Texas Officials Issue Blame Game For Screwworm

Earlier this year, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was sounding the alarm on a potential crisis for the state. Miller was specifically warning about the threat of the New World screwworm, and that it was only a matter of time before it crossed from the Mexican border into Texas.

Miller’s warning proved prophetic. This month, there have been several cases of the New World screwworm found in Texas cattle. The screwworm, which is technically a fly larva, poses little risk to humans, but can devastate livestock herds.

Many cattle ranchers and farmers had been tracking cases of the screwworm, especially as they inched closer to Texas. Now, with confirmation that the screwworm has indeed encroached into Texas, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are furiously trying to lay a blame game, while also assuaging a worried public.

Testifying in front of Congress one day after the first case of a screwworm was detected in Texas, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, said the development was a serious threat to livestock and wildlife, but the administration was not “caught off guard.” She also blamed the last administration’s open border policies, including the proliferation of Mexican cartels, for the screwworm entering Texas for the first time since the 1960’s.

On Monday, June 8, Rollins held a press conference with Governor Abbott about the screwworm threat, and the state and federal response. “Thanks to our proactive preparation and rapid response, American agriculture will not be disrupted,” said Rollins. “We will eradicate this threat.” Secretary Rollins also continued to emphasize that the screwworm cases stemmed from “weak” border policies from the Biden Administration.

Many Democrats see a different culprit responsible for the screwworm. Several Democrats like Rep. Veronica Escobar are linking the outbreak to cuts made by the Trump Administration and the initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency.

Last year, the federal government terminated $382 million in funding for the United National Food and Agriculture Organization, an entity responsible for detecting critical issues like the screwworm. The USDA also saw one of the largest workforce reductions in the federal government: over 20,000 have left the department since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

The reaction in Texas to DOGE’s actions last year, at least from many Republican, was laudatory. The first bill Abbott signed into law after the legislative session was a Texas version of DOGE. Attorney General Ken Paxton also praised the initiative’s efforts to curb “wasteful spending.”

With cases potentially continuing to rise, many financial analysts are also eyeing impacts on the price of beef. Last month, the Dallas Fed issued a stark financial forecast if a screwworm outbreak occurred in Texas. Not only would it pose a deadly threat to cattle, but it could potentially “cost billions in losses.” The price of beef has already risen thanks to inflation, and a screwworm outbreak in Texas could drive prices even higher.

Sid Miller, who remains the Texas Agriculture Commissioner though he lost his primary earlier this year, finds himself mostly relegated to the sidelines. He has remained critical of the federal response, which he has referred to as “slow, bureaucratic and incomplete.” 

Rollins suggested at the Monday press conference that Miller was “perhaps” an “unserious AG Commissioner.” She particularly took issue with Miller suggesting to the outlet Nexstar that ranchers not report cases of the screwworm.