Brooke Rollins, the U.S. secretary of agriculture, is trying to contain a parasite that eats living flesh while Washington does what Washington does best: turn a real threat into another Trump-era blame machine.
New World screwworm isn't imaginary. USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the parasite in a calf in Zavala County, Texas, on June 3, the first confirmed U.S. case in decades.
The larvae burrow into the flesh of living animals, damaging livestock, pets, wildlife, and, less often, people. Untreated cases can kill, and for ranchers, that's not a talking point. It's a sick calf, a quarantined herd, and another cost landing on a business already running thin.
USDA's current status page says southern ports of entry are closed to livestock trade. The department is dispersing 100 million sterile insects per week in Mexico and along the U.S.-Mexico border, adjusting the release area as new cases are evaluated.
The sterile-fly method isn't a new theory; it was central to the original eradication campaign that pushed screwworm out of the United States decades ago.
Rollins has said USDA expects to contain the Texas case, and the agency moved quickly with surveillance, trapping, sterile fly releases, and a quarantine zone. She also announced a broader plan to expand sterile-fly work in South Texas, including an Edinburg dispersal facility and a five-pronged response to protect U.S. livestock.
Those moves don't mean the danger is gone; they mean the federal government is treating it like a danger before it becomes a national livestock crisis.
The cattle industry had no cushion when screwworm arrived at the door. USDA counted 86.2 million cattle and calves in the United States as of Jan. 1, 2026. Beef cows stood at 27.6 million head, down 1% from the prior year. The calf crop was estimated at 32.9 million head, down 2%.
After drought, high feed costs, processor pressure, and years of herd contraction, one more shock can move from ranch gate to grocery bill faster than families expect.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, pressed Rollins after screwworm was detected in Lea County, N.M. From his press release:
“Thank you to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, our state health, livestock, and wildlife agencies, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, and USDA APHIS for working around the clock to provide resources to fight the spread of the New World screwworm in New Mexico,” said Senator Luján.
“The New World screwworm outbreak poses a serious threat to New Mexico’s cattle and livestock industry, and we must act decisively to stop the spread of this dangerous pest. Protecting livestock across the state requires investing in proven methods — like the sterile fly technique — to prevent the further spread in the United States. That’s why I led the STOP Screwworms Act back in May of last year to address this growing threat and will continue to fight to ensure we contain the spread of the New World screwworm,” continued Senator Luján.
In May of 2025, prior to the current outbreak reaching the United States, Senator Luján introducedthe bipartisan Strengthening Tactics to Obstruct the Population of Screwworms (STOP Screwworms) Act, legislation to combat the spread of the New World screwworm.
Following the introduction of Senator Luján’s STOP Screwworms Act in May 2025, the legislation brought attention to the outbreak and USDA completed the construction of a U.S.-based sterile fly dispersal facility in Edinburg, Texas to combat the spread. As a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, addressing the New World screwworm spread is a priority for Senator Luján and he will continue to work to stop the spread of the dangerous pest.
His concerns about New Mexico ranchers are fair; he credited state agencies, New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, and USDA APHIS for working around the clock.
He also pushed sterile-fly investment and pointed to his STOP Screwworm Act from May 2025.
The political danger starts when legitimate concern gets twisted into the usual anti-Trump script. If Rollins closes livestock ports, critics can scream about trade and prices.
If she reopens too soon, they can scream about risk; if beef prices rise because the herd is historically tight, Trump gets blamed. If USDA acts aggressively, the same crowd warns of panic.
The pest is real, and the incentive to weaponize is also real.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has clashed with Rollins over how ranchers should respond, and Rollins called it “dangerous” to suggest treating suspected infections without reporting them. From the Houston Public Media:
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who lost his Republican primary for re-election earlier this year, has been a vocal critic of the federal response. In comments first reported by Red River Farm Network, Miller told reporters that if he discovered a screwworm infestation on his property, he would be reluctant to report it because of the quarantine restrictions that would follow.
“I don’t want to be quarantined,” Miller said. “That means no cattle can move off my place, I can’t sell my cattle, I can’t ship them, I can’t move pastures.”
Federal officials have repeatedly said rapid reporting is essential to stopping the parasite from becoming established in Texas. Once a case is reported, infected animals can be treated, movement controls can be put in place and sterile flies can be deployed to prevent further spread.
At Monday’s briefing, Michael Schmoyer, associate administrator of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, described reporting suspected cases as one of the most important steps ranchers can take.
“You want this to get over quicker, have people report, ask people to report, beg people to report, that’s what we need,” Schmoyer said.
She's right on that point. Screwworm containment depends on fast reporting, testing, quarantine, and coordinated action. A rancher quietly trying to handle a case may think he's protecting his operation, but silence gives the parasite a head start.
The public deserves a calm answer, not a sugarcoat. Screwworm devastates cattle if it widely spreads, adding pressure to beef prices. It already hurts ranchers operating on narrow margins. But the response now underway isn't helpless, and it's not symbolic; it's built on surveillance, border controls, sterile insect release, and state-federal cooperation.
Americans should watch the facts, not the theater. The Trump administration didn't create a shrinking cattle herd, drought cycles, or a parasite moving north through Mexico and Central America.
Rollins inherited a hard problem at a hard moment and has moved to contain it.
Screwworm is ugly enough without Washington making it uglier. Ranchers need reporting, resources, and straight talk. Families need beef prices that don't climb because fear outran facts.
The country needs leaders willing to fight the pest first and the narrative second.
