Press Releases

Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (TX-15) issued the following statement in response to the announced closure of Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc.:

“I am outraged to hear about the closure of Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, the Lone Star State’s last sugar operation,” De La Cruz said. “It’s devastating for the 500 full-time and seasonal workers who are out of work and equally devastating for the region’s economy. Make no mistake – this closure directly results from Mexico’s failure to abide by the 1944 water treaty with the United States. Mexico’s lack of timely water deliveries puts all Texas agriculture at risk. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack must step up and hold Mexico’s feet to the fire, enforcing the terms of the water treaty to prevent further job losses and economic impacts from the water shortage plaguing South Texas.”

Since joining Congress last year, De La Cruz has worked to solve the water treaty conflict with Mexico. In November 2023, the House passed her resolution, H.Res. 683. The resolution:

• Supports the diplomatic relations required to encourage the Government of Mexico to fulfill its water deliveries annually to the United States under the treaty between the United States and Mexico regarding the utilization of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and the Rio Grande, signed in February 1944.

• Encourages Mexico to fulfill such commitments on an annual basis;

• Acknowledges that farmers in South Texas are experiencing water shortages;

• Supports negotiations on a Minute that will ensure more predictable and reliable water deliveries to users in the United States; and

• Encourages new commitments to ensure that the United States receives annual deliveries of at least 350,000 acre-feet of water under such a treaty.