The Republican lawmaker faced backlash immediately after initial experiences emerged on social media that he had jetsetted to Cancun regardless of the widespread disaster in Texas, but he defended himself in a statement Thursday afternoon saying it was a excursion for his two daughters, Caroline and Catherine, and their good friends.
“This has been an infuriating 7 days for Texans…Like thousands and thousands of Texans, our relatives dropped warmth and energy also,’ Cruz mentioned in a statement with ABC News.
“With faculty cancelled for the week, our ladies questioned to take a vacation with good friends. Wanting to be a superior dad, I flew down with them final night time and am flying again this afternoon,” he explained.
“My staff members and I are in continuous interaction with point out and nearby leaders to get to the bottom of what occurred in Texas. We want our electricity back again, our water on, and our properties heat. My staff and I will proceed utilizing all our sources to hold Texans informed and safe and sound,” Cruz included.
Cruz was originally scheduled to return to Texas on Saturday with his household, but improved his reservation in the early morning to return this night, according to a source familiar with his travel timetable.
Cruz’s place of work informed ABC News the senator was analyzed this early morning for COVID-19 to comply with the new mandate requiring citizens to current a unfavorable examination just before traveling to the United States.
Cruz headed to Cancun, Mexico, for a long-prepared relatives getaway, several media outlets had claimed, which include The Affiliated Press, CNN and Fox News.
The Houston Police Office confirmed to ABC News that Cruz’s employees contacted police staff on Wednesday requesting assistance on the senator’s arrival at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, even though they did not specify what variety of guidance.
Law enforcement said he arrived at Terminal E and officers “monitored his movements” by means of the terminal.
Critics slammed the senator on Twitter immediately after shots emerged on social media of a gentleman who appears to be Cruz aboard a airplane.
The Lone Star condition is in the midst of a crisis in the wake of a impressive storm that started off Sunday, generating prevalent ability outages and burst pipes. Almost 500,000 customers in Texas remained without having power Thursday early morning.
Gov. Greg Abbott avoided commenting on Cruz’s trip saying, “I haven’t been pursuing people’s vacation’s strategies.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner reported, “Effectively it truly is absolutely considerably hotter the place he is heading” when asked about Cruz’s vacation in the course of a press meeting Thursday.
“My work is to remain below until eventually the situation is solved so which is it you know, I’m gonna enable the senator communicate for the senator,” he included.
“Which is anything that he has to respond to to his constituents about,” point out Republican Occasion Chairman Allen West said to the AP on his travel. “I am right here making an attempt to just take care of my family and appear right after my mates and others that are still devoid of ability.”
Texas Democrats named on Cruz to resign for seemingly abandoning his constituents in the midst of the storm.
Texas Democratic Get together chairman Gilberto Hinojosa stated, “Ted Cruz jetting off to Mexico whilst Texans stay dying in the chilly isn’t stunning but it is deeply disturbing and disappointing.”
“The Texas Democratic Party phone calls on Ted Cruz to resign or be expelled from business office… We have to restore ethics, competence, and a governing administration that is effective for the folks,” the team said in a statement.
Just on Monday Cruz had urged citizens to keep house in a radio interview that was shared on YouTube by his place of work in which he said: “So do not chance it. Keep your relatives secure and just keep house and hug your young children.”
A single working day afterwards, Cruz issued a public apology on Twitter just after an previous tweet of his from August resurfaced, in which he castigated California’s “unsuccessful power insurance policies” and mocked their energy grid technique.
This week’s wintertime storm has also pushed Texas’ grid method to the limit and resulted in hundreds of thousands becoming left without the need of power on Wednesday.
“I have no protection,” he wrote apologetically. “A blizzard strikes Texas & our state shuts down. Not good.”
In December Cruz eviscerated Austin Mayor Steve Adler as a “hypocrite” for vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for the duration of the pandemic after he informed residents to remain residence.
ABC News’ Mariam Khan and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
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