'Wanting To Be A Good Dad,' Sen. Cruz Travels To Mexico With Family Amid Weather Crisis
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DALLAS (CBSDFW/AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has traveled to Mexico for a family vacation as his home state struggles with a weather crisis that has left much of Texas without power.
The high-profile Republican lawmaker went with his family for a long-planned trip to Cancun and was expected to return immediately, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private conversations.
In a statement to CBS 11 News, Cruz said, "This has been an infuriating week for Texans. The greatest state in the greatest country in the world has been without power. We have food lines, gas lines, and people sleeping at the neighbors' houses. Our homes are freezing and our lights are out. Like millions of Texans, our family lost heat and power too."
He continued: "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. My team and I will continue using all our resources to keep Texans informed and safe."
But the revelation of even a quick trip out of the state potentially opens Cruz to criticism in Texas and beyond as he contemplates the possibility of a second presidential run in 2024. The two-term senator's current term expires in early 2025.
This week's extreme weather is blamed for the deaths of more than 30 people, some of whom perished while struggling to keep warm inside their homes. In the Houston area, one family succumbed to carbon monoxide from car exhaust in their garage. A grandmother and three children died when flames escaped the fireplace they were using to keep warm.
In Texas, more than 600,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity Thursday morning, down from about 3 million the day before. But Texas' grid manager, under fire for its response to the winter storm, has warned that the outages could fluctuate during hours of peak energy demand.
Adding to the misery, the snowy weather has jeopardized drinking water systems throughout the state.
State officials ordered 7 million people - a quarter of the population of the nation's second-largest state - to boil tap water before drinking it following days of record low temperatures that damaged infrastructure and froze pipes.
Water pressure has fallen across the state because lines have frozen, and many residents are leaving faucets dripping in hopes of preventing pipes from freezing, said Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents to shut off water to their homes, if possible, to prevent more busted pipes and preserve pressure in municipal systems.
The governor said issues with natural gas and wind generators are continuing after days of efforts to restore power. He said around 19,800 MW of natural gas generation is still offline due to mechanical issues or lack of supply as of Wednesday afternoon.
Abbott said natural gas producers had been exporting it to areas outside of the state. He issued an order to help with power restoration efforts.
"I have issued an order, effective today, through February the 21st, requiring those producers that have been shipping to locations outside of Texas to, instead, sell that natural gas to Texas power generators, that will also increase the ability of gas-powered generators in Texas to increase power to the Texas power grid," Abbott said.
In Austin and Arlington, some hospitals faced a loss in water pressure and in some cases, heat.