Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst doubled down on her bleak comments in response to potential Republican Medicaid cuts by posting a sarcastic apology video on social media.
The senator went viral after she said, “We all are going to die,” when responding to a question about the proposed cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax legislation during a town hall in Parkersburg on Friday.
As Ernst began to answer the question, a person in the audience shouted, “People will die!”
“People are not — well, we all are going to die. For heaven’s sakes, folks,” she said in response.
The comment received national media attention and was widely criticized by Democrats who have slammed the possible ramifications of the proposed cuts to Medicaid.
Ernst shared a video on her Instagram story on Saturday where she spoke directly to the camera, seemingly from a cemetery.
“Hello everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall,” said before going on to describe what happened.
“I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth,” she added. “So I apologize. And I’m really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well.”
“But for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” said Ernst.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Republican tax bill will cut Medicaid spending by $723 billion over the next 10 years. The number of uninsured people could rise by as much as 7.6 million.
During the town hall event in Parkersburg, Ernst argued that the goal of the legislation is to ensure that those not eligible for Medicaid don’t get the benefits.
“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,” she said. “Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them. Medicaid is extremely important here in the state of Iowa. If you don’t want to listen, that’s fine.”
She subsequently went on to blame the “hysteria that’s out there coming from the left” for the criticism of her initial statement.
Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger responded to Ernst’s Instagram story on X, writing: “Whelp. No sense of goodness left in her now.”
“I’m sorry… is she walking through a cemetery as she makes this?” Democratic strategist Tim Hogan added.
