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Top Senate Democrat Schumer: 50-50 chance Republicans pass healthcare bill

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday that he sees a 50 percent probability that Republicans will be able to pass their healthcare bill.

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I think it’s 50-50. First Democrats, we 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.

But the bill is just devastating. And that’s what’s making it so hard for them to pass it. Here’s what it does. It kills the middle class and gives money to the wealthy. And let’s not forget one thing, George. The hard, hard right, these thousand very wealthy people have such dominance in the Republican Party, they have had two goals for decades.

One, reduce taxes on the rich. People who make over $1 million get an average of a $57,000 tax cut. Two, destroy the social safety for the middle class of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This is the first step where they’re doing that in the Senate bill.

So that’s why there is such pressure on these Republicans, this narrow group of wealthy people with power. But the American people are crying out and saying no.

(Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Phil Berlowitz of Reuters)

(Additional reporting: Jason Easley of PoliticusUSA)