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Putting the squeeze on Mexico
As Donald Trump prepares to take office, the United States and Texas are not just preparing to put pressure on Mexico about immigration issues.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn used a hearing with incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week to make clear he wants the incoming Trump administration to do more to force Mexico to provide more water to Texas farmers. He said Mexico has failed to live up to a 1944 treaty, and it's putting South Texas agriculture in peril. Mexico has cited drought and increased demands for water as the problem, but Cornyn says they have an obligation to live up to their end of the decades-old deal.
Rubio assured Cornyn he is well aware of the problem and is ready to push Mexico to do more once confirmed by the U.S. Senate for the post.
The Miami Republican said the issue doesn't just have real-world implications for Texas but speaks to a larger issue.
"This has become part of a pattern," Rubio said. "You can strike any deal you want or sign any document you want. But if you're not willing to prioritize its enforcement then you are encouraging others to get away with the same thing."
Rubio said the situation is clear: "There is a treaty. They have obligations under it and they don't seek to meet it."
Rubio said it is not just Mexico. More broadly he said counties are sometimes not compliant with signed arrangements or they apply creative reinterpretation to get out of complying.
The treaty stipulates that Mexico delivers 350,000 acre-feet of water annually. According to a report by Rice University, Mexico has only delivered about 23% of what it is required to provide. Mexico has argued that because of drought and needed to meet its own needs, it hasn't been able to deliver more.
 | Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter |
Who's up, who's down
Up: John Cornyn.
Besides playing a key role in questioning Trump nominees such as Marco Rubio for Secretary of State and Pam Bondi for Attorney General, the Senator was tapped to introduce two other Trump cabinet picks to different Senate Committees. Yesterday Cornyn introduced Texan Scott Turner, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to the Senate Banking Committee. And next week, he is scheduled to introduce Texan Brooke Rollins, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Agriculture, to the Agriculture Committee when her confirmation hearing is scheduled to be held on Thursday.
Down: Outdoor Inaugurations.
Bad weather forecasts mean President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office from inside the Capitol Rotunda and people visiting Washington from around the country won't be able to see it in person. The decision to move Monday's event indoors marks the first time in 40 years that such a change has been made. Despite the weather, the receptions and official inaugural balls will go on as planned.
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What else is going on in Texas
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Pick of the day
Photo by: Nadya Hassan
A new Texas Legislative Session is underway, there is a new Texas House Speaker and Gov. Greg Abbott took a dig at Houston. Scott Braddock of the Quorum Report and I catch you up to speed on all of it during this week's Texas Take Podcast — still the No. 1 political podcast in the Great State.
What else I'm reading
The Texas Supreme Court is weighing who will get to control Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Adrian Ashford of the Dallas Morning News reports that it stems from SMU changing its governing language in 2019 to declare itself independent from the denomination's control about nine months after the United Methodist Church voted to strengthen bans on gay weddings and pastors in gay relationships.
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