Well, We Are All Going to Die
An all-timer cruel remark.
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When historians look back on this year in America—certainly one of the worst in our country’s history—there’ll be no shortage of standout moments that potently reflect how much our nation has sunk.
Yet, even with all the competition, Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa has vaulted into instant contender for most memorably disgusting.
This morning, the Senator was hosting a town hall in Butler County when she was asked about proposed cuts to Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the federal budget reconciliation bill being pushed by Trump and the GOP.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated earlier this month that the legislation would strip a whopping 8.6 million people of health care coverage over the next decade, disproportionately impacting seniors, folks with disabilities, and children, among other vulnerable communities.
The bill passed the House last week by a razor-thin 215 to 214 (with one abstention), which is all the more heartbreaking given that there are currently three Democratic vacancies due to the recent deaths of Representatives Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), and Sylvester Turner (TX-18). Mr. Connolly tragically passed the day before the vote.
So, Senator Ernst was answering questions about the entirely unnecessary, proposed cuts when a constituent shouted “People are going to die!”
There are many ways Sen. Ernst could have responded that may have passed for halfway reasonable, and yet, the junior senator from Iowa—now nearing the end of her second term—really dug down deep and offered, perhaps, the worst answer possible:
“Well, we are all going to die.”
Here’s the full video of the exchange, so y’all understand this isn’t some kinda “gotcha” moment in which she’s being unfairly protrayed:
Her constituents understandably erupted with outrage, so much so that Sen. Ernst quickly followed up with “For heaven’s sake, folks,” as though she were expecting a different reception from her shrugging off the deaths of sick and disabled people.
And can you blame them?
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, as of this month, there are over 600,000 Iowans who receive Medicaid benefits — that’s about 1-in-5 Iowans.
Of those, about 40 percent are children, 40 percent live in rural areas (where it’s notoriously more difficult to get access to good health care), and 15 percent have three or more chronic health care conditions.
Not to mention: both Sen. Ernst and I are Christians. In fact, she has made our shared faith a central touchstone for public policy throughout her career, on everything from abortion access to religious freedom. Christianity is a hallmark of her political career.
I’ve read my Bible from cover to cover, and I don’t ever remember Christ ever saying to a sick person: “Thou art sick, but behold, we shall all perish.”
Astonishing. Truly.
Anyway, while Sen. Ernst may not care if your loved ones don’t have the lifesaving health care they need, I do bring good news: there’s a leader in Iowa who does.
You may remember Zach Wahls; he’s the young man who went viral many years ago when he delivered a deeply moving testimony to the Iowa Legislature about growing up with two mothers, as lawmakers were considering support for marriage equality.
Well, Mr. Wahls has been serving in the Iowa State Senate since 2019—including a few years in tenure as the Minority Leader—and he’s public exploring a run against Sen. Ernst in next year’s election.
I have rarely been as impressed with an elected official as I am with Mr. Wahls. He’s exactly the kind of leader you’d hope would be dedicated to fighting the good fight and having the kind of good sense necessary to bring folks together for common sense solutions.
Sen. Ernst was already looking at a competitive fight before her “we are all going to die” honesty this morning, and I have to imagine the math ain’t looking great for her against Mr. Wahls moving forward.
If you’d like to throw a donation to Mr. Wahls in what I believe would be a successful campaign, I’d be grateful.
I’ll end this on a note of reason and empathy. When word of Sen. Ernst’s comment reached the great Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, her response couldn’t have summed it up better:
“I thought my job as Senator was to try to keep my constituents alive.”
Thank you for shedding light on this woman's remark. I am not a religious person, but I am pretty sure that Jesus didn't say "well, I only heal the sick if they are working" or "I only heal the sick who can pay me in loaves and fishes" and etc etc. So many(all?) of the GOP seem to have forgotten what I thought was the cardinal rule: love thy neighbor as thyself. So, like, if ol' Jodi were sick, should we just scoff and say "sweetie, ya gotta die sometime?" Argh. Argh. Argh. Going now to make a donation to her opponent.
Excellent commentary. Thanks, Charlotte, for your always persuasive presentation of issues -- and for calling attention to Zach Wahl's candidacy. I donated (of course)!