Houston Daily

Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz of Texas’ 15th district and Congressman Henry Cuellar have introduced the Ensuring Predictable and Reliable Water Deliveries Act. The proposed legislation seeks to address issues with Mexico’s compliance under the 1944 Water Treaty, which requires Mexico to deliver a set amount of water to the United States.

Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have presented similar legislation in the Senate. According to Congresswoman De La Cruz, “For too long, the Mexican government has refused to comply with the obligation to make water deliveries under the 1944 Water Treaty. Water shortages have devastated South Texas farms, even forcing the closure of the last sugar mill in Texas. It's time to give teeth to the Treaty and ensure the Mexican government is held accountable. The Ensuring Predictable and Reliable Water Deliveries Act will impose necessary restrictions to enforce compliance and secure the water Texas is owed.”

The bill would require an annual report from the Secretary of State to Congress on whether Mexico has delivered 350,000 acre-feet of water during the previous year, whether it can meet a five-year target of 1,750,000 acre-feet, and identify economic areas in Mexico that depend on U.S.-supplied water or water from Rio Grande tributaries.

If these obligations are not met according to the Secretary’s report, presidential authority would allow denial of all non-Treaty requests from Mexico and limit engagement regarding identified economic activities—except those involving efforts against illicit drugs. Emergency water deliveries would still be permitted under this act.

Monica De La Cruz began serving as U.S. Representative for Texas’ 15th district in 2023 after replacing Vicente Gonzalez. She won her seat by defeating Michelle Vallejo in both 2022 (53.3%–44.8%) and again in 2024 (57.1%–42.9%).