Since screwworm cases were first confirmed in Texas earlier this month, the situation has deteriorated: as of June 10, 2026, five animals — three calves and a goat in Texas, plus a dog in New Mexico — have tested positive, and the USDA has acknowledged the parasite is no longer contained within Texas, according to Common Dreams citing USDA's own statements.

The containment line held for less than two weeks.

What We Know for Certain

New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) was eradicated from the United States in 1966. Its larvae feed on living tissue of warm-blooded animals through open wounds. Left untreated, infestations kill livestock. Canada has already banned imports of Texas cattle in response, according to Newsweek. The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest point in 75 years — mostly due to drought — so any supply shock from a screwworm outbreak hits consumers directly in the wallet.

The USDA's primary weapon is the Sterile Insect Technique: releasing millions of lab-sterile flies to interrupt breeding cycles. That program takes months — possibly years — to work at scale.

The Republican Argument: Biden's Open Border

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has been direct. On CNBC's Squawk Box on Monday, June 9, Rollins said "not much had been done" under the Biden administration to prevent another outbreak and argued the parasite's northward march from Central America through Mexico happened on Biden's watch, according to Newsweek.

Kansas Senator Roger Marshall went further on Newsmax Monday, saying "this is another thing we can thank Joe Biden for" and suggesting migrants may have helped transport the parasite. That claim has NO scientific backing. Agricultural and scientific authorities have consistently attributed the spread to infested animal movement — not human migration — according to Newsweek's own reporting.

The stronger version of the Republican argument: screwworm cases progressively moved northward through Central America and into Mexico during 2023–2024, and the Biden administration's border policies may have reduced veterinary inspection capacity for animals crossing from Mexico. That's a legitimate question worth examining.

The Democratic Argument: DOGE Gutted the Monitoring Programs

Democratic lawmakers have pointed directly at the Department of Government Efficiency. As The American Prospect's David Dayen reported (cited by Common Dreams), former President Biden placed a ban on bison, horse, and cattle imports from Mexico in 2024 — a protective measure that Trump lifted in February 2025. That is a documented policy reversal.

Additionally, DOGE under Trump cut programs that included screwworm monitoring infrastructure, according to Common Dreams. The specific dollar figures and program names have NOT been fully detailed in the sources available. An unnamed senator was quoted saying: "This has nothing to do with Joe Biden, but Trump and DOGE definitely screwed our cattle industry."

The strongest version of the Democratic argument: if monitoring was deliberately defunded and import protections were rolled back in early 2025, the federal government removed two layers of defense precisely when the parasite was advancing through Mexico.

What Both Sides Are Getting Wrong

Common Dreams frames this almost entirely as a DOGE accountability story, using phrases like "Trump and DOGE definitely screwed our cattle industry" as an unchallenged quote without examining whether the screwworm monitoring cuts were specifically documented or whether the timeline actually tracks. Advocacy journalism dressed up as news.

Newsweek does better on balance but still lets Senator Marshall's migration claim stand without a harder pushback — reporting that scientists dispute it is good, but burying it after quoting the claim gives it more oxygen than it deserves.

Fox News and right-leaning outlets have been covering this primarily through the Biden border lens, which conveniently sidesteps the February 2025 reversal of the Mexico cattle import ban — a decision made by the current administration, documented in the public record.

The parasite's northward spread happened during Biden's presidency. The removal of a specific import protection and reported cuts to monitoring programs happened during Trump's first months back in office. Both things are true simultaneously.

What This Means for Regular People

Canada's import ban on Texas cattle is already in effect. If the outbreak expands further — and as of June 10, it is expanding — more trade partners could follow. The U.S. cattle herd is already at a 75-year low. Beef prices were already at record highs before this outbreak.

A prolonged screwworm infestation, even a limited one, adds another supply-side squeeze to a market that has no room for it.

The sterile-fly program is the only proven eradication tool. It needs resources, time, and a functional USDA to execute. Whether DOGE cuts have compromised that capacity is the question that actually matters right now — and neither side of this blame war has given the public a straight answer on it.