Rollins looks to assuage fears as screwworm cases continue to climb
The number of U.S. New World screwworm cases continue to climb. On Thursday, USDA confirmed two additional cases in Texas. One in an Edwards County goat and the other in a Zavala County cow. As of Friday, there were 9 active cases of NWS in the U.S.
Rollins works to minimize fears
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins traveled to the first screwworm detection site in Zavala County, Texas in an effort to reassure ranchers that USDA is working to eradicate the pests. The secretary and USDA have come under fire for DOGE-era staffing cuts that critics say have hampered U.S. response efforts.
According to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, USDA’s Animal Health Inspection Service and Food Safety and Inspection Service lost more than 1,000 employees between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025. That’s approximately 10% of those agencies’ frontline positions.
Those cuts were even more pronounced in Texas, which saw its number of frontline APHIS employees cut in half. Out of the 254 counties in Texas, 88 lost APIHS staff in 2025. Fifty-five Texas counties lost all of their APHIS frontline staff.
Still, Rollins contends DOGE cuts had “zero to do with it.” During remarks to the media Thursday, she said there were only 10 full-time USDA staff focused on NWS in January 2025. Today, she said, USDA has more than 120 full-time staff focused on NWS.
“The idea that DOGE caused this could not be further from the truth,” Rollins countered. “What we did was reallocate resources and prioritize what matters, ensuring taxpayer dollars are used effectively while leaning in aggressively on preparedness.”
Democratic senators call for more action
Also on Thursday, Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and 22 of her colleagues penned an open letter to Rollins calling for “further immediate action” to contain and respond to the growing NWS emergency.
“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 letter said. “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.”
Additional actions the senators recommend include:
- expanding and accelerating the production of sterile flies, including surges in research investments to support innovation in NWS containment and eradication
- coordinating and expediting approval with other federal agencies for technologies that prove to be safe and effective
- exploring authorities under the Defense Production Act and, if feasible, use these authorities to expand production of veterinary countermeasures and sterile flies
- identifying partnership opportunities to contract with Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) laboratories to expand sterile fly production
The Democratic senators called on USDA to improve government coordination and outreach and increase APHIS staffing levels. They also warned the agency to not disrupt the NWS outbreak response through permanent relocation orders as part of USDA’s broader reorganization plan.
“While addressing this outbreak requires immediate and sustained attention, it is equally important that we do not lose sight of other animal pest and disease threats facing poultry and livestock producers across the country,” the letter concluded. “We ask that the USDA continue to provide transparency on the ongoing outbreak and efforts related to the measures outlined above as they are taken, but no less than thirty days after receipt of this letter.”
Editor's note: Register now for Farm Press' webinar New World screwworm: Ranchers’ views from both sides of the border at 12 p.m. CDT June 23 to hear firsthand insights from ranchers tackling this critical issue.