Ted Cruz Once Again Misses Texas Catastrophe Due to International Vacation

Sen. Ted Cruz is once again facing criticism for leaving Texas during a deadly disaster, this time, for taking an overseas vacation as flash floods killed at least 89 people across the state.

The latest controversy erupted after Cruz was spotted touring the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, on Saturday, July 5, just one day after 27 campers and counselors were reported missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp near the Guadalupe River, the Daily Beast reported.

That same day, search crews in Kerr County were still combing through debris and fast-moving floodwaters for victims of what has become the deadliest flood in Texas in more than a century.

This isn't the first time Cruz has come under fire for fleeing the state during a crisis. In 2021, the Republican senator flew to Cancun as a massive winter storm left millions of Texans without power, heat, or water. That incident sparked national outrage and forced Cruz to return early, claiming he had intended only to accompany his daughters.

In this instance, Cruz reportedly landed in Athens on Thursday, July 4, the same day Texas emergency officials activated disaster protocols. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick led a press conference warning of life-threatening flooding that would begin that night.

Cruz didn't return to Texas until Sunday, July 6, and appeared in Kerrville, the hardest-hit area, the following morning. At a press conference Monday, Cruz defended his actions, claiming he had been in contact with state and federal officials throughout the weekend.

"In the first few hours of this flood, I was on the phone with Governor Abbott, was on the phone with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick ... and then I called President Trump," Cruz said. "He was having dinner at the time, it was still early in what was transpiring, and I wanted him to know. I said, Mr. President, from everything we're hearing right now, this appears to be bad, really bad."

Cruz also made a Fox News appearance from Kerrville and posted messages of support on social media, urging prayers for Texas families and highlighting that his own daughter had attended a nearby summer camp just the week before.