Ted Cruz traveled to Mexico for family vacation amid Texas power crisis

Days into an energy crisis that left millions of Texans without power and water amid freezing temperatures, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz boarded a plane to Cancún, Mexico.

Fellow passengers at the airport and onboard the same plane snapped photos of the Texas Republican and shared them to social media, prompting immediate backlash online from Texans still weathering power outages and inspiring a call for his resignation from the Texas Democratic Party.

Initial news reports said Cruz was traveling to Cancún — where temperatures on Wednesday were about 80 degrees — for a long-planned trip with his family and he was expected to return to Texas immediately.

Cruz confirmed his travel plans in a statement on Thursday:

“With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon. My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas. We want our power back, our water on, and our homes warm.”

More: 'Complete and utter hypocrites': Ted Cruz chided Austin mayor for Cabo trip. Then he flew to Cancun.

Backlash to Cruz’s trip came from far and wide, as many online questioned how the senator could aid his constituents while traveling out of the country.

"As millions of Texans remain without power and don’t have access to clean water or food, [Ted Cruz] has fled to Mexico for a beach vacation," said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, in a tweet. "We knew he didn’t give a damn about our democracy. Now we know he doesn’t give a damn about Texas families freezing to death."

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Giliberto Hinojosa called on the junior senator to step down from his post.

“Ted Cruz jetting off to Mexico while Texans remain dying in the cold isn’t surprising but it is deeply disturbing and disappointing,” he said in a statement. “Ted Cruz had already proven to be an enemy to our democracy by inciting an insurrection. Now, he is proving to be an enemy to our state by abandoning us in our greatest time of need. For the 21st time, the Texas Democratic Party calls on Ted Cruz to resign or be expelled from office.”

More: Exclusive: ERCOT said grid was prepared for winter weeks before Texas power crisis

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Ted Cruz traveled to Mexico for family vacation amid Texas power crisis

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