Budget would update eligibility requirements for Medicaid in Washington, D.C., and lead to tens of thousands being kicked off.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst on Saturday doubled down after she said “we all are going to die” as she addressed potential changes to Medicaid eligibility at a town hall in north-central Iowa on Friday. Her comment was met with shouts and groans. In a social media video on Saturday, Ernst joked about the outrage.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) doubled down on a recent quip about Medicaid in a Saturday post on her Instagram story. “Hello, everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for

The Garner, North Carolina, resident works for a local home goods store up to 20 hours a week, typically. But she also suffers from degenerative disc disease in her spine and relies on Medicaid to cover her doctor’s visits, physical therapy and medication that helps her manage the pain so she can get out of bed in the morning.

The U.S. House tax and spending bill would potentially leave states with major holes in their Medicaid budgets.

Republicans in the U.S. Senate are sparring over their version of the multitrillion-dollar budget and immigration bill the House of Representatives passed on May 22, 2025. Some GOP senators are insisting on shrinking the budget deficit,

Taking away healthcare coverage isn’t just “morally wrong and politically suicidal,” in Senator Josh Hawley’s apt phrase. It’s also putting pressure on rural members of Congress.

The federal budget bill, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week, would add Medicaid work requirements for childless adults to stay in the program.