[Pages S4759-S4760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          New World Screwworm

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, it won't surprise anybody that the State 
of Texas has long been the leading State in the cattle industry, 
supplying the Nation with steaks, hamburgers, and other protein 
products that grace many of our dinner tables every night.
  Texas ranks first in the Nation in cattle production, coming in at 12 
million head a year, representing nearly 15 percent of the total 
production in the United States and generating more than $1 billion in 
revenue.
  Unfortunately, this essential food supply and corresponding food 
price are under threat from the outbreak of a particularly pernicious 
parasite called the New World screwworm. The New World screwworm lays 
its eggs in the wombs of warmblooded animals, particularly livestock. 
The larvae then burrow into the opening, creating infections that, left 
untreated, can cause animals to die within a week.
  With no known vaccinations to prevent infections, outbreaks in cattle 
herds require labor-intensive daily inspections of livestock to make 
sure they have not been infested.
  Since 2023, there have been outbreaks of this deadly insect in 
Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Costa 
Rica, a country that ended up declaring the New World screwworm a 
national emergency in 2024.
  Last November, the fly made its way back to Mexico. This, of course, 
has raised concerns among Texas cattle ranchers that it may soon come 
across the border and lead to an outbreak in our State.
  Earlier this month, the threat became even more acute as a case of 
New World screwworm was reported less than 400 miles south of the 
United States-Mexico border.
  An outbreak of the New World screwworm in the State of Texas is 
estimated to cost U.S. livestock producers approximately $1 billion and 
cost the general economy $3.7 billion due to lost production of meat 
and milk, as well as livestock death, veterinary costs, labor costs, 
and more.
  This would be absolutely devastating to places like Texas but also to 
the entire country. Knowing I was coming to the floor to speak about 
this, I asked my staff to look at what other States might be 
implicated, and it is virtually every State in the Nation, including 
the great State of Alabama that produces an estimated 1.2 million head 
of cattle on an annual basis.
  Thankfully, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has snapped into 
action. Secretary Rollins is currently working with our international 
partners on an ambitious plan to slow the spread of this terrible 
parasite.
  In May, Secretary Rollins closed U.S. ports to Mexican cattle, bison, 
and horses to prevent an additional spread. And while these ports were 
initially scheduled to begin reopening as early as this month, 
additional cases have delayed that timeline.
  But, of course, halting our imports will increase costs for all 
consumers; and while it is an important part of stopping this parasite, 
it is not a permanent solution.
  For that, we can look to history as our guide. The last time North 
America faced a similar outbreak of the screwworm was back in the 
1960s.
  During that contagion, we were able to eradicate these deadly 
infestations, countering the spread by producing sterile male flies. 
The sterile male flies mate with the female flies who can only mate 
once during their lifetime; so, by releasing large numbers of these 
sterile male flies, the population growth of this parasite can be 
stopped in its tracks.
  This approach worked in the 1960s, and I am hopeful that it will work 
again in this decade.
  As we speak, there is only one sterile fly plant in North America, 
located in Panama. This plant is operated by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture and by COPEG, or the Panama-U.S. Commission for the 
Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm Infestation in Livestock, which 
was established in 1998.
  As the New World screwworm continues traveling north, we need another 
plan to prevent population spread. A sterile fly plant will cost as 
much as $300 million according to some estimates, and that is certainly 
not just pocket change. But it pales in comparison with the cost of not 
doing anything to eradicate this terrible threat.
  The economic impact of the devastation that continued spread would 
cause my State is estimated to be as high as $10 billion, and this 
would not be limited to Texas, as I said. It would include other 
cattle-producing States, including Kansas, Nebraska, California, and 
New Mexico, who, along with Texas, are the primary cattle-producing 
regions in the country.
  Recently, the U.S. and Mexican Governments have partnered to invest 
in renovating the existing fruit fly-producing facility in Mexico, 
aiming to further the long-term goal of eradication.
  In addition, USDA is building a sterile fly dispersal facility in 
Hidalgo, TX, in the Rio Grande Valley.
  To build on top of these efforts, I will be offering an amendment 
during the appropriations process on the floor to ensure that the 
United States is prepared to combat the threat of this parasite.
  I am grateful to Secretary Rollins for her leadership. As a Texan, 
perhaps she understands this threat better than most, and I am 
confident in her strong and decisive leadership toward eradicating this 
parasite and that it will reap rewards.
  But it is not going to happen by itself. We are going to have to, 
unfortunately, not only authorize the production of this sterile fly 
capability--which we have done in the One Big Beautiful Bill--we are 
actually going

[[Page S4760]]

to have to appropriate money to help get this started.
  I look forward to continuing to work with her and all of my 
colleagues to ensure that Texas cattle ranchers and our country's food 
supply are kept safe from this pesky parasite.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The majority leader.

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