To: Trump Administration
Restore funding to USDA programs!
A flesh-eating parasite once eradicated from U.S. livestock has returned. Screwworm, which burrows into cattle and other livestock, has been confirmed in four animals in Texas. The outbreak is already threatening to drive beef prices even higher, and experts warn that without serious intervention, it could spread fast.
This possible outbreak is deeply concerning—and it could have been prevented. The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed funding for the very program designed to monitor and contain screwworm in Central America, which kept it from reaching our borders.
Tell the Trump administration: Restore USDA funding and protect American agriculture now!
This possible outbreak is deeply concerning—and it could have been prevented. The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed funding for the very program designed to monitor and contain screwworm in Central America, which kept it from reaching our borders.
Tell the Trump administration: Restore USDA funding and protect American agriculture now!
Why is this important?
The screwworm eradication program was one of the most successful examples of international disease control in the Americas. It protected livestock and the broader agricultural economy for decades.
But DOGE gutted its funding anyway, firing 25% of the workers responsible for disease monitoring.
Now we’re paying the price. USDA estimates that a full-scale outbreak (similar to a Texas incident in 1976) could cause $1.8 billion in economic damage—far more than the cost of the program that prevented it.
And screwworm isn’t the only consequence of reckless cuts to science and public health. Ongoing outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola underscore how much Americans depend on fully staffed, well-funded agencies to monitor emerging threats and coordinate a response.
Sign the petition now calling on the Trump administration to restore USDA funding and protect American agriculture, public health, and our economy!
But DOGE gutted its funding anyway, firing 25% of the workers responsible for disease monitoring.
Now we’re paying the price. USDA estimates that a full-scale outbreak (similar to a Texas incident in 1976) could cause $1.8 billion in economic damage—far more than the cost of the program that prevented it.
And screwworm isn’t the only consequence of reckless cuts to science and public health. Ongoing outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola underscore how much Americans depend on fully staffed, well-funded agencies to monitor emerging threats and coordinate a response.
Sign the petition now calling on the Trump administration to restore USDA funding and protect American agriculture, public health, and our economy!