Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Sunday there is a "50-50" chance that Senate Republicans will pass their health care overhaul bill.
As of Sunday, five Republicans, including Sen. Dean Heller (R., Nev.), have said they cannot vote for the legislation as currently written. Heller said it would take away insurance from Nevadans because of cuts to Medicaid. Other conservative senators have said, however, that it does not do enough to repeal Obamacare.
Democrats would only need three Republicans to oppose its final form to defeat the legislation, but Schumer appeared to say those Republicans currently in opposition could come around. Schumer said Democrats would be willing to sit down with Republicans and make Obamacare "better" but maintained they would not support a repeal.
"Are they going to pass this bill?" ABC host George Stephanopoulos asked.
"I think it's 50-50," Schumer said. "We [Democrats] are doing everything we can to fight this bill, because it's so devastating for the middle class. I think they have, at best, a 50-50 chance of passing this bill. To get three senators to vote no, you can say yes, you can say no. It's probably 50-50."
Schumer said the bill "kills the middle class." Other Democrats have also used charged language to criticize the legislation. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) said it was paid for with "blood money," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) said it would kill Americans, and Hillary Clinton said passing it would make Republicans the "death party."