Hillary Clinton calls Republicans 'death party' if health care bill passes

Ryan W. Miller | USA TODAY

Hillary Clinton had some strong words on Friday for Republicans over the Senate health care bill.

In a tweet, Clinton said the GOP would be "the death party" if the bill passes the Senate.

Forget death panels. If Republicans pass this bill, they're the death party. https://t.co/jCStfOaBjy — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 23, 2017

Clinton's post was a retweet of a column from the Center for American Progress, a liberal advocacy group, and Harvard researchers that claims roughly 18,000 to 28,000 people could die in 2026 if they were to lose coverage due to the new policy.

Clinton isn't the only former Democratic presidential candidate criticizing the bill. On Thursday, Barack Obama wrote in a Facebook post, "This bill will do you harm."

Obama and Clinton's words seemed to echo President Trump's initial assessment of the House's own legislation to repeal Obamacare. According to a GOP Senate aide, Trump said the House health care bill was "mean." On Thursday, after the Senate version was released, Trump said it needed "a little negotiation, but it's going to be very good."

As of Friday, five Republican senators have said they oppose the bill. If no Democrats vote in favor of the legislation, only two GOPers would be needed to stop it from passing.

Contributing: Jessica Estepa

Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter: @RyanW_Miller