Trump Country Crowd Heckles Senator’s Ice-Cold Reply to People ‘Dying’ From Big Beautiful Bill Cuts
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) touched off heckling and jeers with her ice-cold rejoinder to a town hall attendee who shouted “People will die” from cuts in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
The GOP-controlled House narrowly passed the Trump-backed “Big Beautiful Bill” last week, but it faces a rough road in the Senate. It also seems to be facing a rough time on the road.
One focal point of criticism has been a CBO estimate that shows the bill will result in almost 9 million more uninsured people — with other estimates as high as nearly 15 million.
Ernst held a town hall in Parkersburg, Iowa Friday morning, during which one questioner brought up the CBO report during a lengthy question about provisions in the bill.
During Ernst’s reply, an audience member shouted “People will die!” — prompting an eyeroll and a one-liner that brought on jeers and heckling from the crowd:
SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA) When you’re talking about the corrections in this reconciliation bill, again it’s corrections of overpayments and people that have not been eligible for these programs by law as it is currently written. So when you are arguing, when you’re arguing about illegals that are receiving Medicaid They are not eligible, so they will be coming off.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: People will die!
SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA) So, we, people are not–.
Right, we all are going to die–.
CROWD: (JEERS AND PROFANITY).
Some of us are going on (INAUDIBLE) okay, no, but, well, 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.
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. But what I’m doing is going through and telling you that those that are not eligible, those that working and have opportunity for benefits elsewhere, then they should receive those benefits elsewhere–.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: They can’t afford them!
SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA) –and leave those dollars for those that aren’t eligible for Medicaid. Snap overpayments that the states have been making will need to stop.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: That’s a lie!
SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA) It’s not a lie. It’s not self-willed, darling. It is bipartisan. It’s fun when you tell everybody else in the Senate that what we’re doing is wrong. Democrats, Republicans, and independents.
Watch above via Iowa’s News Now.
