Cortez Masto Joins Democratic Colleagues Urging USDA to Respond to the New World Screwworm Outbreak

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined a letter led by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján, Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take immediate action to contain and respond to the New World Screwworm outbreak following recent detections in New Mexico and Texas.

"We write with urgent regard to the current outbreak of New World Screwworm (NWS) within the United States and the growing threat this pest poses to livestock producers, farm workers, companion animals, wildlife, and rural economies across the country. Since June 10, 2026, the United States Department of Agriculture has confirmed at least six cases of New World Screwworm in Texas and New Mexico. Due to the scale of the animal health threat that New World Screwworm poses to the United States, we urge the USDA to take further immediate action to contain and respond to this emergency," the Senators began.

"We recognize the USDA's ongoing efforts to contain this outbreak, including enhanced surveillance, sterile fly releases, coordination with Texas animal health officials, and the confirmation that the U.S. food supply remains safe. These actions are critical first steps, but the evolving situation requires additional actions to ensure that the United States is adequately responding to the significance of this threat," they wrote.

Specifically, the Senators demanded that the USDA take concrete steps to contain the NWS within 30 days, including:

• Expanding and accelerating the production of sterile flies, including surges in research investments to support innovation in NWS containment and eradication;
• Coordinating and expediting approval with other federal agencies for containment and eradication technologies that prove to be safe and effective;
• Incentivizing reporting through the implementation of indemnification for livestock and poultry producers who report suspected cases of NWS;
• Providing additional funding for education and outreach to livestock and poultry organizations and other impacted stakeholders at the local and state level; and
• Using direct hiring authorities to expand current Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service staff.

The text of the letter, including a full list of the measures the Senators are asking the USDA to implement, can be found here.

Senator Cortez Masto is a strong supporter of Nevada's rural and agricultural communities. She is championing bipartisan legislation to combat cyberattacks targeting American agriculture, protect rural water systems from natural disasters, ban foreign adversaries from buying American farmland, and encourage strategic grazing to reduce the risk of wildfires. Cortez Masto has also delivered millions in funding for Nevada's rural counties.

###