Senator Ted Cruz’s office claims he returned from his European vacation “as fast as humanly possible” after catastrophic floods devastated Central Texas.
According to the outlet’s newsletter The Swamp, Cruz was spotted touring the Parthenon in Athens on Saturday, July 5—more than 24 hours after the Guadalupe River overflowed, killing over 100 people, including 27 children. The devastating flash floods swept through Kerr County and nearby areas in one of the deadliest natural disasters in Texas history.
Following the report, Cruz’s communications director dismissed the article as a “bull—- piece,” accusing the outlet of politicizing a tragedy. But available flight options from Athens to San Antonio tell a different story. Records show Cruz could have taken several earlier flights home on Friday, July 4, or Saturday, July 5—some with layovers in Chicago, Atlanta, or Washington, D.C.—and arrived in Texas well before his Sunday return.
The trip came on the heels of Cruz’s vote in favor of former President Donald Trump’s controversial “Big Beautiful Bill,” after which Cruz flew to Athens with his wife for what was described as a brief post-legislative break.
Tourists at the Parthenon told The Daily Beast they were surprised to see Cruz sightseeing during the unfolding crisis. One witness said, “As he walked past us, I simply said, ‘Twenty kids dead in Texas and you take a vacation?’ He just grunted and moved on. His wife shot me a dirty look.”
Back in Texas by Monday morning, Cruz appeared live on Fox & Friends from Kerrville, one of the hardest-hit areas. He said he had been in communication with local officials and the White House soon after the flooding began.
“There aren’t words to describe the grief that Texans are feeling. Pray for Texas and Kerr County,” Cruz posted on X (formerly Twitter), alongside photos of flood-damaged cabins at Camp Mystic.
Meanwhile, Democrats have raised questions about whether cuts to federal emergency funding during Trump’s administration may have worsened the impact of the disaster. In response, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called such claims “a depraved lie,” emphasizing that the National Weather Service issued a flood watch on the afternoon of July 3, followed by flash flood warnings later that evening.
“Despite unprecedented rainfall, the National Weather Service executed timely and precise forecasts and warnings,” Leavitt said. “Many Democratic elected officials are trying to turn this into a political game. It is not. This is a national tragedy.”
While Cruz maintains that he acted swiftly, critics argue the timeline of his return and public appearances doesn’t align with the urgency the crisis demanded.
