For decades, American farmers fought a war against a flesh-eating parasite—the New World Screwworm. The screwworm is a remarkably destructive pest. Per CDC, it “is a fly that lays its eggs in open wounds and body openings,” which then “hatch into parasitic maggots that burrow into and feed on living tissue or flesh.” This carries the potential to devastate millions of livestock.
But, decades ago, farmers and scientists triumphed. In 1966, all the U.S. states dealing with screwworm declared an eradication program a success. Screwworm came back a few times since, but the government-established programs to monitor and prevent screwworm outbreaks were effective.
Then the Trump administration’s DOGE made sweeping cuts to USAID—including a program that monitored and helped contain the screwworm in Central America. Unsurprisingly, just over a year later, the screwworm has returned to the U.S. Now the administration is scrambling to prevent the situation it caused from getting worse.
Watch our video on the screwworm’s return to learn what happened and why it matters. And if you want to help us keep bringing these kinds of messages to the American people, consider supporting us today.
Home of the Brave exists to show Americans the real-world consequences of this administration’s policies, and to highlight what bravery looks like in defense of American democracy.
