As Republican senators work to repeal certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act, presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the legislation is a "waste of time," according to The Hill.
The Senate is expected to review the repeal legislation — which includes language about removing funding from Planned Parenthood — this week. Republicans only need 51 votes to push it forward.
Sen. Sanders said he's opposed to it. "What this legislation does is move us in exactly the wrong direction," he said. "The bill we are debating today is a complete waste of time. We have a healthcare crisis and this bill makes the crisis much worse."
He added that the repeal shows "how far removed the Republicans here in Congress are from the realities of American life and the needs of the American people."
Alternatively, Sen. Sanders recommended lawmakers to think of ways to expand the ACA. "When you throw 17 million people off health insurance, people will die because they don't go to a doctor when they should, they don't get into the hospital when they should," he said.