A flesh-eating parasite that was eradicated from the United States nearly 60 years ago is back.

New World screwworm larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, including cattle, pets, wildlife, and in rare cases, people. The parasite was confirmed in Texas and New Mexico, and federal officials are now racing to contain an outbreak that never should have reached this point.

Trump and DOGE gutted the government programs built to stop threats like this. Screwworm monitoring, animal disease prevention, and USDA staffing were cut. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service lost 1,300 workers. Now the administration is pointing fingers while ranchers, consumers, and rural communities face the consequences.

This is exactly what happens when billionaires treat public health, agriculture, and food security like waste. They cut the experts. They cut the monitoring. They cut the prevention. Then, when disaster hits, they pretend no one could have seen it coming.

Congress must fix this now. Lawmakers need to restore funding for screwworm monitoring, fully staff the USDA and APHIS, expand sterile fly production, strengthen surveillance, and fund emergency containment before this outbreak spreads further.

The United States beat screwworm before because the government worked. It invested in science, surveillance, and eradication. We can beat it again, but only if Congress stops letting DOGE cuts weaken the systems that protect our food supply and rural economy.

Click ‘START WRITING’ to send a direct message demanding Congress restore screwworm funding and stop this outbreak now.