--- title: Bernie Sanders Iowa Event Features Woman Telling of Poverty description: Sanders held a town hall event in Iowa Falls Monday morning where a woman shared her experience living on minimum wage. canonical: https://time.com/4193098/bernie-sanders-iowa-rally/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-25T21:16:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:28.800Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch a Woman Tell Bernie Sanders Her Tearful Story of Living in Poverty og:description: She shared what it's like to live on less than $10,000 a year og:url: https://time.com/4193098/bernie-sanders-iowa-rally/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f8979302c5c65c6/69887a88cf40a881bac41a16/gettyimages-506724584.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders Holds Iowa Campaign Stops og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch a Woman Tell Bernie Sanders Her Tearful Story of Living in Poverty twitter:description: She shared what it's like to live on less than $10,000 a year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f8979302c5c65c6/69887a88cf40a881bac41a16/gettyimages-506724584.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch a Woman Tell Bernie Sanders Her Tearful Story of Living in Poverty > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=043bd31e-3eeb-49b0-8b61-86c4bb21ca0e&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Raw: A Woman Gets Emotional At Bernie Sanders Rally In Iowa [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: A Woman Gets Emotional At Bernie Sanders Rally In Iowa](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bBIovT1D.m3u8) (1:14)  _Published 2016-01-25_ by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Jan 25, 2016 9:16 PM UTC by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Jan 25, 2016 9:16 PM UTC A woman [gave an emotional account](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/25/a-remarkably-moving-thing-happened-at-a-bernie-sanders-rally-today-in-iowa/?tid=sm%5Ffb) of trying to get by on minimum wage to a crowd at a [Bernie Sanders](http://time.com/4188306/why-bernie-sanders-revolution-needs-a-second-act/) event in Iowa on Monday. Sanders held a town hall in Iowa Falls on Monday morning and asked if anyone in the crowd would share their experience living off of $12,000 a year. That’s when the woman spoke up, detailing her struggle living on less than $10,000 a year—despite having an education and steady employment. “It’s so hard to do anything to pay your bills, you’re ashamed all the time… when you can’t buy presents for your children it’s really really really hard,” she told the crowd. “And I work 3, 4, 5 jobs sometimes, always minimum wage, I have a degree, divorced and it’s just I’m waiting for disability to come through so my parents have to support me—it’s just hard. The crowed cheered her on and Sanders thanked her for sharing her story. “It is not easy for people to stand up and say that but the truth is that until millions of people who are experiencing what you’re experiencing do say that we don’t make change,” Sanders said. Much of Sanders campaign is built around combatting economic inequality. ## Transcript You can't buy presents for your children. It's really hard, and I worked three, four, five jobs sometimes. Always minimum wage. I have a degree. Divorce. And it's just waiting for disability to come through, so my parents have to support me. [ SOUND ] It's just hard. All right, thank you. Thank you. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] It is not easy for people to stand up and say that. But the truth is, that until millions of people who are experiencing exactly what you guys are experiencing do say that We don't make change. So I thank you for saying and for telling us what's going on in your lives because the truth is you can't make it on 12, 000. 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