Disabled protesters have been removed from House Committee hearing
Disabled demonstrators were forced to leave the House Committee hearing after protesting Republican proposals to cut benefits.
Sen. Chris Murphy of D-Connecticut fought back against his Republican colleague who went viral after telling a town hall audience that “we’ll all die” in response to concerns about Medicaid cuts.
“I think everyone in that audience knows they’re going to die,” Murphy told CNN’s Dana Bash. “They will not die at age 40, they will die at age 85 or 90 in old age.”
The comments come after Sen. Joni Ernst of R-Iowa worked on federal cuts to Medicaid proposed by Republicans as part of President Donald Trump’s swept tax bill at the city hall in Parkersburg, Iowa on May 30.
Ernst then told the auditorium, “People aren’t. Well, we’ll all die. For heaven, for the sake of the people.”
Medicaid, a program that provides health insurance to over 71 million low-income Americans, is undergoing major changes under the bill passed in the House last month.
This includes new work requirements for some adults, starting in December 2026, more frequent eligibility checks and state obstacles covering fraudulent immigrant children, among other provisions.
Collectively, the Medicaid proposal would save at least $625 billion, with 7.6 million Americans losing health insurance over the next decade.
Still, Ernst shared a sarcastic apology video after facing criticism from Democrats over her reaction to concerns among city hall attendees.
“Hello everyone,” she said in a video posted on social media. “I would like to use this opportunity to sincerely apologize for the statement I made at my town hall yesterday.”
“Everyone in the auditorium made the false assumption that yes, we all understand that we will all perish from this earth,” she added. “So I apologize. And I’m really, really happy that I don’t have to raise the tooth fairy subject.”
Republicans said the proposed changes to Medicaid would protect the program for those who need it, and their laws curtail waste and fraud. Like Murphy, Democrats argue that fallout is felt by Americans all over the country.
“When rural hospitals are closed due to this bill, more people will die at a younger age when drug treatment clinics are closed in Iowa and rural America due to this bill,” Murphy argued in an interview on June 1.
Republicans control the Senate, but the law is not expected to sail through the upper rooms. Several Senate Republicans, including Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have allegedly claim the bill comes with a high price tag.
“This is our moment,” Johnson told CNN’s Jake Tupper in May. “We have witnessed an unprecedented level of increased spending… this is the only opportunity to reset it to a reasonable pre-pandemic level.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, and other law champions argue that legislation is an investment in the American economy. However, it is expected to add around $3.3 trillion to the country’s deficit over the next decade, inflated federal debt.
Donation: Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register;Riley Begin
