WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday stood by his harsh rhetoric that the GOP health care bill would kill thousands of Americans because “it’s true.”

“If you have cancer and your insurance is taken away from you, there is a likelihood you will die and certainly a likelihood that you will become much sicker than you are today,” Sanders (I-Vt.) told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “That’s the fact. Unpleasant, but it’s true.”

Sanders’ heated rebuke of the GOP health care plan has drawn criticism in the wake of the horrific congressional shooting on June 14.

A crazed Sanders supporter, James Hodgkinson, hunted down Republicans at their baseball practice, shooting Rep. Steve Scalise and three others.

Sanders cites an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office that 23 million fewer Americans would have insurance under the similar House bill to back up his argument.

“Let us be clear and this is not trying to be overly dramatic: Thousands of people will die if the Republican health care bill becomes law,” the former Democratic presidential contender tweeted Friday.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) responded: “The brief time when we were not accusing those we disagree with of murder was nice while it lasted.”