07/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/16/2024 15:03
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and John Cornyn (R-Texas), introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) creating a new framework to ensure that Mexico complies with for meeting its obligations under the 1944 Treaty on Utilization of Waters of the Colorado, Tijuana, and Rio Grande Rivers.
Mexico is obligated under the 1944 treaty to deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water per years averaged over a five year cycle but has not reliably made annual deliveries, leading to devastating shortfalls including in Texas and across the Southwest. The amendment filed by Sens. Cruz and Cornyn requires the Secretary of State to annually report to Congress whether Mexico has delivered to the U.S. 350,000 acre-feet of water in the previous year. If the report is not submitted or if the Department of State finds that Mexico has not delivered 350,000 acre feet of water, the bill requires the president to impose one of the following measures and authorizes the imposition of all of them:
About the amendment, Sen. Cruz said, "Texas farmers and cities are suffering because Mexico has consistently failed to uphold its end of the bargain and provide Texans with the water they count on in the framework of the 1944 Water Treaty. This amendment strengthens the Treaty by introducing measures the Secretary of State must and can take to ensure Mexico provides predictable and reliable deliveries. This new framework is essential to ensuring such deliveries, and I call on the Senate to expeditiously advance this amendment."
Sen. Cornyn said, "For years, Senator Cruz, the Texas Congressional delegation and I have been urging the State Department to diplomatically engage with Mexico to ensure they fulfill their obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty. This bill complements another effort we have in the Appropriations Committee by taking our work to the next level and imposing punitive action against our southern neighbor, whose continued delays and inaction are hurting the livelihoods of farmers, ranchers, and producers throughout South Texas."
Background:
Sen. Cruz has spearheaded the fight to hold Mexico accountable and encourage compliance with the 1944 water agreement:
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