Nearly two dozen Democratic senators on Thursday urged the Agriculture Department to expand its war against the New World screwworm, warning that new tactics are needed after the parasitic fly recently crossed the U.S. border. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) led the group in asking Secretary Brooke Rollins to commit to a series of actions targeting the flesh-eating pest, which crossed the Texas border last week and threatens the multibillion-dollar livestock industry. There are now seven confirmed cases in the U.S., confined mostly to Texas, with one case in New Mexico. “We are aware that the USDA has engaged in preliminary efforts to contain this outbreak, including enhanced surveillance, sterile fly releases, coordination with animal health officials in Texas and New Mexico, and the confirmation that the U.S. food supply remains safe,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter. “These actions are critical first steps, but the evolving situation demands additional actions to ensure that the United States is adequately responding to the significance of this threat.”
Among the senators’ requests are accelerating the production of sterile flies to target the screwworm’s impact, including surging research investments supporting innovation in screwworm eradication and possibly using authorities under the Defense Production Act. The group also called for an emergency meeting of relevant USDA officials, border-state commissioners of agriculture, and state veterinarians to coordinate against the insect.
