WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement today after a bipartisan majority of senators voted to support his Texas water rights amendment, even though the vote fell short of overcoming a filibuster. His amendment would have directed the Secretary of State to support efforts by American officials at the International Boundary and Water Commission to ensure Mexico fully complies with its treaty obligations. Mexico has failed to fully comply with its obligations, and has failed to deliver as much water to the U.S. as the treaty requires.
About the amendment vote, Sen. Cruz said, “Texans are suffering from acute water shortages, and the U.S. has had a long-standing water-sharing treaty with Mexico to address this. Yet Mexico routinely fails to meet its obligations, and Texas ranchers and communities suffer because of it.
“I am proud to lead the fight to require American diplomats and officials, including at the International Boundary and Water Commission, to use every diplomatic tool at their disposal to bring Mexico into compliance. Today a substantial bipartisan majority of senators voted to support this common-sense legislation, and I will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion with my colleagues to address the crisis that Lone Star State farmers and ranchers face, which is driven in part by Mexico’s noncompliance.”
