The Hill News

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said Thursday she would donate her congressional paycheck to a non-profit benefiting military families in case of a government shutdown.

If lawmakers cannot reach a deal on a 2011 budget before Friday and a shutdown occurs, Bachmann said she will "have serious reservations about the fact that Congress and the president will continue to receive a timely paycheck during a government slowdown."

“Unfortunately, current law prevents our military men and women from receiving their paycheck on time if government services are interrupted. Because of this discrepancy between the pay of our troops and members of Congress, I will personally be donating my pay to a non-profit organization serving our military families," she said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, the House passed a GOP stopgap plan to fund the military through September and fund the government for one-week. But Democrats rejected the proposal.

Bac! hmann voted against it, noting that she proposed a separate bill to fund the military but that the GOP plan does not defund President Obama's healthcare law.

The potential presidential candidate is not the only lawmaker to highlight the issue of congressional pay amid the spending debate. Conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) said he would donate his salary to charity if the government shuts down.

Dozens of lawmakers, including Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), have said they do not want lawmakers to receive their salary during a shutdown.

But while both Houses have passed legislation preventing that, a single bill has not passed both Houses and been signed by the president.