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Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, agreed that “Republicans want poor people to die as quickly as humanly possible,” during a town hall event on Monday.
The live town hall, hosted by Jim Acosta of CNN, featured actress Rosie O’Donnell, CNN contributor and former Capitol police officer Michael Fanone and former Trump administration official Olivia Troye. Crockett, dubbed a rising Democratic Party star, was the headliner.
Acosta told the panel he was “astounded” by Sen. Joni Ernst’s town hall comment last week that, “We all are going to die,” when discussing Medicaid reform.
“I’m thinking to myself, isn’t the point of healthcare to postpone that as long as possible, like, we don’t want that to happen, isn’t that the point?” Acosta asked.
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaks during a House subcommittee hearing. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Fanone, who gained national attention for his role defending the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and is now an analyst for CNN, said, “Republicans want poor people to die as quickly as humanly possible.”
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“I agree,” Crockett responded. “I don’t think that is a glitch, but that’s actually part of the design.”
Ernst said, “We all are going to die,” during a contentious moment at her town hall in Iowa. She was explaining that Medicaid reform will only remove people who do not qualify for benefits – illegal immigrants, able-bodied Americans who can work but choose not to, those ineligible to receive benefits who are currently receiving benefits, and duplicate enrollees in one or more states.
But Ernst was interrupted by a rowdy crowd, including one attendee who shouted, “People will die!” prompting her comment that drove Acosta’s town hall conversation on Monday.
A spokesperson for Sen. Joni Ernst slammed Democrats for “fearmongering” on Medicaid. (Reuters)
“The idea that you’ve got someone who has the audacity to say to people that sent her into D.C. to work on their behalf that you’re going to die,” Crockett said Monday as the crowd erupted in cheers. “I think we all know that, but the reality is that you’ve decided that you want to be a gravedigger, and I don’t think that is who they elected you to be. They elected you to actually breathe life into it.”
Crockett did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, but an Ernst spokesperson dismissed Crockett’s criticism as “fearmongering.”
“While Democrats fearmonger against strengthening the integrity of Medicaid, Sen. Ernst is focused on improving the lives of all Iowans. There’s only two certainties in life: death and taxes, and she’s working to ease the burden of both by fighting to keep more of Iowans’ hard-earned tax dollars in their own pockets and ensuring their benefits are protected from waste, fraud and abuse,” an Ernst spokesperson said.
Crockett attends a House Oversight Committee hearing. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Crockett is considering a run to lead the House Oversight Committee, which is responsible for holding President Donald Trump accountable as leader of the executive branch.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Crockett of “threatening lives” and said she should apologize for her rhetoric against Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for saying, “All I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down.” Crockett would clarify that her comments were intended as “nonviolent” resistance.
Crockett was also criticized this year for calling Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, who is in a wheelchair, “Governor Hot Wheels.” She walked back the comments after her remarks went viral, calling the outrage a “distraction.”
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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., challenged the Texas congresswoman to a fight in January after Crockett said, “child, listen” during a House Oversight Committee hearing.
And Crockett dominated headlines last year when her campaign trademarked the phrase “bleach blonde, bad built, butch body,” after a verbal dispute with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., during a chaotic House hearing.
