SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) speaks to the press during a recess in President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial on January 24, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
'Code for Massive Cuts': Audio Shows GOP Sen. Joni Ernst Telling Donors She Wants 'Changes' to Medicare, Medicaid
"Again, Joni Ernst has shown that she is willing to push our families into poverty with a smile. The programs she plans to cut are a lifeline for millions of Americans. She should be ashamed."
Feb 13, 2020
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa told donors at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. last March that federal spending on non-discretionary programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security is "out of control" and will require "changes" in the future.
That's according to a 55-second audio clip published Wednesday by Iowa Starting Line. In the recording, Ernst is asked by an attendee whether she is on board with Sen. David Perdue's (R-Ga.) call for cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
"I think we all are because we understand that our non-discretionary spending is growing like this," replied Ernst, who is up for reelection in 2020. "Everyone focuses on discretionary spending because that is what we can control in Congress. The rest is on autopilot and is out of control. We have to figure out ways to honor the commitments that have been made, but make changes for the future. How we do that, I don't know."
Progressive advocacy group Social Security Works tweeted that "changes" is "code for massive cuts."
Kimberly Graham, one of five Democrats vying to unseat Ernst in November, tweeted Thursday that "we barely invest in the health and well-being of our people as it is, and Joni Ernst thinks even that is too much."
"Joni doesn't work for Iowans," added Graham. "Joni works for the wealthy donors that fill her campaign coffers."
The audio clip comes months after the Democratic super PAC American Bridge posted a video of Ernst telling a town hall audience in August that members of Congress should negotiate changes to Social Security "behind closed doors" to avoid scrutiny from advocacy groups and the press.
"The minute you say we need to address Social Security, the media is hammering you, the opposing party is hammering you--'there goes granny over a cliff,'" said Ernst, who has in the past expressed support for privatizing Social Security.
"There is a real issue out there," added the Republican senator, "and as long as we are being hammered as members of Congress for even saying we need to do something about it, you're not going to find people that are willing to step forward and do it."
Watch:
Eddie Mauro, another Democrat running for Ernst's Senate seat, said the Republican "should be ashamed" of her position on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending.
"Again, Joni Ernst has shown that she is willing to push our families into poverty with a smile," Mauro tweeted Wednesday. "The programs she plans to cut are a lifeline for millions of Americans."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
election 2020healthcareiowajoni ernstmedicaidmedicarerepublican partysocial securitysocial security worksus senate
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa told donors at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. last March that federal spending on non-discretionary programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security is "out of control" and will require "changes" in the future.
That's according to a 55-second audio clip published Wednesday by Iowa Starting Line. In the recording, Ernst is asked by an attendee whether she is on board with Sen. David Perdue's (R-Ga.) call for cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
"I think we all are because we understand that our non-discretionary spending is growing like this," replied Ernst, who is up for reelection in 2020. "Everyone focuses on discretionary spending because that is what we can control in Congress. The rest is on autopilot and is out of control. We have to figure out ways to honor the commitments that have been made, but make changes for the future. How we do that, I don't know."
Progressive advocacy group Social Security Works tweeted that "changes" is "code for massive cuts."
Kimberly Graham, one of five Democrats vying to unseat Ernst in November, tweeted Thursday that "we barely invest in the health and well-being of our people as it is, and Joni Ernst thinks even that is too much."
"Joni doesn't work for Iowans," added Graham. "Joni works for the wealthy donors that fill her campaign coffers."
The audio clip comes months after the Democratic super PAC American Bridge posted a video of Ernst telling a town hall audience in August that members of Congress should negotiate changes to Social Security "behind closed doors" to avoid scrutiny from advocacy groups and the press.
"The minute you say we need to address Social Security, the media is hammering you, the opposing party is hammering you--'there goes granny over a cliff,'" said Ernst, who has in the past expressed support for privatizing Social Security.
"There is a real issue out there," added the Republican senator, "and as long as we are being hammered as members of Congress for even saying we need to do something about it, you're not going to find people that are willing to step forward and do it."
Watch:
Eddie Mauro, another Democrat running for Ernst's Senate seat, said the Republican "should be ashamed" of her position on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending.
"Again, Joni Ernst has shown that she is willing to push our families into poverty with a smile," Mauro tweeted Wednesday. "The programs she plans to cut are a lifeline for millions of Americans."
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa told donors at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. last March that federal spending on non-discretionary programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security is "out of control" and will require "changes" in the future.
That's according to a 55-second audio clip published Wednesday by Iowa Starting Line. In the recording, Ernst is asked by an attendee whether she is on board with Sen. David Perdue's (R-Ga.) call for cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
"I think we all are because we understand that our non-discretionary spending is growing like this," replied Ernst, who is up for reelection in 2020. "Everyone focuses on discretionary spending because that is what we can control in Congress. The rest is on autopilot and is out of control. We have to figure out ways to honor the commitments that have been made, but make changes for the future. How we do that, I don't know."
Progressive advocacy group Social Security Works tweeted that "changes" is "code for massive cuts."
Kimberly Graham, one of five Democrats vying to unseat Ernst in November, tweeted Thursday that "we barely invest in the health and well-being of our people as it is, and Joni Ernst thinks even that is too much."
"Joni doesn't work for Iowans," added Graham. "Joni works for the wealthy donors that fill her campaign coffers."
The audio clip comes months after the Democratic super PAC American Bridge posted a video of Ernst telling a town hall audience in August that members of Congress should negotiate changes to Social Security "behind closed doors" to avoid scrutiny from advocacy groups and the press.
"The minute you say we need to address Social Security, the media is hammering you, the opposing party is hammering you--'there goes granny over a cliff,'" said Ernst, who has in the past expressed support for privatizing Social Security.
"There is a real issue out there," added the Republican senator, "and as long as we are being hammered as members of Congress for even saying we need to do something about it, you're not going to find people that are willing to step forward and do it."
Watch:
Eddie Mauro, another Democrat running for Ernst's Senate seat, said the Republican "should be ashamed" of her position on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending.
"Again, Joni Ernst has shown that she is willing to push our families into poverty with a smile," Mauro tweeted Wednesday. "The programs she plans to cut are a lifeline for millions of Americans."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.