A close-up of an adult New World Screwworm fly. (Photo from USDA)
WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Wednesday blamed the Biden administration’s “open borders policy” for the six confirmed cases of the New World screwworm that have reached the United States, repeating a theme among Republicans.
Speaking to members of the Senate Agriculture, Food and Forestry Committee at an oversight hearing, Rollins said it was the previous administration and the Mexican cartels’ “refusal to crack down” that allowed the New World screwfly to migrate north. The pests can be transmitted via infected farm animals or pets.
“Everyone took their eye off the ball years ago, and unfortunately it’s coming our way because of border policy,” Rollins said.
According to Rollins, there are now six confirmed cases of the New World screwworm in the United States, including five in South Texas and one in New Mexico.
The New World screwworm is a devastating pest that can wreak havoc on herds of cattle and other livestock. The screwworm is a type of fly that spreads by laying eggs on other animals. The eggs then hatch into larvae that eat the animal’s flesh, which causes significant damage and can even lead to death, the magazine says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The fly had been eradicated in the United States since 1966.
USDA workforce reductions
Throughout the hearing, committee members and Rollins agreed on the importance of working to eradicate the screwworm in the United States
But some Democrats said the Trump administration’s recent decisions could harm the department’s ability to accomplish that task.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., raised concerns about the impact of recent layoffs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the department’s ability to combat problems such as the screwworm threat. She noted that the department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service lost 25% of its staff, including more than 300 veterinary service employees.
“Of course we need a long-term answer,” said Klobuchar, the committee’s ranking member. “I remain concerned about some of the USDA’s restructuring cuts. How that might impact our long-term response.”
Since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, The USDA lost more than 21,000 employeesaccording to the Office of Personnel Management. It is one of the largest declines of any federal ministry or agency.
However, Rollins reiterated that the staff dedicated to preventing the spread of screwworm has actually increased. At the beginning of last year, she said, the USDA had 10 full-time employees dedicated to screwworm prevention; today there are more than 120.
She said the ministry had allocated $1.3 billion to fight screwworm.
“We are prioritizing where the greatest threats lie as we work to ensure we meet all needs across the country,” she said.
During the hearing, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, also pointed to blame to the Biden administration.
“We saw this happen under the previous administration and they refused to respond to it,” he said. “When millions of people were allowed to move through Central America in this way, we saw that the screwworm simply came with them – whether on their pets or perhaps on the livestock they brought with them.”
The USDA slowed the spread of the screwworm
According to Rollins, the agency’s internal forecasts assumed that the screwworm, which is still widespread throughout South and Central America, would have reached the United States by last summer. But she said the department was able to tardy the arrival of the devastating pest by closing all ports beyond the southern border to livestock trade last summer.
The USDA combats the spread of the New World screwworm primarily by breeding and releasing sterile screwworm flies, thereby limiting the number of flies that can reproduce and ultimately reducing the population.
She said the U.S. currently produces about 100 million sterilized flies per week but needs to augment production to 500 million per week to eradicate the fly.
However, Rollins emphasized that while the screwworm poses a threat to U.S. livestock, particularly cattle herds, it does not pose a risk of endangering the food supply itself.
“The food supply is 100% safe,” she said. “It’s not a disease. It’s not a virus. It’s a fly.”
