Austin News

U.S. Senator John Cornyn, alongside Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Monica De La Cruz, Vincente Gonzalez, Tony Gonzales, and Henry Cuellar, have addressed a letter to Secretary of State Nominee Marco Rubio. The lawmakers are urging him to ensure Mexico adheres to the 1944 Water Treaty obligations, which involve delivering water to South Texas communities.

The treaty requires Mexico to deliver 1,750,000 acre-feet of water over each five-year cycle. However, as of November 2024, Mexico is reportedly over a million acre-feet behind in its obligations for the current cycle. This shortfall has led to significant water shortages impacting agricultural stakeholders in South Texas.

"As of November 2024, Mexico is over a million acre-feet in arrears for the current five-year cycle," the lawmakers wrote. They emphasized that "without consistent deliveries, water shortages significantly impact agricultural stakeholders in South Texas."

The letter suggests that Rubio's leadership could be pivotal in reinforcing the importance of these water deliveries under the treaty. "We request a renewed effort to negotiate fair provisions guaranteeing Mexico provide annual water deliveries," they continued.

The legislators also proposed stronger accountability measures such as withholding certain forms of aid to Mexico if necessary. "An increased focus on monitoring and regular reporting... may provide sufficient leverage to achieve our objectives," they concluded.

During Rubio’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cornyn questioned how he would address this ongoing issue with Mexico and support affected agricultural communities in South Texas.

Dr. Maria Giner from the International Boundary and Water Commission has negotiated measures with Mexico aimed at addressing these challenges. However, these do not fully guarantee compliance with the treaty according to U.S. lawmakers.