Dear friends, I welcome all of you to the 2025 North American Development Bank Summit.
As your United States Senator, I have seen with my own eyes the decline of the Rio Grande River and a lack of water management, which has left the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs at historic lows.
The River provides water for agricultural sector and several of our state's vibrant border cities and economic centers from El Paso and Laredo, to McAllen, Brownsville and other communities in between. Addressing the lack of reliable water is one of my top priorities. I have been exploring all options to ensure that our border communities have water necessary to continue their economic growth, which creates the dynamic border we share with our state's largest trading partner.
Last year, I led a letter from members of the Texas Congressional delegation to NADBank board asking them to fund a grant program of up to $100 million to improve longterm water security. The NADBank Board of Directors agreed to provide $100 million in grants, an additional $300 million ad low to zero percent interest loans under their newly created Water Resiliency Fund that allows for water conservation diversification for municipalities. They are also allowing our agricultural sector to tap into this fund to conserve water, both on and off farms, including irrigation districts, which, in the Rio Grande Valley, play a major role in supplying water to grow crops and providing for our community supply of drinking water.
I commend NADBank for developing a program to provide much-needed relief. Now that the board has approved the fund, I will work to support additional NADBank funding to get more water flowing to our border communities as quickly as possible.
Lastly, I want to thank all the mayors and county judges, especially Hidalgo County Judge Cortez and Cameron County Judge Treviño, as well as all the irrigators and farmers who have helped us to get to this point today. This collaborative effort is the reason today's announcement became a reality.
Please join me in thanking NADBank and their leadership staff for their incredible work. I look forward to many successes to come. Enjoy the rest of the summit, and may God bless you and the great State of Texas.
United States Senator John Cornyn.
Editor’s Note: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s district director for South Texas, Ana Garcia, read aloud this letter at a press conference held during the North American Development Bank’s 2025 summit in San Antonio.
