One of Cruz's most aggressive critics on the left, Rep. Still, Democrats across Washington were eager to talk about the controversy. His current term expires in early 2025, and the unofficial beginning of the next Republican presidential primary election is two years away. While the situation will not help Cruz's political future, the two-term senator is not in any immediate political danger. "This has been an infuriating week for Texans," he said. In his statement, Cruz said that his family had lost heat and power as well. We don't have water and we don't have food," she said. "They are taking vacations and leaving the country, so they don't have to deal with this, and we are freezing to death. Livia Trevino, a 24-year-old whose Austin home was still without water Thursday, said she felt abandoned by government leaders. News of Cruz's absence quickly rippled across the state. In Austin, some hospitals faced a loss in water pressure and, in some cases, heat. Texas officials ordered 7 million people - one-quarter of the population of the nation's second-largest state - to boil tap water before drinking the water, after days of record low temperatures that damaged infrastructure and froze pipes. Hundreds of thousands of people in Texas woke up Thursday to a fourth day without power, and a water crisis was unfolding after winter storms wreaked havoc on the state's power grid and utilities. "I'm here trying to take care of my family and look after my friends and others that are still without power," West said. "That's something that he has to answer to his constituents about," Texas GOP Chair Allen West said when asked whether Cruz's travel was appropriate while Texans are without power and water. Billboards calling for his resignation stood along Texas highways earlier in the month.Įven the state Republican Party chair declined to come to Cruz's defence on Thursday. More recently, he emerged as a leader in former President Donald Trump's push to overturn the results of the November election. He was already one of the most villainized Republicans in Congress, having created adversaries across the political spectrum in a career defined by far-right policies and fights with the establishment. The fierce political backlash comes as Cruz eyes a second presidential run in 2024. "It was obviously a mistake, and in hindsight, I wouldn't have done it," he said. "I didn't want all the screaming and yelling about this trip to distract even one moment from the real issues that I think Texans care about, which is keeping all of our families safe," Cruz said. He said he had originally been scheduled to stay in Mexico through the weekend. because he realized he needed to be in Texas. "We want our power back, our water on, and our homes warm."Ĭruz told reporters Thursday night that he returned to the U.S. "My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas," he continued.
"Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon," Cruz wrote. The trip drew criticism from leaders in both parties and was seen as potentially damaging to his future political ambitions.Ĭruz said in an earlier statement Thursday that he accompanied his family to Cancun a day earlier after his daughters asked to go on a trip with friends, given that school was cancelled for the week.
The Associated Press and other media outlets reported that he had travelled out of the country with his family as hundreds of thousands of Texans were still grappling with the fallout of a winter storm that crippled the state's power grid. "In hindsight, I wouldn't have done it," he told reporters. The Republican senator said he began second-guessing the trip since the moment he first got on the plane Wednesday. Ted Cruz said his family vacation to Mexico was "obviously a mistake" as he returned stateside Thursday following an uproar over his disappearance during a deadly winter storm.
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