At the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas, revolutionaries faced Mexican Gen. Santa Anna and his men in a fight that not only secured Texas independence but lived on in glory.
Nearly 200 years later, Texans are fighting another war with Mexico: The war for water.
Under the 1944 Water Treaty, the United States and Mexico agreed to share the waters of the Rio Grande. In turn, Mexico is obligated to deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water to the U.S. annually.
Year after year, Mexico has failed to fulfill its annual delivery commitments. At this point, the U.S. is owed over a million acre-feet of water for this current five-year cycle. If delivered at once, it would be enough to supply the water needs of Houston, the largest city in Texas, for over 3 years.
This is mission-critical. As a part of the trade negotiations, I urged President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to hold the Mexican government accountable for the water it owes. There is no accountability without consequences.
The annual water deliveries are vital to irrigation, farming, and municipal use in the Rio Grande Valley, generating billions of dollars in economic growth for the region. Coupled with worsening drought conditions, the valley is parched, and our community faces immense challenges while the Mexican government shows no progress toward fulfilling the deliveries.
Every day, the casualties due to Mexico’s inaction heighten. Last year, Texas lost the last sugar cane operation in the state after 51 years of operations. With the closure, 500 American jobs were lost, and our country was left with two remaining sugar-producing regions.
As our nation’s ability to produce sugar dwindles, the blame solely lies on Mexico. Yet, Texas agriculture is bearing the brunt of substantial losses. Sugarcane farms lost nearly $100 million last year, and our citrus, vegetables, and corn industries have felt the impact of hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue.
On the home front, I have led efforts in Congress to condemn Mexico’s refusal to comply and crafted legislation to provide vital financial support to agricultural producers in Texas that operate along the Rio Grande. These efforts address the economic losses producers have endured due to Mexico’s consistent failures.
Mexico’s refusal to comply has tangible effects on Texas. As one of the largest agricultural states, any impact on Texas agriculture will ripple across the country. Shortages will cause severe disruptions in the supply chains and raise grocery prices for American families.
If we lose our ability to produce American-made food, suppliers could be forced to become more dependent on imports to satisfy demand. This is not just a Texas problem but a cause for national concern. Food security is national security.
DOGE COMES FOR CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL
Just like Texans bravely marched into the battle for freedom in San Jacinto, I am leading the charge to demand water for southern Texas. While Mexico refuses to comply, I will continue to work with Trump and the Trump administration to ensure Mexico is held accountable and water deliveries are made.
This is the top concern of my community in southern Texas, and I will proudly serve southern Texas as its warrior for water. I will never stop fighting for Texas.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz represents Texas’s 15th District and is the first Latina Republican to represent Texas for a full term. She sits on the Committee on Agriculture and serves as the vice chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.