ICYMI: Secretary Rollins and Under Secretary Lindberg Pen Joint Op-Ed in the Dallas Morning News “Trump Administration is Delivering Water to Americans in Need”

(Washington, D.C., February 9, 2026) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA) Luke J. Lindberg published a joint opinion piece in the Dallas Morning News highlighting how the Trump administration has been working non-stop to repair the trade relationships left in disarray from the previous administration and has secured a significant win to deliver water to Americans in need in the Rio Grande valley.

"After weeks of tough negotiations, the Trump Administration secured an unprecedented deal to guarantee enforcement of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico water treaty, delivering real certainty for those who depend on the Rio Grande," said Secretary Rollins and Under Secretary Lindberg. "At long last, farmers in South Texas will be able to plant crops, ranchers will be able to nourish cattle, and communities across the Valley can once again build and expand. To President Trump, the worth of water is crystal clear: it's the key to Making Agriculture Great Again."

Read the full piece below.

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Today, farmers, ranchers and producers in South Texas who rely on consistent water deliveries from the Rio Grande are breathing a big sigh of relief. After nearly two months of applying consistent pressure to Mexico and leading intense negotiations, the Trump administration has secured an unprecedented deal to guarantee implementation of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico water treaty.

To understand the deep significance of this victory, just consider how we got here.

For the past year, our administration has been working nonstop to fix trade relationships the previous administration left in disrepair. Already, we have opened the door for American agricultural products to flourish in more than two dozen key markets around the globe. Throughout it all, we have put America first by ensuring our farmers, our producers and our consumers are treated with the fairness they deserve.

But this standard of fairness isn't limited to new export opportunities. It also applies to the vital resources that other countries are obligated to send our way.

Perhaps no resource is more valuable than water. As Benjamin Franklin wrote, "When the Well's dry, we know the Worth of Water." For the past several years, the well has run dry in the Rio Grande Valley, and Texans who live and farm there have been paying the price.

Over eight decades ago, the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty settled disputes over claims to the international waters that flow along our shared border. The treaty required each nation to deliver a certain amount of water to the other on an ongoing basis. As a result, Americans in South Texas have relied on Mexico to provide 1.75 million acre-feet of water over the course of a five-year cycle, amounting to an average annual commitment of 350,000 acre-feet. In exchange, the U.S has provided 1.5 million acre-feet to Mexico from the Colorado River each year.

The U.S. has consistently met its water delivery obligation, but for the past six years, Mexico has fallen behind. The consequences have been devastating for the farmers and ranchers who power South Texas's agricultural economy.

The water that Mexico is supposed to deliver is critical to the approximately 1.4 million Texans in the four counties comprising the Lower Rio Grande Valley, as well as to over $67 billion worth of annual trade. In 2024, water shortages forced the Lone Star Sugar Mill - the only sugar mill in the state - to close, leaving nearly 500 employees and seasonal workers without work.

In December, President Trump shined a national spotlight on the crisis in South Texas, and now he has delivered a breakthrough.

As part of an agreement reached on Feb. 3, Mexico has committed to deliver at least 350,000 acre-feet of water annually to the U.S. during the current five-year cycle (2026 to 2030) regardless of moisture conditions, providing stability for agricultural producers and rural communities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Mexico has also committed to fully repay all outstanding water debt accrued during the previous cycle.

At long last, farmers in South Texas will be able to plant crops, ranchers will be able to nourish cattle and communities across the Valley can once again build and expand.

To President Trump, the worth of water is crystal clear: it's the key to Making Agriculture Great Again.

Brooke L. Rollins is the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Luke J. Lindberg is Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

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