On Friday, at a town hall in Iowa, Republican Senator Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud and responded to her constituents’ fears about cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in Trump and Republicans’ budget bill by callously remarking, “well, we all are going to die.”

Immediate and widespread condemnation followed, but instead of apologizing, extending empathy, and standing up for her constituents who rely on Medicaid, over the weekend, Ernst doubled down on her support of Trump’s dangerous budget bill and released a video recorded in a graveyard mocking her constituents.

In response to Ernst’s cruel and bizarre comments, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: 

“Thoughts and prayers have a new meaning for the Republican Party with Joni Ernst doubling down on her cruel words. It is immoral and un-Christian to do nothing to prevent people from dying but unfortunately, Trump, Ernst, and the Republican Party are hellbent on putting their own constituents at risk.”

Take a look at some of the coverage of Ernst’s weekend comments below:

Washington Post: Ernst posts snarky reply after telling town hall ‘we all are going to die’

“According to a projection from the Congressional Budget Office, the bill could strip Medicaid coverage from 8.7 million people and lead to 7.6 million more uninsured people over 10 years. The bill also extends trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the nation’s wealthiest, includes hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending and is expected to add trillions to the national debt. …

“In Iowa, about 1 in 5 residents are covered by Medicaid, including half of all nursing home residents, according to estimates from the nonprofit health policy research organization KFF.

“Democrats have railed against the Republican tax and immigration bill by warning about the consequences to Medicaid recipients. Several were quick to circulate Ernst’s comments over the weekend as they argued that Republicans are willing to prioritize tax cuts for the wealthiest over Americans’ health coverage.

“‘Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud,’ Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin said in a statement Friday. Republicans, he said, don’t care ‘whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer.’”

MSNBC: “In bizarre cemetery video, Joni Ernst leans into ‘we are all going to die’ message”

“The senator sparked a controversy, not by telling a secret about human mortality, but by expressing indifference to the real-world consequences of her own party’s policy agenda. Told that the Republican plan would lead to people’s untimely demise, Ernst could’ve pushed back and explained why the criticisms are mistaken, but she instead suggested that if GOP health care plans lead to fatalities, it doesn’t much matter, since ‘we are all going to die’ anyway.”

The Hill: “Ernst doubles down on Medicaid comment with sarcastic video ‘apology’”

“Under the current GOP-House passed spending bill, millions would lose access to healthcare if passed by the Senate.

“‘Children will get hurt. Women will get hurt. Older Americans who rely on Medicaid for nursing home care and for home care will get hurt. People with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to survive will get hurt,’ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during the debate on the bill, according to Politico. 

“‘Hospitals in your districts will close. Nursing homes will shut down. And people will die. That’s not hype. That’s not hyperbole. That’s not a hypothetical,’  he added. 

“Every Democrat who voted in the House, voted against the bill.”

Rolling Stone: “Joni Ernst Issues Non-Apology for Joke About People Dying Due to GOP Medicaid Cuts”

“The Trump tax bill would force millions off Medicaid by imposing work requirements on so-called ‘able-bodied’ adults, demanding they work or volunteer at least 80 hours a month. One problem with this idea is that many Medicaid recipients cannot work but have not been approved for disability benefits, which is an onerous process. 

“Those beneficiaries will lose their insurance. The Medicaid program also contains strict income caps that require beneficiaries to earn exceedingly little money. Taken together, Republicans are effectively demanding that Medicaid recipients work low-income jobs in order to maintain their health insurance, and the added bureaucracy will certainly result in many eligible beneficiaries losing coverage.”