespread criticism.

What Happened: Ernst was questioned about President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill", which includes major cuts to welfare programs like Medicaid, according to The Washington Post.

When a participant warned that people could die if Medicaid coverage was taken away, Ernst replied, "Well, we all are going to die." "So, for heaven's sakes. For heaven's sakes, folks," she added.

On Saturday, Ernst posted a 24-hour Instagram Story video that seemed to make fun of the criticism she received for her comments.

Filming from a cemetery, she said, "I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this earth." "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," she added, ending the vide with a religious message: "For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my Lord and savior Jesus Christ."

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Why It Matters: The bill at the center of the controversy is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to withdraw Medicaid coverage from 8.7 million people and raise the number of uninsured Americans by 7.6 million over the next ten years.

In Iowa, where one in five residents depends on Medicaid, including half of all nursing home occupants, the damage could be severe.

Democrats were quick to respond to Ernst's statements. "Everybody in that audience knows that they're going to die. They would just rather die in old age, at 85 or 90, instead of dying at 40," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on CNN. "When rural hospitals close because of this bill… more people will die at a younger age."

"Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud," said DNC chairman Ken Martin in a statement. "They don't care whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer."

Meanwhile, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought dismissed fears about Medicaid cuts as "ridiculous," and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) argued that those who lose Medicaid will do so by personal choice.

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