Sen. Ted Cruz flew to Cancun, Mexico while Texans suffered during deadly winter weather power crisis
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is returning to Texas after briefly fleeing for a resort in Mexico while the state was in the midst of a deadly deep freeze.
Photos of Cruz at the Houston airport began circulating on social media late Wednesday. FOX News confirmed he and his family were on a flight from Houston to Cancun.
Critics slammed the conservative Republican for heading to a tropical destination while millions of Texans continue to go without basic necessities.
Cruz publicly acknowledged his trip in a statement on Thursday afternoon, claming that his daughters "asked to take a trip with friends" since school had been canceled due to the winter weather. He added that their Texas home had lost power.
So while hundreds of thousands of Texas children remained with their parents in homes without power, heat or water, Cruz opted to fly with his kids to the Mexican resort city.
"Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon," Cruz said in a statement.
The statement didn't make clear if that was the original plan or if Cruz was returning after intense criticism.
Houston police said a member of Cruz's staff contacted the department and requested assistance while Cruz was at the Houston airport Wednesday and that they planned to be at the airport if any further assistance was required upon his return.
Temperatures in the Lone Star State plunged to dangerous record lows this week and overwhelmed the state’s power grid. Then, many without power and heat began dealing with another cascading crisis triggered by this winter storm -- access to water.
Cruz acknowledged how serious the crisis is in a tweet Tuesday, saying, "A blizzard strikes Texas & our state shuts down. Not good." He also lauded a furniture store owner who, according to FOX 26 in Houston, allowed 1,000 people in his store amid the power outages.
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