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.

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.