WATCH: Sen. Joni Ernst says “We’re all going to die” to Medicaid cut fear (Part 1) – Cornhole Champions #27

By Amie Rivers

June 4, 2025

This week, US Sen. Joni Ernst and her Senate colleagues will consider major cuts to Medicaid. Over the weekend, she was confronted about the cuts by an angry constituent who said, “People will die.”

“Well, we’re all going to die,” Ernst said.

Since then, she doubled down with a bizarre apology video filmed in a cemetery. The comment made an already hostile town hall explode into boos and shouts as voters confronted her about Trump’s massive spending bill.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down Ernst’s viral moment and her tone-deaf response. We examine how Ernst’s false claims about undocumented immigrants mask the reality that 13.7 million Americans will lose healthcare coverage, while the wealthy get $1.1 trillion in tax breaks.

Also on this episode, new information in the deadly Davenport apartment building collapse nd the Trump Administration’s generation-defining cuts to Iowa’s scientific research and development.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

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*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
03:21 – Joni Ernst “We All Die” Town Hall – Viral Comment Sparks Outrage
05:30 – 13.7 Million Americans to Lose Medicaid – Ernst’s False Immigration Claims Exposed
06:53 – Ernst’s Cemetery Apology Video – Doubling Down with Jesus and Tooth Fairy
08:02 – “Not an Apology Whatsoever” – Ernst Mocks Constituents Over Healthcare Cuts
09:28 – $1.1 Trillion Tax Breaks vs Healthcare Cuts – Who Really Benefits from Trump’s Bill

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Amie Rivers

Amie Rivers is Iowa Starting Line's newsletter editor. She writes the weekly Worker’s Almanac edition of Iowa Starting Line, featuring a roundup of the worker news you need to know. Previously, she was an award-winning journalist at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier; now, she very much enjoys making TikToks and memes and getting pet photos in her inbox.

Have a story tip? Reach Amie at [email protected]. For local reporting in Iowa that connects the dots, from policy to people, sign up for Amie's newsletter.

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CATEGORIES: POLITICS VIDEO

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