AOC and Democratic leaders volunteered in the state at the same time.
Just days after he was criticized for taking a controversial trip to Mexico while millions of Texans suffered from freezing temperatures amid water and power outages, Texas Senator Ted Cruz came under fire for posting photos of himself helping with relief effort and at the same time one of its most prominent opponents entered the state to provide aid.
Cruz visited some locations in the Houston area on Saturday and Sunday, delivering bottled water to residents and the provision of food to first respondersThe social media posts in which the senator wore a Texas flag mask was met with thousands of comments and tweets slamming Cruz over what many called a ‘photo op’ to counter the bad press he got for his trip.
“My constituents forced me to shorten my vacation to Cancun and I just got ashamed of carrying their water,” actress Patricia Arquette tweeted in a reply to Cruz.
Cruz took his family on a trip to Cancun on Wednesday, when many parts of the state lacked power, water, and other supplies. It was photographed and filmed by passengers at the airport and on the plane, and those images caused a wave of criticism and stinging.
Cruz was due to return on Saturday, but flew back to Texas on Thursday after the backlash. The senator’s office issued a statement claiming the trip was for his two daughters, Caroline and Catherine, and their friends. He later told reporters that he had a second thought and, in retrospect, “I wouldn’t have done it.”
Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the Texas Democrats, said in a statement to ABC News that Cruz’s actions this weekend would not lessen the senator’s misguided vacation.
“Ted Cruz showed the whole world who he is when he left Texas during our greatest time of need. No adherence is going to change that,” he said in a statement.
Cruz representatives did not return messages to ABC News this weekend for comment on his activities. He was back in Washington DC on Monday for Senate hearings.
Critics were key to emphasizing that Cruz’s social media and charity posts were happening at the same time as U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., one of Cruz’s staunchest critics, flew to Texas to help with relief efforts.
The New York Congressman teamed up with Texas Congresswomen Sylvia Garcia, Penny Morales Shaw, and Shelia Jackson Lee to help the Houston Food Bank and raised more than $ 5 million to help families affected by the storm.
The Democratic congresswomen also helped distribute food and water and spoke to families affected by the storm.
“Charity cannot replace policy, but solidarity is how we can face climate change and build a better world,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted
In a statement to ABC News, the Houston Food Bank said between Feb. 17 and Feb. 21 it distributed 1,000 emergency pallets containing non-perishable food, water, and produce. The nonprofit commended the Congresswomen for their efforts and reach.
“Their efforts to raise awareness of the need here in southeast Texas have helped immensely,” the Houston Food Bank said in a statement.
Rahman said the Texas Democrats are also grateful for Ocasio-Cortez’s help.
“Texas will not forget who was there for us during our greatest time of need and we will hold those who were not responsible,” he said in a statement.