'Obviously a mistake': Sen. Ted Cruz says he regrets going to Cancun while Texans froze
b'\'Obviously a mistake\': Sen. Ted Cruz says he regrets going to Canc\\xfan while Texans froze WASHINGTON \\u2014 Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told reporters Thursday his decision to go on a family vacation to Canc\\xfan, Mexico, as Texans suffer without heat, water and power because of a historic winter storm was "a mistake" that he now regrets.\\n\\n"It was obviously a mistake, and in hindsight I wouldn\'t have done it," Cruz said outside his home after having returned to Houston, where he was greeted by protesters chanting, "Resign."\\n\\n\\nI understand why people are upset," Cruz said. He said that he was trying to make his daughters happy by going with them on the trip but that "leaving when so many Texans were hurting didn\'t feel right, and so I changed my return flight and flew back on the first available flight."\\n\\nNews of Cruz\'s trip emerged Wednesday night as pictures of him and his family as they waited at an airport gate with luggage and boarded a plane began circulating on social media. With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends," the statement said. "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.\\n\\n"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," he added.\\n\\nCruz gave an account similar to his statement when NBC News encountered him at the airport in Canc\\xfan on Thursday before his return flight, suggesting that he had just gone to drop his daughters off. With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends," the statement said. "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.\\n\\n"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," he added.\\n\\nCruz gave an account similar to his statement when NBC News encountered him at the airport in Canc\\xfan on Thursday before his return flight, suggesting that he had just gone to drop his daughters off.\\n\\n"We had no heat and no power, and 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 and dropped them off here, and now I\'m headed back to Texas and back continuing to work to get the power back on," Cruz said.\\n\\nA source with knowledge of the situation said that Cruz was initially booked to return home Saturday and that he booked his return ticket at 6 a.m. Thursday.\\n\\n\\n\\n"We had no heat and no power, and 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 and dropped them off here, and now I\'m headed back to Texas and back continuing to work to get the power back on," Cruz said.\\n\\nA source with knowledge of the situation said that Cruz was initially booked to return home Saturday and that he booked his return ticket at 6 a.m. Thursday.\\n\\n\\n\\nAfter Cruz\'s Senate office did not respond to repeated requests for comment Thursday, Cruz released a statement explaining his decision to leave the state and said he was returning home Thursday afternoon. He said that it has be an "infuriating week for Texans" and that his family had "lost heat and power, too."'