Executive Branch

Trump Threatens Tariff Increase on Mexico Over Rio Grande Water Dispute

The U.S. president is demanding the release of 800,000 acre-feet owed per 1944 water treaty, citing harm to Texas agricultural industry.
Trump Threatens Tariff Increase on Mexico Over Rio Grande Water Dispute
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on aid for farmers in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Dec. 8, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Kimberly Hayek
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President Donald Trump weighed in on a decades-old border water dispute on Monday, saying he would impose a 5 percent tariff hike on Mexican imports if the country fails to swiftly deliver the water it owes from the Rio Grande.

The ultimatum is designed to help struggling U.S. farmers, especially in Texas, amid alleged treaty violations over the past five years.

Kimberly Hayek
Kimberly Hayek
Author
Kimberly Hayek is a reporter for The Epoch Times. She covers California news and has worked as an editor and on scene at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2018 migrant caravan crisis.