Overview

• At a May 30 town hall in Parkersburg, Iowa, Ernst dismissed a constituent’s warning that Medicaid rollbacks would cause deaths by quipping, “we all are going to die.”
• On May 31 she posted a sarcastic apology filmed amid gravestones, which mocked constituents’ concerns and went viral online.
• Democrats such as DNC Chair Ken Martin and Sen. Chris Murphy denounced her remarks, and former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger slammed the tone-deaf video.
• The GOP tax and spending bill under Senate review would cut $723 billion from Medicaid over the next decade, risking coverage for up to 7.6 million Americans, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
• Senators Josh Hawley and Lisa Murkowski have expressed reservations about the Medicaid provisions, putting the legislation’s path in the Senate in doubt.