The Trump administration’s “Make America Great Again” agenda has been the subject of a new political debate following the discovery of a New World screwworm infection in Texas for the first time in decades. Critics have questioned whether federal budget cuts played a role in the parasite’s return to American soil.
The New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite officially eradicated from the United States in 1966, was recently detected in a three-week-old calf near La Pryor, Texas, roughly 30 miles from the Mexican border on Wednesday.
The finding prompted an emergency response from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has established a 20-km-wide containment zone, imposed livestock movement controls and expanded surveillance efforts in the affected region.
Read more: Bed Bugs invade Trump’s USDA office; White House forces staff back despite infestation: Report
What is the New World screwworm fly?
The New World screwworm (NWS) is considered one of the most destructive livestock parasites in the Americas. Female flies lay eggs in wounds or exposed tissue of warm-blooded animals.
When the eggs hatch, hundreds of larvae with sharp teeth tunnel through living flesh, killing their host if proper treatment is not given to the host.
NWS can infest people and pets, although the risk to humans is minor, and human screwworm infections are uncommon. The fly poses no food safety risks.
Second case of NWS confirmed in Texas
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has identified a second case of the flesh-eating screwworm fly in Texas on Saturday, just days after a first occurrence in a one-year-old calf triggered an aggressive response to stem the parasite’s spread in the leading cattle-producing state.
Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, stated on Friday that state authorities were collaborating with the federal government to reduce the spread of flies and the infestations brought on by their larvae.
US officials say the latest detection of the flesh-eating worm is a result of a broader resurgence of screwworm cases across Central America and Mexico. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2,000 human cases have been reported in Mexico and Central America during the latest outbreak cycle.
Read more: New World Screwworm: 5 things about flesh-eating fly as USDA flags possible case in South Texas
How will the US federal government combat the screwworm infection in Texas?
Federal officials are now relying heavily on the Sterile Insect Technique, a decades-old strategy that helped eradicate screwworms in the first place.
Sterile Insect Technique functions by hatching flies in a confined area, sterilizing them with radiation, and then releasing them back into the wild.
US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told reporters on Thursday that since an infected calf was found, officials have released four million sterile flies by land. Since February, they have also been releasing an additional four million flies every week by plane.
The USDA plans to dramatically increase production of sterile flies, potentially reaching 600 million per week. At present, facilities in the US and Mexico can produce only about 100 million sterile flies weekly.
Authorities have also deployed the USDA’s “Beagle Brigade” detection dogs and increased border inspections.
Why are MAGA and MAHA politics part of the outbreak?
The outbreak has also become a political flashpoint. Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and agricultural advocates, have argued that the elimination of some USAID-supported monitoring initiatives weakened early warning systems designed to track screwworm movement through Central America.
The federal government was also criticized by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller for “a slow, bureaucratic, and incomplete response that allowed the pest to advance unchecked through Mexico and reach American soil.”
Additionally, because of the continued spread of screwworm in Texas, Canada has temporarily prohibited Texas livestock. Horses and other livestock will no longer be imported, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The limitation is applicable to animals that are born in or have been in Texas within 21 days before being imported to Canada.
According to USDA data, the US is Canada’s biggest agricultural importer, bringing in over $3 billion worth of live animals and other animal products in 2024.
