By Sasha Grace
Val Verde County Republican Party chairwoman
America’s trade relationship with Mexico has long been a major political issue, and here in Del Rio, we are on the front lines. Ciudad Acuña
sits just across the Rio Grande, and we witness the flow of cross-border commerce every day. Healthy international trading relationships are worth fighting for, but they won’t happen on their own.
That is why I believe we need a tariff on Mexican beer.
Texas’ economic success depends on good-paying American jobs staying here in this country. The Texas Miracle is a perfect example of how policies that reward investment, entrepreneurship, and hard work lead to real economic wins. As a mother who has worked at Laughlin Air Force Base, I know how much a steady, good-paying job means to a family. We cannot stand by as more family-sustaining jobs are lost to unfair trade.
The beer industry provides many jobs like the ones I’m talking about, even in communities without a brewery down the street. According to the 2023 Beer Serves America study, beer supports an estimated 204,087 jobs across Texas. That economic impact reaches well beyond the breweries themselves, supporting the farmers who grow grains for brewing, the workers who make cans and bottles, and the drivers, distributors, and stores that bring beer to customers here in Del Rio.
American brewers, however, are competing on an uneven playing field. Close to a quarter of the beer Americans drink is now imported, and Mexico produces more than 80 percent of it. Brewery workers in Mexico make roughly $3,700 per year. That is far from the nearly $80,000 per year earned by American union brewery workers. Given the fundamental economic differences between Mexico and the United States, tariffs are the most effective policy tool we have to establish fairness.
Cross-border commerce is a big part of what has made Val Verde County successful, and I’m not against it. But American producers and workers need an honest chance to compete, and right now they don’t have one.
Tariffs on Mexican beer imports would help put American breweries, and the Texas farmers, manufacturers, and drivers who depend on them, back on equal footing. I urge our leaders in Washington to make this happen, because cross-border trade should be fair to both nations.
Sasha Grace is chairwoman of the Val Verde County Republican Party.
