At a tense town hall in Butler County, Iowa, on Friday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, faced backlash from constituents while defending the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a Trump-backed spending proposal that recently passed the House.
In one exchange, an attendee challenged the senator over what they characterized as the devastating impact of proposed GOP cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
While Ernst claimed that those who would lose Medicaid under the legislation are those who were already not eligible under the “original definition” of the program, an audience member could be heard shouting, “People are going to die.”
“Well, we’re all going to die,” Ernst responded, drawing boos and gasps from the crowd.
Ernst appeared unmoved by the reaction, responding: “What you don’t want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable.”
One Democratic House aide called it “Legit one of the worst politician quotes I’ve ever seen."
An Ernst spokesperson later defended the senator. “While Democrats fearmonger against strengthening the integrity of Medicaid, Senator Ernst is focused on improving the lives of all Iowans,” they said in a statement.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the House-passed Republican spending bill could leave more than 7 million people uninsured.
The town hall contained other contentious moments, including one attendee who likened the Trump administration’s behavior to a “Nazi blitzkrieg.”
This is not the first time that elected Republican officials have had negative experiences at town halls with angry constituents. In March, the chair of the National Republican Campaign Committee told House members to avoid holding in-person town hall events following backlash largely related to the efforts of Elon Musk’s DOGE to cut spending.
Watch the full exchange here:
