After being spotted in Europe during the deadly floods in Texas, Ted Cruz is under fire once more.

While a terrible tragedy was taking place back home, Cruz was spotted traveling Athens, Greece over the weekend, according to eyewitness claims and reporting from The Daily Beast. Reminiscent of his now-famous getaway to Cancún during the 2021 winter storm that left millions of Texans without power or water, the timing has sparked a fresh wave of criticism.

Many people are wondering where Senator Cruz was when Texas needed him in light of this most recent incident.

A Trip Amid Catastrophe

According to reports, the Republican senator landed in Athens last Thursday, the same day Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick warned of "possible floods" due to projections of heavy rain in central Texas. In public, Patrick announced that he was filling in for Cruz while the 54-year-old chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce was away.

As emergency personnel in Kerr County scrambled to find over 20 individuals swept away by rapidly rising waters at Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian retreat along the Guadalupe River, Cruz was seen walking past the Parthenon's ancient columns on Saturday with his wife, Heidi, and a security guard.

A tense confrontation was described by one witness. The eyewitness claimed, "I just yelled, '20 kids killed in Texas and you take a vacation,'" as he passed us. The source said that Heidi Cruz gave them a glance of disapproval while Cruz simply mumbled and continued to walk without replying.

Domestic Backlash

The reaction was swift and scathing. A senator whose political image is sometimes encased in tough, native Texas pride left many Texans feeling abandoned as they still struggled with the floods of July 4.

Cruz was back in Texas on Monday, where he was spotted in Kerrville expressing his sympathies and talking to reporters about the destruction. He described the flooding as "heartbreaking" and hailed the Hill Country as "the most beautiful region of Texas" during his appearance on Newsmax.

However, those words seemed hollow to many.

The notoriously volatile Guadalupe River increased from less than a foot on the evening of July 3 to over 34 feet by the morning of July 4, according to the Austin American-Statesman. For good reason, the region is sadly known as "Flash Flood Alley"—deadly surges are frequent.

A History of Bad Timing?

Critics claim that this is about a routine rather than a holiday. Cruz appears to be noticeably missing during times of significant crisis. Many Texans, who were left shivering in the dark while he flew to warmth and sun, are still hurt by his trip to Mexico during the 2021 winter storm.

This time, it is floodwaters and the eerie tales of campers who never made it home, not frozen pipes.

Just the sight of a sitting U.S. senator admiring marble ruins as families in his state struggle with loss and hopelessness is startling.

What Happens Next

Questions concerning leadership, responsibility, and the human cost of political detachment are circulating as Texas starts to recover and grieve. Cruz has now come back and spoken out about the tragedy, but many Texans still wonder: Where was he when it counted?

More importantly, why does this continue to occur?