Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is pressing red state voters to join local \u201cNo Kings\u201d protests Saturday and put pressure on their GOP legislators to end the government shutdown\u00a0through his outreach with social media influencers and creators in Florida and North Carolina.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The outreach, which was first shared with The Hill, includes interviews with content creators and influencers Sara Wiles in Florida, Sander Jennings in Florida and Kate Barr in North Carolina, whose total followers combined are just less than 2 million, a Booker aide said. <\/p>\n
Booker has used those interviews to encourage viewers to press their Republican lawmakers to negotiate with Democrats over ending the government shutdown and addressing health care, according to the aide. <\/p>\n
Democrats and Republicans remain in a standoff over reopening the government, as Democrats want to see an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies as part of any funding legislation, while Republicans want to pass a \u201cclean\u201d stopgap bill. <\/p>\n
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Thursday he was ready to make a deal and offer a vote over health care subsidies in exchange for ending the shutdown. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can guarantee you get a vote by a date certain,\u201d Thune\u00a0told MSNBC<\/a>. \u201cAt some point, Democrats have to take \u2018yes\u2019 for an answer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)\u00a0told MSNBC\u00a0separately<\/a> that he\u2019s skeptical a deal could come together, saying Republican leaders \u201ccan\u2019t be trusted on a wing and a prayer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n