Trump Kicks Off Brand New Trade War With One of Our Biggest Partners
President Donald Trump once again threatened to increase tariffs on one of the United States’s biggest trading partners, Mexico.
Hours after his roundtable meeting Monday to announce a $12 billion aid package for farmers hurt by his own policies, Trump took to Truth Social to claim that Mexico was underdelivering on its water obligations to the United States.
“Mexico continues to violate our comprehensive Water Treaty, and this violation is seriously hurting our BEAUTIFUL TEXAS CROPS AND LIVESTOCK,” the president wrote.
Trump was referring to the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande Treaty, which requires the U.S. receive an average of at least 350,000 acre-feet of water from Rio Grande tributaries each year. In cases of “extraordinary drought,” a term not actually defined in the treaty, Mexico is permitted five years to make up the difference—but has repeatedly failed to do so.
“Mexico still owes the U.S over 800,000 acre-feet of water for failing to comply with our Treaty over the past five years. The U.S needs Mexico to release 200,000 acre-feet of water before December 31st, and the rest must come soon after,” Trump wrote, and threatened to levy an additional five percent tariffs on Mexico, which would raise the tariff rate to 30 percent.
In April, Trump alleged that Mexico had withheld 1.3 million acre-feet of water and threatened unspecified tariffs and even sanctions. Shortly after, the State Department announced that they’d struck a deal with Mexico to increase water deliveries. The International Boundary and Water Commission observed an uptick in water deliveries from Mexico to the United States, compared to the previous two years.
Raising tariffs on the U.S.’s largest trading partner would undoubtedly continue to raise prices for consumers.