Sen. Joni Ernst defends her "we all are going to die" comments: "I'm very compassionate"

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa defended herself Monday after drawing attention for telling a town hall attendee worried about proposed changes to Medicaid that "we all are going to die."

"I'm very compassionate, and you need to listen to the entire conversation," Ernst told CBS News on Monday.

Ernst's now-viral musings on mortality came during a contentious town hall meeting Friday, as attendees grilled the senator about a GOP-backed domestic policy bill that passed the House last month. The legislation — titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, after President Trump referred to the measure that way — would impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients, among other changes.