Iowans are rightfully concerned about their Medicaid and SNAP benefits going away. Republicans are cutting these life-saving programs, and thousands of people in our state will pay the price.

So when a concerned crowd mentioned people dying due to Medicaid and SNAP cuts at Senator Joni Ernst’s town hall, do you want to know what Ernst said?

“Well, we all are going to die.”

Is that the way an effective, committed Congressperson responds to the people she was elected to serve? To be clear, elected officials are:

Not supposed to shrug their shoulders and say we’re all going to die anyways so there’s no point in trying.

Are supposed to propose solutions to make our lives better, and at the very least, survivable.

Joni Ernst’s response to Iowa citizens makes it obvious that she only works for herself, Donald Trump, special interests, and the far-right agenda. How can we trust her to represent Iowa or to work in our best interests?

At the Iowa Democratic Party, we’re working hard to spread the truth about out of touch elected officials like Joni Ernst. She needs to be held accountable for her words, and Iowans need to know the facts about what our Republican representatives are doing to average Iowans in Washington.

We’ll be coordinating with our county parties all summer to make sure we can reach Iowans all across the state to replace Joni Ernst in 2026. Will you chip in $25 or as much as you can today to fund our work?

Iowa deserves better than this. We need better than this. Together, we’ll elect change.

– Rita

Rita Hart
Chair, Iowa Democratic Party