Senator Ted Cruz made it a point to have cameras there to show he was helping clean up a Texas home on Sunday, but that wasn’t all he was trying to clean up.  Cruz’s image has taken a pounding after brief escape to Mexico at the height of the crisis last week.  The ABC affiliate in Houston captured the junior Republican Senator helping clean up a two-story home with the homeowner singing his praises (watch above). But for Cruz, it was another day or one step forward, two steps back.  Cruz should be quarantining after this trip to Cancun, but instead he’s cleaning homes, serving BBQ and passing out water. The Washington Post writes:

Immediately after his initial posts, responses flooded in, condemning Cruz for disregarding federal guidance, which not only advises against traveling to Mexico because of the number of coronavirus cases there, but also recommends that travelers stay home for seven days once they’ve returned to reduce the spread of the virus.

Slate writes, “Sen. Ted Cruz wanted to show he’s devoted to helping Texans struggling due to a deep freeze that has led to power outages and burst pipes across the state. So the senator, who has been trying to swat away criticism after he took a jaunt to Cancun last week while his constituents suffered, posted photos of himself on Twitter carrying water to several cars. One photo even shows him shaking hands with a person. “#TexasStrong,” he wrote in the tweet.”

In the meantime, Cruz’s local community isn’t letting the Sentaor forget about his bad decision to travel while his state was in the middle of one of the worst crises in its history.

Cruz was also a big punchline on Saturday Night Live over the weekend.