Bill · S. 4549· Senate(119-S-4549)
WATER for Farmers Act
- Introduced
- 5/14/2026
- Last activity
- 5/14/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Sponsored by
- John Cornyn
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "WATER for Farmers Act," aims to ensure the reliable delivery of water to the United States as required by the 1944 Water Treaty. It establishes a process for the Secretary of State to determine if Mexico has failed to meet the annual minimum delivery of 350,000 acre-feet of water. In response to these shortfalls, the United States Trade Representative will impose duties on certain goods imported from Mexico. The revenue from these duties will be placed into the South Texas Agricultural Compensation Trust Fund. This fund will provide direct financial compensation to United States agricultural producers facing economic losses due to water shortages. Finally, the bill mandates monthly data collection and reporting on water deliveries and compensation status.
Yes· 3 of 9
Would farmers be better off under this?+7
The bill creates a trust fund to compensate farmers for revenue losses and increased water costs caused by treaty shortfalls.
Would business owners be better off under this?+5
The bill provides a mechanism for agricultural producers to receive compensation for water-related economic losses.
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+3
The bill targets economic support toward agricultural communities in the Rio Grande Valley.
The opposite
Does this make trade with other countries easier?-3
The bill imposes new duties on goods imported from Mexico, which could disrupt existing trade patterns.
Does this favour talking over confrontation abroad?-2
The imposition of duties on Mexican goods may create diplomatic tension between the United States and Mexico.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Compensation for Agricultural Producers: The bill creates a mechanism to provide direct financial compensation to agricultural producers in the Rio Grande Valley who suffer economic losses due to water delivery shortfalls (Section 5 and Section 6).
-
Financial Relief for Economic Hardships: By calculating losses based on direct crop revenue losses, increased water costs, and cascading impacts like job losses, the bill seeks to address the "severe economic harm" faced by South Texas agricultural communities (Section 2 and Section 6).
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Increased Accountability and Certainty: The establishment of a formal determination process for water shortfalls and the requirement for real-time data collection aims to reduce the "profound uncertainty" currently experienced by producers (Section 2, Section 3, and Section 7).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Increased Costs via Duties on Imports: The bill mandates the imposition of duties on various goods imported from Mexico, which could include agricultural products that have a significant economic impact on Mexico (Section 4).
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Potential for Escalating Trade Measures: If water shortfalls continue for multiple years, the duties imposed on imports from Mexico are required to increase through higher rates or expanded categories of goods (Section 4).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+7Good For Business Owners+5Good For Rural Residents+3Good For Low Income Households+1
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves International Trade-3Improves Diplomatic Engagement-2
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Economic Growth+1Increases Job Creation+1
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Increases Federal Power+2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+1
- 5/14/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.