Republican senator defends Trump Medicaid cuts, saying ‘we all are going to die'
Republican US Senator Joni Ernst was met with shouts and groans when she said 'we all are going to die' as she addressed potential changes to Medicaid eligibility at a town hall in north-central Iowa on Friday.
She had been consistent in her message throughout the contentious forum at a high school in Parkersburg, Iowa, as she defended the tax and immigration package that has passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate.
Facing several constituents concerned about cuts to Medicaid, she defended the US$700 billion in reduced spending, saying it would keep immigrants in the US illegally and those who have access to insurance through their employers off the rolls.
Then someone in the crowd yelled that people will die without coverage.
'People are not … well, we all are going to die,' Ernst said, drawing groans. 'So, for heaven's sakes. For heaven's sakes, folks.'
'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,' Ernst went on. 'Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid we will protect.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Standard
an hour ago
- The Standard
In-Home Expo 2025 scores over 400,000 attendees with senior living solutions
Download The Standard app to stay informed with news, updates, and significant events - The upgraded app is now available on both iOS and Android platforms.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
A stroke at 21? How this survivor recovered and now empowers others
Molly Buccola ran the Los Angeles marathon during the spring of her senior year at Santa Clara University, in the US state of California. The next month, she and her boyfriend enjoyed a fun Sunday riding around on bikes they borrowed from Buccola's sister, who lived nearby. The next morning, Buccola did not feel up to her usual 6am run, and she slept through class. When her roommate got home that afternoon, Buccola was still in bed. She roused Buccola, who started speaking incomprehensibly. Her left side was weak and she needed help getting to the bathroom. The roommate called Buccola's then boyfriend to let him know what was going on, and he called her sister. In the emergency room, Buccola lost consciousness. By her side, her sister teared up as she phoned their parents, who live in Oregon. A neurologist who saw Buccola recognised the signs of a type of stroke known as venous sinus thrombosis. Photo: Shutterstock At the hospital, doctors were not sure what had happened to Molly, who was 21 and otherwise healthy. Their initial wave of tests did not provide any answers.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Analysts say a weaker US dollar could be both good and bad for Hong Kong
A weaker US dollar could serve as a double-edged sword for Hong Kong, according to analysts. While a falling US dollar was likely to lure global investors back to Hong Kong's stock and property markets , it could also contribute to higher inflation and lower asset values, analysts said. Because Hong Kong's currency is pegged to the US dollar, a weaker US currency would also weaken the local currency, making imports more expensive and driving up inflation, said Kai Wang, a market strategist at Morningstar, on Monday. 'This would [make it] hard for the banks to lower interest rates, thereby driving down rental yields and making it harder to borrow to buy property, thus lowering property values,' he said. This in turn could impact the stock market. In a report published over the weekend, US investment bank Morgan Stanley said it expected the US dollar to weaken over the next 12 months to a level last seen nearly four years ago. The US dollar index (DXY), which measures the currency against a basket of six others, was expected to decline to 91 by mid next year – a level last seen on June 16, 2021, Morgan Stanley said. '[The US dollar] has bucked consensus in 2025 and had its worst year-to-date performance in over two decades,' the bank said. The currency started to weaken in mid-January and recorded some of its steepest declines since President Donald Trump imposed hefty tariffs on China and other trading partners, sending investors to seek cover with other assets. On Monday, the DXY was at 99, a level last seen in April 2022.
