Ted Cruz traveled to Jamaica for July 4th last year, defying public health guidelines during the pandemic, report says

Cruz is facing criticism for flying to Cancun as his home state of Texas grapples with severe winter storms.

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• The Washington Post reported GOP Sen. Ted Cruz traveled to Jamaica for the Fourth of July last year.
• CDC guidelines at the time recommended Americans avoid nonessential travel.
• The Post report came as Cruz faces criticism for traveling to Cancun as Texas battles winter storms.
• Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.

Sen. Ted Cruz traveled to Jamaica last year for the Fourth of July, despite public health recommendations to avoid unnecessary travel during the pandemic, The Washington Post reported.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines at the time recommended Americans avoid nonessential international travel due to the risk of coronavirus transmission.

Sources told The Post the Republican senator was visiting a friend from college.

Cruz's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The news came as Cruz is facing criticism for flying to Cancun for a luxury vacation as his home state of Texas grapples with severe winter storms.

The senator was spotted Wednesday flying from Houston to Cancun, before returning home the following day amid outrage. While speaking to reporters outside his home, Cruz expressed regret for the decision to go.

"It was obviously a mistake and in hindsight I wouldn't have done it," Cruz told reporters, saying that it wasn't his intention to diminish "the suffering and hardship other Texans had experienced."

The storms in Texas left millions without power or clean drinking water for days, though as of Thursday many households had had their power restored.

Cruz has previously criticised Democratic politicians for flouting COVID-19 guidelines that they themselves had promoted.

"Hypocrites. Complete and utter hypocrites," Cruz tweeted in December, after Democratic officials were found to be breaking their own coronavirus restrictions.

He also chided Austin Mayor Steve Adler, referring to the Democrat taking a "private jet" to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

"And don't forget @MayorAdler who took a private jet with eight people to Cabo and WHILE IN CABO recorded a video telling Austinites to 'stay home if you can...this is not the time to relax,'" Cruz tweeted.

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