Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) released a statement after abandoning his state for a vacation in Cancun, Mexico amid a deadly power and weather crisis, blaming his daughters. Travel journalist Edward Russell reported that Cruz had originally been scheduled to fly back on Saturday.

Sen. Ted Cruz in a new statement attributes his Cancun trip to “wanting to be a good dad” to his girls — while Texans were without heat, water and power. pic.twitter.com/eIYQ2Gbgf6
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) February 18, 2021

Sen. Ted Cruz at the Cancún airport:

"Yesterday my daughters asked if they could take a trip with some friends, and Heidi and I agreed, so I flew down with them last night, dropped them off here and now I'm headed back to Texas." pic.twitter.com/5d8UwlmZWv
— The Recount (@therecount) February 18, 2021

Ted Cruz had a huge container of luggage for each hour he planned to stay in Mexico pic.twitter.com/WL1Drp2vpW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 18, 2021

Spoke to a source at United Airlines, Senator Ted Cruz rebooked his flight back to Houston from Cancun for this afternoon at around 6 a.m. today (Thursday). He was originally scheduled to return on Saturday.https://t.co/QV9xgibIQ9
— Edward Russell (@ByERussell) February 18, 2021

Senator Ted Cruz carries his luggage at the Cancun International Airport before boarding his plane back to the U.S., in Cancun, Mexico. Photo by Stringer pic.twitter.com/KKDtldAXoE
— corinne_perkins (@corinne_perkins) February 18, 2021