House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) took aim at Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on Tuesday, looking to downplay concerns that President Trump’s agenda could lead to dire consequences for the nation, including cuts to Medicaid.
Last week, Ernst stirred controversy during a city hall meeting when audience members expressed fears that “people will die” due to proposed healthcare cuts. Her response? “Well, we’re all going to die.”
Jeffries, who has been challenging Republicans’ “big and beautiful bills” since the start of the year, acknowledged that while death is an inevitable part of life, it shouldn’t result from public policies that undermine healthcare access, which he argues would happen under the GOP plan.
“Yes, Joni, we know—Americans understand they’ll eventually die,” Jeffries commented to reporters at the Capitol. “But the cause of death shouldn’t be the Republican atrocities.” He emphasized that people shouldn’t suffer due to “the reckless Republican efforts to strip millions of health care and to take food from the mouths of hungry children and veterans.”
Recently, the House passed a version of Trump’s domestic agenda, which includes extended tax cuts and tougher immigration policies, along with increased domestic energy production. To offset the significant costs of these tax cuts, Republicans proposed cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicaid.
Proponents of this approach contend that it simply sets stricter work requirements for healthy adults and does not burden taxpayers. However, critics argue it creates serious barriers that could deprive even working Medicaid patients of necessary health support. A Congressional Budget Office analysis even projected that around 7.6 million individuals might lose their health insurance under the House’s plan over the next decade.
Democrats received a notable boost on Tuesday when billionaire Elon Musk, who had recently championed efforts to slash federal spending, criticized the Republican bill, labeling it “nasty hatred.”
Jeffries quickly noted this unlikely alignment, stating, “Breaking the news, Elon Musk and I agree with each other.” While they may share this view, the reasons behind their opposition could differ significantly.
