Congressman Gonzalez Joins Texas Democratic Delegation To Demand Answers About Resurgence of New World Screwworm

Contact: Alexis Torres

Washington, D.C.—After sounding the alarm for nearly two years, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) took additional steps last week alongside Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and the Texas Democratic Delegation in demanding answers from United States Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Brooke Rollins and requesting a briefing on how the USDA plans to address the resurgence of New World Screwworm in Texas and across the United States. 

“Since the initial case of New World screwworm was discovered in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, additional cases have emerged in Texas and New Mexico,” the members wrote. “An outbreak of screwworm today could cost Texas livestock producers $732 million per year, with an annual economic loss of $1.8 billion for Texas alone. Yet the responsibility of identifying, reporting, and treating new screwworm infestations falls largely upon the shoulders of farmers and ranchers who are already facing high input costs, tight credit, weather extremes, rising fuel and fertilizer prices, and a record 75-year-low U.S. cattle herd.”

 “Despite the historic success of the United States’ program to eradicate the screwworm, our ranchers and livestock experts feared it would return,” the members continued. “We must make every effort to contain the current outbreak and once again eradicate this pest from the United States. Given the urgency of this matter, we request a briefing for members of Congress on these issues, including the following:

• What impacts these USDA staff reductions at USDA are having on USDA’s screwworm detection and response efforts;
• What plans the USDA has to hire additional staff to address this crisis;
• What impacts these USDA program eliminations are having on USDA’s screwworm detection and response efforts; and
• What actions did the USDA take to change strategy, if any, once the New World screwworm reached 100 miles from our Southern border?”

Congressmembers Greg Casar (TX-35), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Al Green (TX-09), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Christian Menefee (TX-18), and Marc Veasey (TX-33) also joined the letter request.

To view the letter in full, click here.

Congressman Gonzalez’s record of working to prevent a New World Screwworm infestation can be found here.