{"id":15183238,"date":"2026-06-26T23:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T03:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/moderate-us-house-dem-group-questions-usdas-rollins-over-screwworm-response\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T21:01:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T01:01:41","slug":"moderate-us-house-dem-group-questions-usdas-rollins-over-screwworm-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/moderate-us-house-dem-group-questions-usdas-rollins-over-screwworm-response\/","title":{"rendered":"Moderate US House Dem group questions USDA\u2019s Rollins over screwworm response"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Three New World screwworm larvae. (Photo by Sohath Yuseff-Vanegas, USDA Agricultural Research Service)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Members of the New Democrat Coalition asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday to provide fresh details about the nation\u2019s screwworm outbreak and demanded that the Trump administration allocate more resources to containing the spread.<\/p>\n

Reps. Sharice Davids of Kansas, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico and Jim Costa of California led 18 other members of the moderate coalition in a\u00a0June 24 letter<\/a> to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in which they highlighted ranchers\u2019 and farmers\u2019 growing concerns over the New World screwworm\u2019s impact on livestock health and food prices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They pushed for greater transparency and more departmental resources to address these worries, noting that producers in the industry are prepared to work with USDA to help \u201ceradicate\u201d screwworms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, in the face of this serious and quickly developing situation, ranchers and farmers want real solutions, not excuses or finger pointing,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cIt is time to take responsibility for events that occur under your leadership and move forward to work to improve the situation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Screwworms in the South<\/h4>\n

The New World screwworm is a type of parasitic fly that lays its eggs in livestock and other animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eventually, the pest\u2019s eggs hatch into larvae that will eat the flesh of their host, often leading to sickness or death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They are most commonly found in South and Central America. Screwworms had not been found in the U.S. since 1966 until two cases emerged in\u00a0Texas<\/a> and\u00a0New Mexico<\/a> at the beginning of June. The USDA\u00a0confirmed<\/a> there were 25 total \u2014 and 22 active \u2014 screwworm cases in animals as of June 25.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though the recorded cases have so far stayed confined to Texas and New Mexico \u2014 most of them in the Lone Star State \u2014 ranchers and lawmakers from agricultural states across the U.S. are demanding additional support from the federal government in their efforts to fight the outbreak, the lawmakers said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe administration must now recommit to transparency and proactive communication with stakeholders and the public about the situation, while also taking appropriate steps to ensure that producers in border states are prepared and have the necessary tools to prevent further spread,\u201d they wrote in their letter to Rollins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a statement to States Newsroom, a USDA spokesperson took exception to the lawmakers\u2019 suggestion the department could be more communicative about the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trump Administration is the most transparent administration in history, as we are sure these lawmakers know, the Secretary and Department have gone to unprecedented lengths to communicate updates on the New World screwworm to our local, state, and industry partners, the press, and everyday Americans,\u201d the spokesperson wrote in a late Friday email.<\/p>\n

Workforce questions<\/h4>\n

The representatives requested that USDA release information by July 1 pertaining to department resources and staffing, screwworm surveillance zones, wildlife monitoring, the supply of sterile flies and various economic impacts, among other things.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They asked for a detailed breakdown of how much equipment and personnel USDA\u2019s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which typically handles the nation\u2019s pest-related epidemics, is dedicating to the screwworm outbreak, as well as what leadership\u2019s response will be if the outbreak continues to spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They also want Rollins to \u201cidentify any positions within APHIS that have been eliminated or relocated\u201d and those that have been \u201celiminated and since restored\u201d since President Donald Trump took office and began making staffing cuts in January 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout June, some Democrats in Congress have\u00a0questioned<\/a> USDA\u2019s ability to manage the threat due to recent department layoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the Office of Personnel Management, USDA has\u00a0lost<\/a> more than 21,000 employees since Trump began his second term, clocking in at one of the largest reductions of any federal agency or department.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rollins at a hearing this month\u00a0said<\/a> her department has recently devoted more full-time staff to working on screwworm prevention and set aside $1.3 billion to help tackle the issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sterilized flies<\/h4>\n

The Democrats\u2019 letter also asked about USDA\u2019s plan for breeding more sterilized flies, which help reduce the New World screwworm population by limiting reproduction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Specifically, they asked for details about when a\u00a0new sterile fly-production facility<\/a> in South Texas will produce its first bug and how USDA plans to meet its goal of breeding 500 million flies per week in the meantime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Near the end of the letter, representatives pointed to a recent USDA analysis that estimated a larger screwworm outbreak in Texas could cost producers up to $1.8 billion. They implored Rollins to share more details about the possible economic impacts of different levels of screwworm surges and what that could mean for Texas, New Mexico and the \u201cbroader cattle sector.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

USDA, lawmakers wrote, can combat screwworms with \u201cadequate staffing, reliable sterile-fly capacity, clear timelines, science-based movement protocols, and close coordination with state animal health officials and affected stakeholders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat response is essential to protect the health of the nation\u2019s livestock, safeguard producers\u2019 livelihoods, and drive this pest out again,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n

The New Democrat Coalition comprises relatively moderate members, including most of the few House Democrats who represent rural districts.<\/p>\n

Along with Davids, Vasquez and Costa, Reps. Angie Craig of Minnesota, who is the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, Eugene Vindman and James Walkinshaw of Virginia, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Darren Soto of Florida, Greg Landsman of Ohio, Seth Moulton and Lori Trahan of Massachusetts, Greg Stanton of Arizona, Salud Carbajal of California, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Terri Sewell of Alabama, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and George Latimer of New York signed the letter to Rollins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A handful of Texas representatives also signed the message, including Marc Veasey, Joaquin Castro, Henry Cuellar and Vincente Gonzalez.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Source: News \u2013 World \u2013 Phoenix \u2013 rss.app2 \u2192 manual entry<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 Members of the New Democrat Coalition asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday to provide fresh details about the nation\u2019s screwworm outbreak and demanded that the Trump administration allocate more resources to containing the spread. Reps. Sharice\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15183242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15183238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-phoenix"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1.jpg",961,1024,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-300x320.jpg",300,320,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-620x661.jpg",620,661,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-768x818.jpg",768,818,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-940x1002.jpg",940,1002,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1.jpg",961,1024,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1.jpg",961,1024,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-961x665.jpg",961,665,true],"ignition_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-670x446.jpg",670,446,true],"ignition_item_lg":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-961x894.jpg",961,894,true],"ignition_article_media":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-510x510.jpg",510,510,true],"ignition_minicart_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-160x160.jpg",160,160,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-24x24.jpg",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-48x48.jpg",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-96x96.jpg",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15183238-nws-larvae-ars-20250807-131736-961x1024-1-300x300.jpg",300,300,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"news.iNthacity","author_link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/author\/atombo\/"},"category_info":"Phoenix<\/a>","tag_info":"Phoenix","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15183238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15183238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15183238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15183241,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15183238\/revisions\/15183241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15183242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15183238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15183238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15183238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}