Trump Threatens 5% Tariff on Mexico Over Water Debt

President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 5 percent tariff on Mexico unless the country immediately releases water owed to the United States under a longstanding treaty, a move aimed at addressing shortages affecting farmers in Texas. The warning, posted on Truth Social on Monday, highlights ongoing disputes over shared Rio Grande resources amid severe drought conditions in northern Mexico.

Trump stated that Mexico owes more than 800,000 acre-feet of water for failing to meet obligations during the five-year cycle that ended in October, delivering less than 30 percent of the required 1.75 million acre-feet from the Rio Grande and its tributaries. "The U.S. needs Mexico to release 200,000 acre-feet of water before December 31st, and the rest must come soon after," he wrote. He described the shortfall as "seriously hurting our beautiful Texas crops and livestock" and emphasized that Mexico has an obligation to address it immediately, authorizing preparations for the tariff if compliance does not occur.

The 1944 Water Treaty, signed by the United States and Mexico, governs the allocation of water from boundary rivers, including the Rio Grande, Colorado, and Tijuana. It requires...