Joni Ernst Mocked for Medicaid Death Comment at Town Hall \ TezzBuzz \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Sen. Joni Ernst drew boos during a town hall over her support of Trump’s sweeping budget bill. Her comment, “We all are going to die,” sparked outrage after constituents voiced concerns about Medicaid cuts. Ernst later doubled down in a sarcastic cemetery video.

Quick Looks

• Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst faced heated criticism at a Friday town hall.
• The crowd erupted after she said, “We all are going to die.”
• Her remarks came during debate over cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
• Ernst defended Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” citing waste reduction.
• The GOP-backed bill includes massive tax cuts and social program cuts.
• Ernst later posted a sarcastic apology video filmed near tombstones.
• The bill faces Senate hurdles but passed the House by one vote.
• Critics say the bill favors the wealthy and harms low-income families.
• Town hall attendees accused Ernst of being defensive and dismissive.
• A Navy veteran accused her of enabling Trump’s authoritarian politics.

Deep Look

Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst found herself at the center of a firestorm after a contentious town hall meeting in Butler County on Friday, where constituents grilled her over her support for the controversial “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a sweeping Republican budget package championed by President Donald Trump. But it wasn’t her policy positions alone that made headlines—it was her dismissive toneculminating in the remark: “We all are going to die.”

The comment came during a heated exchange over proposed cuts to Medicaid. When a community member warned that people would “die” if Medicaid access were restricted, Ernst responded with a smile: “Well, we all are going to die. For heaven’s sakes, folks.” The remark was met with immediate shouts and boos from the crowd.

While the town hall began on a light note—with a veteran inviting Ernst to speak at a future Memorial Day event—the conversation turned tense within minutes. Constituents repeatedly demanded answers about how the proposed legislation would impact vulnerable populations. Many voiced alarm over its plans to slash funding for safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAPwhile delivering $3.8 trillion in tax cutsprimarily benefiting top earners.

Ernst tried to justify the cuts by claiming they would remove ineligible recipients—particularly undocumented immigrants—from the programs. “When you’re arguing about illegals that are receiving Medicaid benefits… they are not eligible so they will be coming off,” she stated. The crowd pushed back, shouting that real people—citizens included—would lose care and suffer.

Things escalated further when a Navy veteran and former school superintendent publicly challenged Ernst’s loyalty to democratic values. “Are you afraid of Trump? Are you corrupt like Trump? Or do you just not care anymore?” he asked, prompting applause from fellow attendees. Ernst responded, “Obviously I don’t agree because I don’t think our country is being destroyed,” only to be met with more protest shouts.

Social Media Response and Cemetery Video

Rather than backtrack after the event, Ernst doubled down. On Saturdayshe shared a sarcastic video from a cemeteryappearing to mock critics of her “we all die” remark. “I’d like to sincerely apologize for my statement at the town hall,” she says on camera, flanked by tombstones. “I made an incorrect assumption that everyone… understood we are all going to perish from this Earth.” She continued with a tongue-in-cheek nod to faith, saying, “For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

The video ignited a second wave of backlash, with critics accusing Ernst of being tone-deaf, flippantand disrespectful toward voters concerned about life-saving health benefits.

What’s in the “One Big Beautiful Bill”?

The legislation at the center of the controversy is one of the most sweeping GOP budget packages in years. It narrowly passed the House earlier this month with a 215-214 votebut faces a rocky path in the Senate. Key features include:

• Extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts at a cost of $3.8 trillion
• Raising the national debt ceiling by $4 trillion
• Slashing Medicaid and food assistance programs
• Imposing steep fees on asylum seekers and sponsors of unaccompanied minors

Although Republicans plan to use the Senate reconciliation process to bypass a filibuster, the bill’s broader impact on the federal deficit and low-income communities has drawn significant scrutiny from both Democrats and moderate Republicans.

Ernst’s position

Sen. Ernst has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s fiscal agenda. At the town hall, she portrayed the bill as a necessary correction to government overspending and “abuse” of public funds. Yet many in attendance viewed her defense as dismissive, overly partisanand lacking empathy for vulnerable populations.

Her social media posts following the event reflect a desire to project confidenceif not outright defiance. “Thanks folks for coming out to my town hall in Parkersburg today,” she wrote. “I always enjoy hearing from constituents and sharing my work to cut government red tape for you.”

But with her sarcastic tone and polarizing rhetoricErnst may have deepened divisions within her own constituency, especially among Iowans who rely on programs now at risk.

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