WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) are leading 17 of their colleagues in calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take further immediate action to contain and respond to the outbreak of New World Screwworm (NWS) in the United States.
“We write with great concern regarding 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,” wrote the Senators. “Since June 3, 2026, the United States Department of Agriculture has confirmed at least seven 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.”
“We are aware that the USDA has engaged in preliminary efforts to contain this outbreak, including enhanced surveillance, sterile fly releases, coordination with animal health officials in Texas and New Mexico, and the confirmation that the U.S. food supply remains safe,” the Senators continued. “These actions are critical first steps, but the evolving situation demands additional actions to ensure that the United States is adequately responding to the significance of this threat.”
Along with Slotkin, the letter was signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Alex Padilla (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Dick Durbin (D-IL).
The full letter is available here .
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