Ashley Moody officially donates salary earned during shutdown to Tampa charity

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody lived up up to her promise to give her salary to a charitable cause in the wake of America’s longest government shutdown in history.

Moody had vowed not to take a paycheck when the shutdown began Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C. Now, after a 43-day government closure following a dispute between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, Moody is giving her salary to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. She officially donated the funds to the Center Nov. 25.

 “The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is an incredible organization that provides support and care to Floridians. The work they do truly saves lives. For six weeks, Senate Democrats held the American people hostage to play partisan games — impacting federal law enforcement officers’ and essential personnel’s livelihood — all while still collecting their own paychecks,” Moody said in a news release.

“When the shutdown began, I pledged to donate my pay received during that time to a local Crisis Center that helped those affected. Thank you to this wonderful group for everything you do on a daily basis to ensure the people and first responders of our state are stronger and safer.”

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay helps residents who are going through struggles from sexual assault or abuse, domestic violence, financial distress, substance abuse, medical emergencies or other trying circumstances.

Moody, a Republican, has an annual salary of $174,000.

President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Nov. 12 effectively ending the shutdown. While Moody blames Democrats, there was plenty of blame going around in the nation’s capital with Democrats deriding Republicans for not bolstering the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time.

The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

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Material from The Associated Press was used with permission in this report.