As Members of Congress representing Texas, we write to request a briefing regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) plan to address the resurgence of New World screwworm in the State of Texas and across the United States.
As you know, Texas is home to the largest cattle population in the country and leads the United States in domestic beef production. Texas also leads the country in pork, sheep, goat, and horse production. The threat of New World screwworm disproportionately impacts our constituents and their livelihoods. As their representatives in Congress, we request further information on the USDA’s ongoing coordination efforts with our state and local leaders, Texas stakeholders, and industry partners to contain and eradicate New World screwworm.
Since the initial case of New World screwworm was discovered in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, additional cases have emerged in Texas and New Mexico. An outbreak of screwworm today could cost Texas livestock producers $732 million per year, with an annual economic loss of $1.8 billion for Texas alone. Yet the responsibility of identifying, reporting, and treating new screwworm infestations falls largely upon the shoulders of farmers and ranchers who are already facing high input costs, tight credit, weather extremes, rising fuel and fertilizer prices, and a record 75-year-low U.S. cattle herd.
For the past several decades, our country has remained relatively pest-free thanks to the dedicated work of federal staff and experts at the USDA and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) tasked with addressing infectious pests and diseases. We understand, however, that last year, the department terminated the employment of more than 15,000 USDA employees—roughly 15 percent of the department’s workforce, including more than 1,300 staff at APHIS—and, at the same time, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) eliminated more than 5,300 foreign assistance grants and programs, including a program dedicated to monitoring and containing New World screwworm migration in Central America.
For years, federal experts have raised the need to disperse 700 million sterile screwworm flies each week to properly contain and eradicate the New World screwworm outbreak. It is our understanding that, today, the combined sterile screwworm fly production for the United States, Mexico, and Panama consists of a single facility in Panama producing just 100 million sterile flies per week. It is welcome news that the USDA broke ground last month on the new $750 million sterile fly production facility in Edinburg, Texas; however, this facility is scheduled to become operational by November 2027—more than 16 months from today.
Despite the historic success of the United States’ program to eradicate the screwworm, our ranchers and livestock experts feared it would return. We must make every effort to contain the current outbreak and once again eradicate this pest from the United States.
Given the urgency of this matter, we request a briefing for members of Congress on these issues, including the following:
We look forward to discussing how we can work together to protect our farmers and ranchers, our state, and our nation from the threats New World screwworm present to us at this moment and into the future.
Editor's Note: The above letter was penned by 13 members of Congress from Texas and sent June 18 to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins. Here are the 13:
