Texans in Congress are threatening federal funds for Mexico, escalating a dispute over Mexico’s obligations to deliver water to the United States.
A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers are demanding House and Senate appropriators withhold funds for the country until Mexico lives up to its end of a 1944 water treaty that requires it to send 1.75 million acre-feet to the U.S. every five years.
Mexico has until October of next year to fulfill the requirement, but has more than 700,000 acre-feet left to deliver, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission.
The inconsistent deliveries from Mexico have exacerbated water shortages impacting South Texas farmers, the lawmakers say.
