Texas Senator Ted Cruz asserted this Wednesday that, under the Trump administration, Mexico will comply with a 1944 water treaty that the country “refuses to respect,” even if sanctions are necessary to achieve this.
“In the last Congress, I introduced and advanced the first legislation imposing sanctions on Mexico and withholding aid for noncompliance,” he said.
“I will do so again soon in this Congress, but I am also working with the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Mexico right now. (…) With President Trump in office and the new administration, we will get the water. Mexico will comply. Ignoring the treaty will no longer be an option for Mexico.”
His remarks were made during a visit to farmers in the Rio Grande Valley, along with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $280 million grant agreement with the Texas Secretary of Agriculture “to provide crucial economic relief” to farmers and producers in the Rio Grande Valley “who are suffering from Mexico’s continued failure to meet its water supply obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty.”
“The lack of water has already disrupted sugarcane production in the Valley and is putting the future of citrus, cotton, and other crops at risk. With this grant, we are accelerating much-needed economic relief while we continue to work with federal, state, and local leaders to advance long-term solutions that protect Texas producers,” said Secretary Rollins.
During Senator Cruz’s visit, officials heard from farmers, ranchers, and agricultural leaders about how the prolonged lack of rainfall and diminishing water supply in the Rio Grande Valley have affected the area’s crops.
“Their (the farmers’) situation is dire. Mexico refuses to fulfill its obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty to provide water from the Rio Grande to the United States, even though we go beyond our own obligations to provide water to Mexico. The consequences for Texas have been catastrophic,” Cruz emphasized on X.
Cruz added that “all options are on the table,” not only withholding aid, but also the water they provide to Mexico.
Source: reforma
