( CNN ) Ted Cruz is going on Obamacare . The newly announced Republican presidential candidate told CNN 's Dana Bash on Tuesday that he will sign up for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act -- a law he has been on a crusade to kill . `` We 'll be getting new health insurance and we 'll presumably do it through my job with the Senate , and so we 'll be on the federal exchange with millions of others on the federal exchange , '' Cruz said . Asked whether he would accept the government contribution available to lawmakers and congressional staffers for their health care coverage through the ACA , Cruz said he will `` follow the text of the law . '' `` I strongly oppose the exemption that President Obama illegally put in place for members of Congress because ( Senate Minority Leader ) Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats did n't want to be under the same rules as the American people , '' Cruz said , before repeating : `` I believe we should follow the text of the law . '' Under the Affordable Care Act , members of Congress and some designated congressional staffers are required to obtain health care coverage through the D.C. Health Link Small Business Market . The Office of Personnel Management 's guidelines state that lawmakers and their staff receive a `` government contribution '' if they get health care coverage through the ACA . But some lawmakers have declined to accept the contribution , saying they do not want to get special treatment . After the interview , a Cruz spokesperson clarified that he would n't take the contribution . Cruz 's admission comes one day after CNN first reported that the senator would no longer have access to health benefits through his wife 's employer , Goldman Sachs . Heidi Cruz , a managing director at the firm 's Houston office , has gone on unpaid leave for the duration of the senator 's presidential campaign and will not have access to the company 's benefits during that time . Cruz 's campaign appeared caught by surprise Monday by questions about the senator 's health care . Asked how Cruz 's family would be covered after his wife lost her Goldman Sachs benefits , Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler repeatedly answered that he did n't know . It 's a deeply ironic development for the Texas conservative firebrand , who vaulted to fame during his few years in the Senate in large part by denouncing President Barack Obama 's landmark health care law . He led an effort to defund the law that contributed to the 2013 government shutdown . Cruz denied that there was anything ironic about him going on Obamacare , saying he was simply following the law . `` I believe we should follow the text of every law , even laws I disagree with , '' Cruz told CNN . `` It 's one of the real differences -- if you look at President Obama and the lawlessness , if he disagrees with a law he simply refuses to follow it or claims the authority to unilaterally change . '' After the publication of this story , Cruz advisers said there was nothing unusual about the senator signing up for insurance coverage through his employer . They argued that Obamacare has wiped out the individual market , leaving Cruz with few options . Cruz said he will continue advocating for repealing the law . `` What is problematic about Obamacare is that it is killing millions of jobs in this country and has killed millions of jobs , '' Cruz said . `` It has forced millions of people into part time work . It has caused millions of people to lose their insurance , to lose their doctors and to face skyrocketing insurance premiums . That is unacceptable . '' CNN 's Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report .
After interview , Cruz ##bard said senator don n't take government contribution to purchase Obamacare .