Saying the quiet part out loud

How are Senate Republicans approaching the task of taking up the House GOP's budget bill – which would represent the biggest cut to healthcare in American history? By mocking and belittling people fearful about their livelihoods if Medicaid is slashed.

You might have seen the news last Friday about Iowa Senator Joni Ernst's remarks. When pressed at a town hall about people dying if Medicaid is cut, she said, "Well, we all are going to die."

Since then, she has doubled down. In what I can only describe as a mock apology – filmed at a cemetery – she bizarrely brought up the tooth fairy and concluded by telling viewers: "For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my Lord and savior Jesus Christ."

This isn't some isolated gaffe. This is a major Senate Republican defending horrible policies by essentially saying: if you can't afford health care, we don't care whether you live or die.

Ultimately, Republicans can't come up with a better defense of their Medicaid cuts. They realize people are catching on to what they're trying to pull – and they're cracking when confronted by voters.

We need to keep the pressure on and continue turning the tide of public opinion against the GOP budget bill. It's going to take all of us standing together, and any bit of grassroots support goes a long way.

So will you please chip in $19 (or more) to help my ongoing efforts to expose the truth about the Republicans' plans to gut health care? We need to move fast – because the next few weeks will be decisive.

More soon,

Ron