WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (TX-15) hosted a roundtable highlighting the critical need to include the 1944 Water Treaty in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
The roundtable convened government officials alongside South Texas farmers, who shared firsthand accounts of how the Mexican government's failure to meet its water delivery obligations has devastated local agriculture.
"The Mexican government's refusal to fulfill its obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty has devastated Texas agriculture. While there are currently no consequences for this non-compliance, we are working to change that by integrating the treaty into the USMCA. Our roundtable is a crucial step toward demanding accountability, enforcing consequences, and ensuring South Texans always receive the water they are owed." - Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz
Background:
The roundtable served as a final advocacy push in Congresswoman De La Cruz's efforts to include the 1944 Water Treaty in ongoing USMCA negotiations. Over the last year, Congresswoman De La Cruz has consistently urged U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to integrate the 1944 Water Treaty into the trade agreement. Additionally, she led the Texas Congressional Delegation in a letter urging that the upcoming joint review be used to enforce the Mexican government's compliance with water deliveries.
Roundtable attendees included: Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (TX-15)
Julie Callahan, Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
Riley Pagett, Chief of Staff for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (USDA)
Tony Frye, Deputy Commissioner for Public and Congressional Affairs (IBWC)
Max Hamilton, Director of the Office of Mexican Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Jeff Freeland, Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, The White House
Jennifer Cervantes, Representative for Rio Grande Valley Sugarcane Growers
Dante L. Galeazzi, President and CEO of Texas International Produce Association
