Marco Rubio Celebrates Mexico's New Commitment To Address Shortfall In Water Payments

Secretary of State Marco Rubio celebrated on Tuesday an agreement with Mexico in which the country made a commitment to address a shortfall in water payments to the U.S.

In a social media publication, Rubio said the development is "another example of President Trump delivering for the American people."

"This is a win for American farmers and ranchers, and we appreciate President Claudia Sheinbaum's consistent efforts to uphold Mexico's responsibilities under the 1944 Water treaty," he added.

The agreement between the United States and Mexico to address Mexico’s shortfalls of water deliveries is another example of President Trump delivering for the American people. This is a win for American farmers and ranchers, and we appreciate President @Claudiashein's consistent…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 3, 2026

CGTN reported that Mexico has committed to deliver a minimum of 350,000 acre-feet of water per year to the U.S. under the agreement.

The development comes after President Donald Trump threatened in December to impose tariffs on Mexico if the country didn't meet its obligations. He said the shortfalls were "seriously hurting" crops and livestock in Texas.

In turn, Sheinbaum said that the country was constrained in its deliveries due to its own needs and infrastructure issues.

The treaty, signed in 1944, requires Mexico to deliver 1,750,000 acre-feet of water from six tributaries to the U.S. every five years. In exchange, the U.S. has to give Mexico 1,500,000 acre-feet of water from the Colorado River every year.

However, Mexico ended the latest five-year period with a debt of 925,000 acre-feet of water, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

"TCEQ continues to work closely with our federal partners, including the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to have reliability and consistency under the treaty," the agency said in a statement.

Mexico's water commission CONAGUA has constantly argued that the country is not unwilling to comply, just unable to do so. "We want to comply with the treaty – from which both countries benefit greatly. But we are in a drought situation made worse in recent years due to factors such as climate change," a Mexican official told Border Report in late April.

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