Franken backs Sanders' 'Medicare for All' bill. Sen. Al FrankenAlan (Al) Stuart FrankenOregon senators say they'll block Trump circuit court nominee Franken: You don't 'have to be Trump to beat Trump' Franken objects to Trump judicial pick in test of Senate tradition MORE (D-Minn.) said Tuesday he would support Sen. Bernie SandersBernard (Bernie) SandersGillibrand to back Sanders's single-payer bill: report Overnight Health Care: ObamaCare signup groups to get answers on funding this week | Dems demand Trump action on opioids | More Dems back ‘Medicare for All’ bill Clinton looks for rewind button in ‘What Happened’ MORE's (I-Vt.) “Medicare for All” bill, the latest Democrat to throw their support behind the proposal.

“Like Paul Wellstone I’ve always believe that health care is a right for all Americans — not a privilege — and that every person in our country deserves access to the care they need,” Franken said in a statement posted on Facebook.

While Franken called the bill an “important marker,” he hedged his hopes for the measure passing, calling it “aspirational” and saying he was “hopeful that it can serve as a starting point for where we need to go as a country.”

“In the short term, however, I strongly believe we must pursue bipartisan policies that improve our current health care system for all Americans — and that’s exactly what we’re doing right now in the Senate Health Committee, on which both Senate Sanders and I sit.”