Overview

• At a Butler, Iowa town hall, Senator Ernst dismissed warnings that proposed Medicaid cuts could be fatal by quipping, “we all are going to die,” provoking immediate outrage.
• Over the weekend she posted a mock apology video filmed in a cemetery that doubled down on her comment and intensified backlash from constituents and commentators.
• Iowa Democrat J.D. Scholten announced his 2026 Senate bid on June 2, citing Ernst’s “disrespectful” Medicaid remarks as his reason for challenging her.
• The GOP’s budget reconciliation bill would slash Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over ten years, with CBO estimates warning it could strip coverage from 8.7 million people and leave 7.6 million more uninsured.
• On Monday the White House defended the measure as strengthening the safety net, while Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy warned the legislation “is about life and death.”