Blindly Pushing Her Party’s Agenda, Senator Ernst Called for Iowa to “Reopen” At End of April Despite New Outbreaks and Peak Yet to Come
Senator Ernst’s Reckless Push Comes as Polling Shows Voters Trust Democrats More to Responsibly Guide Our Country Through the Crisis
Today – the date Senator Joni Ernst pushed for Iowa to “reopen” – Iowa faces a record of 740 new cases and 8 deaths and continues to receive national attention for forcing Iowans into unsafe work conditions.
In the two weeks since Senator Ernst made her comments, she has continued to write off the severity of Iowa’s health and economic crisis that has only worsened. Senator Ernst outrageously claimed Iowa has “fared pretty well,” despite Iowa being one of the only five states still seeing a growth in spread and is yet to reach its daily peak in deaths.
The failed leadership in this crisis from Senator Ernst and her GOP leaders hasn’t been lost on Iowans. A new poll showed 64% of voters don’t want Iowa to reopen until mid-to-late May at the earliest, and as Senator Ernst continues to brush off alarms from Iowa medical experts, voters trust Democrats over the GOP to guide our country out of this pandemic.
As Iowans continue to battle the spreading virus while the GOP blocks relief for state and local governments, here is only a sample of the countless times Senator Ernst turned a blind eye to the unprecedented loss across Iowa:
- Called Iowa a “less-affected state,” despite Iowa being one of the only five states facing growth in the rate of spread and the peak in daily deaths yet to come.
- Claimed Iowa has “fared pretty well” the day after unemployment claims in Iowa reached over 230,000.
- Said that Iowa has “not been hit nearly as hard as some of the more metro areas or coastal areas” even as Iowa faced three of the worst outbreaks in the country.
- Downplayed the crisis for months, telling constituents that Democrats were “trying to stir up panic” on COVID-19.
- Repeatedly voted against and opposed vital relief measures for Iowa workers, hospitals, and communities, only to later brag on their passage.
- Argued that Iowa’s half-measure restrictions have “have worked quite well,” while refusing to call for a shelter-in-place order.
- Continues to parrot a “carbon copy” of Mitch McConnell’s playbook to blame China for the crisis in order to distract from her indefensible votes against relief for Iowas.