The Republican senator, who was on a planned family vacation, did not return to his state until 72 hours after the deadly disaster, which his spokeswoman said was as quickly as possible.

As the state quite literally froze over and his constituents went without basic necessities, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and his family booked a flight to Cancún, Mexico, and stayed at the Ritz-Carlton. The New York Times reported that in a group text with friends and neighbors, Cruz's wife, Heidi, revealed she wanted to escape their "FREEZING" house.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz describes the grief in his state as the search for flood survivors intensifies.July 7, 2025