Commentary: Getting tough on water treaty

5 hours ago 18

The Rio Grande Valley is home to farmers and ranchers who supply the nation’s grocery stores and represent billions of dollars in economic activity. In 1944, Mexico and the United States made an agreement to share the waters of the Rio Grande. Under this treaty, Mexico and the U.S. agreed to deliver set amounts of water every five years to one another. While that may seem straightforward, this deeply flawed agreement has the Lone Star State’s tensions with Mexico at a tipping point, and I’m working with the Donald Trump administration to get this fixed and protect Texas agriculture.

While the United States and Texas have kept their side of the agreement, faithfully delivering water from the Colorado River to Mexico as set out in the treaty, Mexico has been delinquent. They’ve not met their full obligations in years. Four years into the current five-year cycle, Mexico a balance of more than 60% of their five-year water delivery obligation outstanding and due in just over six months.

As the senior senator from Texas, I’ve been using every lever at my disposal to hold Mexico accountable. I’ve worked with the Appropriations Committee here in the Senate to prohibit funds from going to Mexico until they hold up their end of the bargain. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats blocked this effort.

I secured provisions that authorized block grants to provide relief to South Texas farmers and ranchers who are affected by water shortages. While these grants offered some relief, the White House has the ultimate authority to enforce the treaty and hold Mexico accountable.

The Joe Biden administration’s response epitomized its weak posture on foreign policy. I demanded that the State Department put pressure on Mexico to fulfill their obligations. I hosted multiple calls with Secretary Anthony Blinken, urging him to listen to what Texans were experiencing and hold Mexico accountable for failing to meet their treaty obligations. But the Biden administration didn’t care. In characteristic ineptitude on the world stage, President Biden and Secretary Blinken did nothing to hold Mexico accountable.

Thankfully, under President Trump we have an entirely new landscape. Last month, thanks to President Trump, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Mexico has finally agreed to start making deliveries again. This much-needed development will make a difference for South Texas farmers. But while this is an important step in the right direction, I will not consider this work finished until Mexico is making consistent water deliveries.

Nothing short of annual water deliveries will fulfill Mexico’s obligations to the United States. Mexico must give one-fifth of the required water every year in order to meet the 1.7 million acre-feet quota and give South Texas farmers and ranchers the predictability they need.

Given Mexico’s current water shortages, it is unlikely that they will meet this total requirement by the end of the cycle, and they can’t blame Mother Nature for their failure to plan. Furthermore, even if they could suddenly deliver the required amount left before time runs out, this would not make Texas farmers whole.

Consider how farming works. Farmers cannot go four years without irrigating their crops, and suddenly make up for it in year five when their fields are dry and decimated. Cattle and other livestock won’t last long without water, either. This is exactly what Mexico has been doing to South Texas farmers, and it is unacceptable.

I will continue to push this issue in the Senate until South Texas farmers are receiving the water they deserve. My efforts will include introducing legislation and holding a hearing in the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, which I chair. I will also continue working with the Trump administration to strengthen the terms and enforcement of the treaty as part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement review process.

The United States has kept our end of the treaty. Mexico must be held accountable until they have done the same. I will not stop fighting until Texas agriculture is receiving the predictable, yearly water deliveries that Mexico is obligated to provide.

John Cornyn, a Republican, is the senior U.S. senator from Texas.