Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is receiving bipartisan criticism for his decision to take a trip to Cancun as millions of his constituents were without power following a winter storm that put strain on the state’s power grid.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, “Look, when a crisis hits my state, I’m there. I’m not going to go on some vacation.”
“I know Mr. Cruz called it a mistake, and he’s owned up to that. But I think that was a big mistake. As for me, I was on the ground trying to help my people out, and my constituents, and that’s what we should be doing in a time crisis,” he added.
Watch the video below:
.@RepMcCaul: "When a crisis hits my state, I'm there. I'm not going to go on some vacation." https://t.co/iRzbZqZlHi pic.twitter.com/X2ZHPzvX5S
— The Hill (@thehill) February 21, 2021
McCaul also hailed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for volunteering at a food bank in Houston, Texas, and starting a fundraiser to help Texans suffering from the winter storm.
Cruz has received backlash after photos surfaced on social media of him boarding a plane bound for balmy Cancun while residents in his state were facing power outages and freezing temperatures.
Just confirmed @SenTedCruz and his family flew to Cancun tonight for a few days at a resort they've visited before. Cruz seems to believe there isn't much for him to do in Texas for the millions of fellow Texans who remain without electricity/water and are literally freezing. pic.twitter.com/6nPiVWtdxe
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) February 18, 2021
He later released a statement that claimed he was simply traveling with his daughters because he wanted to be a “good dad.”
However, upon his return, the Texas senator acknowledged, “I had initially planned to stay through the weekend and to work remotely there.”
“But, as I was heading down there, you know, I started to have second thoughts almost immediately because the crisis here in Texas, you need to be here on the ground. And as much as you can do by phone and Zoom, it’s not the same as being here,” he added.
He also said the trip was “obviously a mistake.”
While power has been returned to most homes in the state, there are concerns about the water, and millions of Texans are still being advised to boil their water before using it.