Sen. Ted Cruz defended his trip south of the border amid a winter storm in his home state of Texas, saying he realized he needed to be home once he was aboard the flight.
The Texas Republican faced criticism from both sides of the political aisle after photos of him and his family surfaced on social media, showing them traveling while the state worked through electricity blackouts prompted by cold weather.
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“Last night, I flew down with them to the beach, and then I flew back this afternoon,” Cruz said Thursday on Fox News. “I had initially planned to stay through the weekend and to work remotely there, but as I was heading down there, 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.”
Cruz previously said that he took the trip at his daughters’ request and he wanted to be a “good dad” by complying with them as they faced school closures over the storm. He also said his home was without power for two days before he left for his trip.
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The senator is mirroring state and local officials, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who called for an investigation into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the electric grid for 75% of the state.
More than 3 million homes were without power Wednesday, but by Thursday, the number went down to about 325,000 homes, according to the Associated Press. Many residents, however, are without clean drinking water.
As of Thursday morning, almost 14 million Texans were facing water disruptions, almost half of the state’s population.
