- A Texas GOP congressman beat Senator Ted Cruz for his trip to Cancun during winter storms that paralyzed the state.
- Rep. Michael McCaul said, “If a crisis hits my condition … I’m not going on vacation.”
- The comments come as Axios reports that Cruz has not stated that he invited his roommate on the trip.
A Texas Republican congressman has criticized Senator Ted Cruz for his decision to fly to Mexico during winter storms that paralyzed the state’s energy infrastructure and cut power for millions of Texans, calling it a “big mistake.”
Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN on Sunday that Cruz’s decision to fly to Cancun and hurry back because he faced political backlash was wrong.
“Look, when a crisis hits my state, I’m there – I’m not going on vacation,” Representative McCaul told CNN’s State of the Union.
“I know Mr. Cruz called it a mistake and he admitted it, but I think that was a big mistake and as far as I am concerned, I was there to help my people and my constituents, and that’s what we should do.do in times of crisis, ” McCaul added.
The comments come when Axios reports that Cruz has invited his roommate on the trip.
Axios reports that during the visit, Cruz was joined by his former Princeton and Harvard Law roommate David Panton.
President Joe Biden declared a major crisis in Texas on Saturday, sending federal funds to the state after extreme winter storms left millions without power or running water.
According to the website poweroutage.us, power was restored to most homes as of Monday morning, but millions of Texans continued to experience water shortages over the weekend from blown pipes and other problems, the Associated Press reported.
Dozens of people have reportedly died as a result of the circumstances, and the actual death toll is feared to be even higher, the Texas Tribune reported.
Sen. Cruz was mocked this weekend after posting photos of himself loading water bottles into a car as he tried to repair the political damage from his decision to fly to Cancun, Mexico on Thursday for a vacation. He returned to Texas less than 24 hours after arriving in Mexico, calling the trip a “mistake.”
Another GOP Texas politician was forced to defend his actions over the weekend after flying out of the state on a private jet during the crisis.
State Representative Gary Gates, who represents District 28 in the Texas House of Representatives, told outlet Click2Houston that he fled the state with his family to Florida because part of his home was flooded and because he was concerned about his family.
“Because of my wife’s illness she has had for a few weeks and my disabled daughter with her part of the house that was under water, I just tried to find a bit easier for them to stay in and I tried to find a place where I could continue to work and do the things I had to do, ”Gates said according to the outlet.