Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) released the response he received from the Department of State regarding his concerns about Mexico’s delayed water delivery to the United States.

“I appreciate the response received from the State Department and will continue to advocate for efforts for swift water delivery.  I am encouraged to see that this issue has been discussed at the highest level between the Vice President and Mexican President Pena Nieto.  I will continue to monitor a situation that affects thousands of constituents living along the U.S.-Mexico border.”

The full text of the letter may be found below. 

“Dear Mr. Cuellar:

Thank you for your letter of September 17 to Vice President Biden concerning the deficit in Mexico’s water delivery to the United States. The White House has asked that we respond to the Vice President’s behalf.   

In Mexico City on September 20, the Vice President underscored to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto the important of resolving this matter quickly and fairly.

We recognize the hardships and cost exacted by the drought and water delivery deficit on Texas communities, manifested in the local governmental resolutions that accompanied your letter. You are right that the Mexican Government needs to make a greater effort to include users in the United States in their water resource planning. The Department of State and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission are working on a plan to alleviate that suffering and avoid future water delivery deficits. The active involvement of Texas authorities in these discussions is a key factor in helping forge a better understanding of the issue and in designing possible solutions. This involvement will continue to be crucial to our efforts.     

Bolstered by the Vice President’s direct appear to President Pena Nieto, the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission has met on two more occasions with its Mexican counterpart, most recently on October 10 together with the Texas Water Development Board, to further fashion a path forward. We will persist in our efforts to secure sustained and predictable water deliveries to Texas by Mexico and will continue to keep this a top priority item in our bilateral agenda with Mexico.

We hope this information is helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance on this or any other matter.

Sincerely,

Thomas B. Gibbons

Acting Assistant Secretary

Legislative Affairs”