Overview

• At a late May town hall in Iowa, Ernst responded to warnings about Medicaid cuts by saying “we are all going to die.”
• On May 31, she released a video filmed in a cemetery that mock-apologized for her comment and doubled down on her stance.
• Her comments prompted bipartisan criticism from figures such as Sen. Chris Murphy, Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough and former Obama adviser David Axelrod.
• The Republican “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” underlying the dispute could, according to CBO projections, strip Medicaid coverage from 8.7 million people and leave 7.6 million more uninsured.
• Iowa State Rep. J.D. Scholten announced his 2026 Senate candidacy on June 2, framing Ernst’s remarks as disrespectful to constituents facing potentially life-threatening coverage losses.