During a recent town hall event, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) brushed off the disruptive jeers of a critic upset about perceived cuts to Medicaid. Instead of trying to engage with the disruptive individual, Ernst responded in a clearly dismissive fashion that rubbed some in attendance the wrong way. Based Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) Joni:— We’re removing 1.4 illegal aliens from receiving Medicaid benefits. They’re not eligible! Libs in Crowd:— But they’re gonna die! Joni:— We’re all gonna die.. Libs in Crowd:Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!https://t.co/ZdORU8TzXa pic.twitter.com/qD0pDEncEr — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) May 30, 2025 Instead of caving to the critics who demanded that she issue a mea culpa, Ernst opted to apologize with a healthy dose of the same sarcasm she provided in the first place. According to The Hill: “See I was in the process of answering a question that had been asked by an audience member, when a woman who was extremely distraught, screamed out from the back corner of the auditorium, people are going to die,” Ernst said Saturday. “And 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, and I’m really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well,” she continued. The Iowa lawmaker then encouraged viewers who want to see “eternal and everlasting life” to “embrace” Jesus Christ. During her Friday event in Butler, Iowa, Ernst promised that Republicans would “protect” social services for the most vulnerable. Throughout her career, Ernst has faced her fair share of backlash from the left and right. In light of her most recent clash, a number of supporters praised her fortitude: Joni I’ve never been a huge fan but you r winning me over! Don’t bow down to these Libs! Glad to see u in the culture war finally!! — Common Sense PHD (@JWyoung316) June 1, 2025 If the fake news and paid trolls weren’t around, it would have been perfect! We appreciate you!! — HisPearlGirl (@HisPearlGurl) May 31, 2025 Of course, plenty of others think the remark might cost her an election: Enjoy sitting on the couch watching a Democrat in your seat come 2027. — Sean (@Were_All_Dudes) May 30, 2025 As for the underlying criticism about Medicaid, President Donald Trump has made it clear that he wouldn’t support any cuts to aid for Americans who need the program’s services. And GOP lawmakers have been busy pushing back against the Democratic Party’s narrative on a “big, beautiful” spending bill backed by the White House. According to Fox News: “The One, Big Beautiful Bill puts Americans first. We’re securing the border. We’re protecting benefits for the most vulnerable. We are investing in American manufacturing. We’re investing in our own energy production,” Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “The Democrats have been focusing on this specific line of attack that 13.7 million Americans are going to lose their health care, and that’s just blatantly false.” The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan analysis for the U.S. Congress, estimates that 8.6 million people in the United States will lose health insurance by 2034 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Medicaid reform. “Five million of those people are receiving a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act that was passed by the Democrats with a sunset date that was implemented by the Democrats. We’re simply allowing the sunset date to expire as the Democrats originally intended,” Houchin said. Here’s a clip of Ernst’s apology: Sen. Joni Ernst has a sarcastic apology for her “We all are going to die” comment yesterday. pic.twitter.com/uxf8E7WSgt — Conner Hendricks (@ConnerReports) May 31, 2025