A Republican senator brushed off concerns over potential Medicaid cuts during a town hall with her constituents, arguing "we're all going to die."
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst was discussing the possible cuts with her constituents after the topic of Republicans' "big, beautiful bill" was brought up. Although Ernst did not state if she planned to vote for the bill, which narrowly passed the House last week, the idea she did support was preventing federal benefits from being used by those who were not in the country legally, The Hill reported.
Medicaid cuts have been a point of contention across the country, including at Ernst's Friday town hall. During the discussion, one person was heard yelling that people "are going to die" as a result of the cuts.
Residents of Iowa pleaded with their Senator about Medicaid cuts, telling her "people are going to die."
— Aaron Parnas (@AaronParnas) May 30, 2025
Join Ernst in response: “well we all are going to die.” pic.twitter.com/fE9DDdkR2C
Ernst stopped her point mid-sentence to address the comment, saying, "Well we're all going to die."
The senator then tried to continue with her argument, but was met with loud shouts and backlash from the crowd.
"Medicaid is extremely important here in the state of Iowa," Ernst insisted. "If you don't want to listen, that's fine. But what I'm doing is going through and telling you that those that are not eligible, those that are working and have opportunity for benefits elsewhere, then they should receive those benefits elsewhere and leave those dollars for those that are eligible for Medicaid."
Republicans' spending bill has come under heavy fire not only from Democrats, but also a few right-leaning colleagues. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie voted against the bill, leading to President Donald Trump to call for him to be "voted out."
Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have also expressed opposition to the bill due to it increasing the federal government's deficit, despite previous pledges from the Trump administration to do the exact opposite.
Elon Musk also expressed disappointment in the bill as he believes it will undermine the work his Department of Government Efficiency did to cut back on government spending.
Originally published on Latin Times
