Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is offering a mock apology after remarks she made about Medicaid caused a stir.
On Friday at a town hall in Parkersburg, Ernst was answering a question about proposed cuts to Medicaid included in the big tax and policy bill House Republicans recently approved. Someone in the audience yelled, “People are going to die,” and Ernst responded. “Well, we all are going to die, for heaven’s sakes,” she said, sparking a heated reaction from the crowd.
This weekend, Ernst released a video statement on her Instagram account. “I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this earth, so I apologize,” Ernst said.
Ernst appeared to be walking through a cemetery as she spoke. “For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Ernst said in conclusion.
Democrats say the senator’s remarks about Medicaid are “callous” and show she’s “out of touch” with Iowans. Ernst said the immediate negative reaction to her comments on Friday was “hysteria” from “the left.”
Ernst, first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, has indicated she intends to seek reelection in 2026. She recently announced her annual “Roast and Ride” fundraiser will be held this October. Nathan Sage, a military veteran who’s the director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, is the only Democrat who has announced they’re running for the chance to face Ernst in 2026.