USDA Secretary Rollins and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Clash Over New World Screwworm Response
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller 'unserious' after he publicly criticized the USDA's handling of a New World screwworm outbreak detected in Texas and New Mexico. Miller, a Trump loyalist who recently lost his reelection primary, argues the USDA acted too slowly and is relying on an insufficient sterile fly release strategy instead of deploying additional pesticide-based tools. The public feud highlights both the economic stakes for the U.S. cattle industry and emerging fractures within the MAGA coalition.
The New World screwworm fly, a flesh-eating parasite eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s, was detected in Texas last week and subsequently in New Mexico, prompting a public dispute between federal and state agricultural leaders. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a prominent Trump ally who lost his March Republican primary despite a presidential endorsement, accused the USDA of moving too slowly and relying solely on sterile insect release rather than also deploying the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (SWASS), which combines insecticides with sterile flies. Secretary Rollins dismissed Miller's criticisms as 'unserious' and 'dangerous,' particularly his suggestion that quarantine policies discourage farmers from reporting infestations. Miller responded by accusing Rollins of 'name-calling' and pledging to stay focused on protecting Texas agriculture. The USDA is currently deploying sterile flies, establishing quarantine zones, and investing heavily in new production and dispersal facilities, including a $750 million sterile fly factory in southern Texas. The stakes are significant: Texas A&M estimates a full screwworm reestablishment could cost the cattle industry $2.1 billion and the hunting and wildlife sector $9 billion in Texas alone, with the state accounting for roughly 14% of U.S. cattle production.
What's missing
It remains unclear whether independent agricultural or entomological experts have weighed in on the comparative effectiveness of the USDA's sterile insect technique versus the SWASS approach Miller advocates, or what specific evidence underpins Miller's claim that sterile flies are mating with each other rather than wild flies at a rate that undermines the program.
How coverage differed
CNBC and Fortune both covered the dispute substantively, but Fortune provided more detail on the technical debate over sterile fly release methods, the economic projections from Texas A&M, and Miller's direct response to Rollins' remarks, while CNBC focused more on the political dimensions of the feud and Rollins' television appearances.
What different sources said
- CNBCCenter
USDA Secretary Rollins calls Texas ag chief 'unserious' amid screwworm threat
- CBS NewsCenter
Texas ag commissioner slams federal government's response to screwworm threat
- FortuneCenter
A ‘MAGA Warrior’ Texas ag chief is publicly blasting the USDA over a flesh-eating pest threatening America’s beef supply
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