Trump threatens 5 percent tariff on Mexico over water treaty violations affecting Texas farmers
President Donald Trump warned Monday that Mexico’s failure to deliver water under a decades-old treaty is harming Texas farmers and could trigger a new tariff if the country does not immediately release a critical portion of its required supply.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Mexico must release 200,000 acre-feet of water through the 1944 Water Treaty before Dec. 31 or face a 5% tariff.
“Mexico continues to violate our comprehensive Water Treaty, and this violation is seriously hurting our BEAUTIFUL TEXAS CROPS AND LIVESTOCK,” the president wrote. “Mexico still owes the US over 800,000 acre-feet of water for failing to comply with our Treaty over the past five years.”
“The US needs Mexico to release 200,000 acre-feet of water before December 31st, and the rest must come soon after,” Trump added.
“As of now, Mexico is not responding, and it is very unfair to our US Farmers who deserve this much-needed water. That is why I have authorized documentation to impose a 5% Tariff on Mexico if this water isn’t released, IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote. “The longer Mexico takes to release the water, the more our Farmers are hurt. Mexico has an obligation to FIX THIS NOW.”
Texas farm groups had warned last year of a potentially disastrous season for citrus and sugar crops as Mexican and U.S. officials worked to resolve a dispute over the 1944 treaty, which guarantees U.S. farmers access to critical irrigation water.
While disputes over the treaty are not new, drought-driven shortages this year were the worst in nearly 30 years. In April, the Trump administration and Mexican officials reached a deal to ensure Texas farmers receive much-needed water from the Rio Grande, less than a month after Trump accused Mexico of withholding its treaty obligations.
Under the agreement, Mexico committed to release water from international reservoirs and increase U.S. flow from six Rio Grande tributaries through the end of the current five-year water cycle.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins called the agreement a “significant step forward” and praised Mexico’s ongoing cooperation in support of American agriculture.
Under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico agreed to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water over five years from the Rio Grande, while the U.S. delivers 1.5 million acre-feet to Mexico from the Colorado River.
Mexico has occasionally fallen short of these obligations, resulting in severe water shortages in the Rio Grande Valley that have damaged crops, cost jobs, and threatened the local economy.
About Post Author
