Cruz pledges salary to charity if gov’t shuts down

CSPAN / AP

In an image made from the C-Span broadcast, Sen. Ted Cruz continues to speak on the floor of the U.S. Senate at 5:21 a.m. EDT Wednesday Sept. 25, 2013. Since Tuesday afternoon, Cruz — with occasional remarks by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and other GOP conservatives — has controlled the Senate floor and railed against Obamacare. By 5 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Cruz and his allies had spoken for more than 14 hours, the eighth longest since precise record-keeping began in 1900.

Associated Press

Monday, Sept. 30, 2013 | 6:10 p.m.

Sen. Ted Cruz is pledging to donate his salary to charity during any federal government shutdown.

Cruz announced his pledge in a statement Monday evening. On Friday, Cruz had told an Austin conference that he had not planned to forego his paycheck as a U.S. senator if the federal government shut down.

Cruz has vowed to halt funding to the White House-backed health care law or shut down the government by trying. His 21-plus-hour speech in the Senate last week irked colleagues in both parties but energized conservative activists.