Trump Admin Secures a 'Major Win' for Farmers by Striking Key Deal with Mexico

Mexico will no longer withhold a crucial water supply from Texas farmers, the Trump administration announced.

According to a 1944 international agreement, Mexico is required to provide water from the Rio Grande to Texas, while the U.S. sends water from the Colorado River to Mexico.

Under the current five-year arrangement, the U.S. is to deliver around 490 billion gallons annually to Mexico, while Mexico is expected to send approximately 570 billion gallons northward, as reported by CNN.

Due to Mexico's failure to meet its water delivery obligations, the U.S. State Department rejected a request for water supplies for Tijuana — the first time such a denial has occurred since the treaty was enacted, The Hill reported.

This move, along with President Donald Trump’s insistence on resolving the issue impacting Texas agriculture, led to a new agreement, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in a Department of Agriculture press statement.

Rollins stated that Mexico has now committed to increasing the volume of water it provides from six tributaries of the Rio Grande.

This new agreement is set to begin with the current growing season.

“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.

She noted that discussions with Mexican counterparts “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 added. “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.”

A release from the U.S. Department of State indicated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau were involved in the negotiations. The statement also mentioned that Mexico has agreed to address previous deficiencies in its water deliveries.

The State Department characterized the resolution as a “historic demonstration of leadership” on the part of President Trump.

The joint plan includes efforts to develop a sustainable, long-term solution to fulfill treaty obligations, involving “additional monthly transfers and regular consultations on water deliveries that take into consideration the needs of Texas users.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was acknowledged for her role in supporting the agreement.

Brian Jones, a farmer from Hidalgo County and a Texas Farm Bureau board member, told CNN that the water shortage has taken a serious toll on farmers in the Rio Grande Valley.

“Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas are either out of water or running out of water quickly,” he said.

He added that “the sugar industry is lost to Texas and will never return,” pointing to the water crisis as the cause.

The closure of the last sugar mill in Texas, operated by the Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, was attributed to Mexico’s repeated treaty violations.

“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,” the mill said in its closing announcement.

To help mitigate the harm caused by the water deficit, Rollins said the USDA will allocate $280 million to the Texas Department of Agriculture to assist affected farmers.