Sen. Ted Cruz said Monday that if the lawmakers fail to reach a deal to avert a government shutdown, then he will donate his salary to charity for each day that it is shuttered.

Mr. Cruz has been trying to pin the blame for a shutdown on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who has refused to embrace the Texas Republican’s push to delay or defund Obamacare, part of the spending deal that lawmakers had to hash out before the midnight Monday deadline for a government shutdown.

“I hope that Reid stops refusing to negotiate and works with the House to avoid a government shutdown, and, at the same time, prevent the enormous harms that Obamacare is inflicting on the American people,” Mr. Cruz said in a statement. “If, however, Harry Reid forces a government shutdown, I intend to donate my salary to charity for each day the government is shut down.”

Mr. Cruz makes $174,000 a year.

Polls show that support for Obamacare has dropped since the beginning of the year, but that most Americans oppose Mr. Cruz’s attempts to tie the law to the ongoing spending debate.

Polls also show that Republicans, not Democrats, would be blamed for a shutdown.

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