Trump Admin Secures a 'Major Win' for Farmers by Striking Key Deal with Mexico
Mexico will no longer deny Texas farmers the lifeblood of their business, according to the Trump administration.
Under a 1944 treaty, Mexico is obligated to send Texas water from the Rio Grande while the U.S. sends Mexico water from the Colorado River.
The current five-year deal calls for about 490 billion gallons from the U.S. to flow to Mexico each year, while 570 billion gallons from Mexico is to head north, according to CNN.
Because Mexico has been far behind in its obligations, the State Department denied a request for water for Tijuana, marking the first U.S. denial since the treaty took effect, according to The Hill.
Because of that action, plus a demand from President Donald Trump to address the crisis that has impacted south Texas farmers, a deal was struck, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, according to a news release posted on the website of the Department of Agriculture.
Mexico has promised it will increase the share of water from six of Mexico’s Rio Grande tributaries, she said.
The plan will take effect this growing season, she said.
“Mexico finally meeting the water needs of Texas farmers and ranchers under the 1944 Water Treaty is a major win for American agriculture,” Rollins said.
Rollins said talks with Mexican officials “secured an agreement to give Texas producers the water they need to thrive.”
“While this is a significant step forward, we welcome Mexico’s continued cooperation to support the future of American agriculture,” she said. “None of this would have been possible without the fervent support of our farmers from President Trump and his work to hold our trading partners accountable.”
According to a news release posted on the website of the Department of State, which said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau participated in the talks, Mexico will also work to address historic shortfalls in its promised water deliveries.
The release called the deal a “historic demonstration of leadership” from Trump.
“The United States and Mexico also committed to develop a long-term plan to reliably meet treaty requirements while addressing outstanding water debts — including through additional monthly transfers and regular consultations on water deliveries that take into consideration the needs of Texas users,” the release said, thanking Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for her support of the deal.
Brian Jones, a farmer in Hidalgo County, Texas, and a Texas Farm Bureau board member, told CNN that south Texas farmers had been suffering, according to CNN.
“Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas are either out of water or running out of water quickly,” he said
“The sugar industry is lost to Texas and will never return,” he said, due to the water crisis.
The Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers sugar mill, the last in the state, closed down with officials blaming Mexico.
“For over 30 years, farmers in South Texas have been battling with Mexico’s failure to comply with the provisions of the 1944 Water Treaty,” it said when announcing the closure.
The USDA release noted that to address the impact of Mexico’s failure to deliver promised water, Rollins said the USDA will send $280 million to the Texas Department of Agriculture to be used to assist farmers suffering from the water shortage.
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