Overview

• At a Friday town hall in Butler County, Senator Joni Ernst met calls of “People will die” from Medicaid cuts by responding, “Well, we all are going to die.”
• The House-passed ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ backed by President Trump proposes $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and carries a CBO estimate of nearly 9 million more uninsured Americans.
• Ernst defended the measures as corrections of overpayments and the removal of ineligible recipients, asserting (incorrectly) that 1.4 million undocumented immigrants currently receive Medicaid.
• Democrats and advocacy groups seized on her quip, with Rep. Brendan Boyle noting undocumented immigrants are already barred from Medicaid and accusing Republicans of callousness toward vulnerable populations.
• Ernst’s office has framed her tone as part of protecting Iowans who qualify for Medicaid, but the comment continues to draw criticism across social media and from Democratic lawmakers.