# 119-s-4549: WATER for Farmers Act

119-s-4549, WATER for Farmers Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4549
- As of: 2026-06-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4549
- Congress: 119
- Title: WATER for Farmers Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-14
- Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-10

## Summary

**This bill would create an enforcement framework to make Mexico meet a minimum annual Rio Grande delivery and to compensate U.S. farmers for shortfalls.** It ties trade penalties to missed deliveries and sets up a dedicated trust to pay affected Rio Grande Valley producers. - Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley would get a defined way to receive direct compensation. Payments are calculated by multiplying the annual shortfall in acre-feet by an economic value per acre-foot and an impact multiplier, with losses assessed within 90 days of a shortfall. - Trade and importers would face new tariffs when deliveries fall short. The United States Trade Representative would impose duties starting 90 days after a shortfall determination, prioritize agricultural goods, and raise or expand duties if shortfalls persist year to year. - South Texas communities and federal administrators would see more data and a funding route for relief. Duties collected flow into a South Texas Agricultural Compensation Trust Fund in Treasury, and the International Boundary and Water Commission must publish monthly delivery, shortfall, and payment data.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Direct payments for Rio Grande farmers: benefit, high. If enacted, the Agriculture Secretary would calculate farmer losses within 90 days after a shortfall finding. Payments would equal the shortfall volume (acre-feet) times a value per acre-foot times an impact multiplier. The Treasury would hold duties collected in a South Texas Compensation Trust Fu…
- New minimum water delivery checks: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would set a minimum annual delivery of 350,000 acre-feet per year measured in five-year cycles. The Secretary of State would decide, within 30 days after each year, whether Mexico met that required delivery. A year with less water would be called a water delivery shortfall. The…
- Tariffs on Mexican imports during shortfalls: mixed, high. If enacted, the U.S. Trade Representative would impose duties on imports from Mexico starting 90 days after a shortfall is found. Duties would stop 30 days after the Secretary of State certifies Mexico fixed the shortfalls. USTR would prioritize agricultural goods and products from areas that use R…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-4726: PEACE in Sudan Act
- 119-s-4065: STAND with Taiwan Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4549 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4549)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4378)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-4726: PEACE in Sudan Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4726)
- [119-s-4065: STAND with Taiwan Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4065)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4549 (as of 2026-06-10).