(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democrats are criticizing Senator Joni Ernst’s vote in support of the bill that lays out President Trump’s priorities and suggesting it will be a major issue as she seeks reelection in 2026. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says tax cuts in the bill will make the lives of the top one percent a little more luxurious, while most Iowans will have a harder time keeping up with rising energy costs.

The candidates campaigning for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2026 U-S Senate nomination are posting video statements online. Candidate Zach Wahls, a state senator from Coralville, points to a report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform that indicates 20 rural Iowa hospitals already are at risk of closure — before cuts the Medicaid make survival even harder. “We need a senator who’s going to fight for us, not just toe the party line.” Candidate Nathan Sage, the executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, says the bill is an attack on working class people.

“We’re going to have Iowans losing Medicaid benefits and SNAP benefits,” Sage said. “We are going to have Iowans dying over this ‘big beautiful bill.'” J.D. Scholten of Sioux City, a member of the Iowa House who’s running for the U-S Senate, calls it the “Billionaire Bailout Bill.” Scholten says Ernst betrayed Iowans with her vote for the legislation, which Scholten says will transfer wealth from the working class to the top one percent and endanger rural hospitals and nursing homes.