Screwworm spread tests US readiness after Trump staffing cuts

The U.S. spent decades driving the New World screwworm far into South America. But now the parasite has reemerged, and officials are working to beat it back yet again using many of the same tried-and-true methods as the government did in the 1950s. 

Experts have been tracking the path of parasitic fly as it moved steadily northward in recent years, and Trump administration officials said they spent months preparing for the first cases.  

But key agency staffing cuts under President Trump after years of the government being in cruise control are testing that readiness.  

“These developments obviously represent a serious threat to our livestock and wildlife, but they haven’t caught us off guard. We have been tracking this pest for a long time, and we have fought before, and we will do so again,” Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a recent press conference.  

Rear Adm. Michael Schmoyer, the leader of the Agriculture Department’s New World Screwworm Directorate, said the agency has had time to deploy thousands of traps to capture flies across the U.S. and into Mexico.

“Models suggested that it was going to be here last summer, so we had plenty of time to prepare. So, consequently, we actually have a playbook on how to do this,” Schmoyer told reporters this week. 

Rollins said the administration has invested over $1 billion to combat the screwworm.  

It has fast-tracked animal drug authorizations and conditional approvals in anticipation of screwworm infestations.  

Officials have also been meeting with ranchers and cattle producers to expand surveillance efforts, investing in new screwworm control technologies and rebuilding the sterile fly infrastructure. 

“While most of the United States is just now realizing that this problem has happened, here in Texas, we’ve been [getting ready] for over a year........

© The Hill