Screwworms infestations were detected in Texas recently, according to media and government reports. The screwworm, known as the New World Screw worm, is a fly that lays eggs on open wounds, for instance on livestock, that then grow into flesh eating maggots. It can be fatal if not treated.
The screwworm was eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s. For decades, the U.S. worked to keep the screwworm at bay, working closely with Mexican and Central American governments. This included the U.S. government funding facilities to produce and distribute sterile flies, for instance. In 2023, the screwworm started migrating north again, probably climate change related, no? As a result of further northward migration, a ban importing cattle from Mexico was recently put in place. This is a key contributor to the shortage of beef cattle in the U.S., in fact, a 75-year low.
If the screwworm infestation becomes more widespread in Texas, the state could suffer close to $2 billion dollars in economic losses. Canada banned livestock imports from Texas temporarily. A 1976 screwworm outbreak in Texas caused economic losses between $700 million and $1.8 billion in 2024 dollars, according to a Congressional Research Report submitted as part of a bill introduced in 2025: H.R. 3392 (more on that bill a bit later).
The response to the new infestation has been, to say the least, interesting. Texas ranchers are blaming the federal government for being too slow to respond. Yep, the same Texas ranchers I suspect who voted for Trump, once, twice, and most likely thrice. They, I would imagine, cheered on the DOGE cuts to USAID and USDA, two agencies that are instrumental in programs to contain the screwworm south of the border. Things could have been different, but ….
On May 14, 2025, Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez introduced the “STOP Screwworms Act” in the House of Representatives. H.R. 3392 required the Secretary of Agriculture to “establish a New World Screwworm fly rearing facility, and for other purposes.” It never got past being introduced, much less become law. It was a bipartisan bill, with over 50 cosponsors. The same CRS report mentioned above outlined the devastating impact an infestation could have on Texas and other border states if no action was taken.
The failure of this bill to pass and become law illustrates how screwed up and incompetent the House of Representative is under the control of the Republicans and Speaker Johnson. Not to be outdone, the current Trump appointed Secretary of Agriculture blames, wait, wait, wait….. Biden and open borders. The cattle ranchers aren’t buying it.
Some ranchers have proposed self-funding screwworm eradication programs given the federal governments slow and incompetent response. You know, you get slow and incompetent when programs are defunded, scientists hounded out of government service, and all sorts of other stupid stuff.
Meanwhile, as the screwworm infestation gets worse, our President keeps a razor sharp focus on……the reflecting pool, his billion-dollar ballroom, and his birthday bash UFC fight at the White House’s Thunderdome. Texans. What the hell did you think was going to happen? It’s your own damn fault.
Another thing that irritates me is that when there was a 2025 measles outbreak in West Texas that infected close to 800 kids, of whom about 100 were hospitalized, and two died. All hell should have broken loose, but no. Texans seemed to shrug. Fits the anti-science, anti-vaccine, anti-government ideology of Texas. Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human services blamed the vaccines and suggested suspect treatments. Where was the outcry? I guess you all like your cattle more than your kids. About 70 percent of kids are vaccinated in Texas, that is below the national average.
Come on Texas, you can do better. The federal government’s slow and haphazard response should be a warning to farmers and ranchers that still support Trump, in Texas and my home state of Virginia. He’s not your friend. Do you trust a politician whose hands have never touched dirt, or had a callous, or owned a dog, or got up before sunrise?
But, I imagine you’re busy trying to find buyers for soybeans and corn crops you planted and worrying whether you can afford the diesel fuel or fertilizer as Trump’s incompetent and haphazard war of choice with Iran drags. You farmers and ranchers all need some “straight” talk and tough love at times: You screwed yourselves.
This November, put a stop to the chaos. Make Congress vote for you and not Trump. Vote for Democratic candidates and family farmer friendly policies, not for corporate farm monopolies.
John McGuire, our representative, has not introduced or sponsored one bill to directly help the farmers of his district. He doesn’t serve on any farm or agricultural subcommittees. He did vote for two key bipartisan farm bills, however, which included funding for a new fire truck for Louisa County and monies for the Nottoway Sheriff’s office, hardly direct help to our farmers here in Louisa. He did sponsor a bill to “Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful” in 2025.
The sugar farmers love him it seems, as he gets campaign donations from them and their associations. For instance, the America Sugar Cane League, the Michigan Sugar Growers PAC, and the Sugar Growers Cooperative Florida. Do we even grow sugarcane in Virginia? Did I mention he has been buying Nvidia stock this year? Twice (January and May).
