While Biden visits storm-torn Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz will be giving a speech on 'cancel culture' in Florida
- President Joe Biden is heading to Texas on Friday to survey storm-recovery efforts.
- But he won't be meeting with Sens. Ted Cruz or John Cornyn.
- Cruz is set to give a speech on cancel culture at CPAC that day.
President Joe Biden heads to Texas on Friday to tour some of the areas hit hardest by the winter storm last week. While he's there, he won't be meeting with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
Cruz has a speaking engagement that day at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida. He's set to give a speech titled "Bill of Rights, Liberty, and Cancel Culture." Cancel culture appears to be a major theme of the conference, called "America Uncanceled."
Though senators typically travel with the president when he visits their state, limited space on Air Force One made it impossible for Cruz or GOP Sen. John Cornyn to join, said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary. Gov. Greg Abbott will accompany the president.
"There are some limitations on space available, so there are not members, I don't believe, of any party traveling with the president to Texas," Psaki told reporters, adding that the first lady, Jill Biden, would join the president on his trip. "But again, he's going to be spending the day traveling with Gov. Abbott and surveying the damage on the ground."
Psaki said Biden would "meet with local leaders to discuss the winter storm, relief efforts, progress toward recovery, and the incredible resilience shown by the people of Houston and Texas."
Some have speculated that Cruz was left off Biden's travel plans because of the senator's recent controversial trip to Cancun, Mexico.
Cruz was spotted heading to Cancun last week during one of the worst winter storms in the state's history. Many accused the senator of abandoning his constituents, and Cruz later said the trip was "obviously a mistake."
The White House has not directly commented on Cruz's behavior. Psaki said last week that as "many people across the state" were "without power, without the resources they need," the administration would "expect that would be the focus of anyone in the state or surrounding states who was elected to represent them."
Cruz's and Cornyn's offices did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.