Rollins called the screwworm a ‘little bug’. Last year he said ‘terrible’

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CNBC on Monday that the New World screwworm is a “small insect.” In the past, she has called the parasite “terrible.”

The discrepancy in messaging before and after the flesh-eating insect was detected in the U.S. highlights how Rollins is managing the screwworm threat now that it’s well within range. And it shows how the administration is rushing to ease fears that the parasite could send beef prices higher amid rising inflation.

Since screwworm was detected in Texas last week, Rollins has hit the airwaves to reassure the American public that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is ahead of the infection and that it does not pose a threat to the food system. He has also blamed the Biden administration for the spread, arguing that lax immigration enforcement at the southern border has helped the parasite advance.

“The food supply is not at risk. It’s not a virus, it’s not a disease, it’s just a small insect, a larva that gets into the calf’s wound and can be treated,” he told CNBC Monday. “The open border policy under the previous administration, the cartels, etc., coupled with the massive movement under border security, that’s when it started making its way to the US.”

However, last September Rollins was more forthright about the threat posed by screwworm Appearance on Fox News. She was discussing screwworm as it spread from Central America to North America.

He said, “At a time when our beef supply is at its lowest in 75 years… it’s really frightening, prices are so high, it could take us to another stage of real compromise on getting good beef at a good price for Americans.” “We have a plan, we’re working on it.”

And at a Senate hearing in May 2025, Rollins said that screwworm was a “Great danger” This “would devastate our cattle industry in this country.”

Appearing at another Senate hearing on Wednesday, Rollins doubled down on placing blame on the Biden administration, arguing that “we know this development is a serious threat, but it doesn’t surprise us.”

Meanwhile, Democrats are jumping on Rollins and President Donald Trump for the screwworm outbreak.

“Under Donald Trump and Brooke Rollins, farmers and ranchers are suffering, and consumers are struggling with record-high prices,” said Kendall Whitmer, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. “Trump’s reckless and harmful cuts and his administration’s incompetence have left America’s food supply vulnerable to outbreaks and risk exacerbating already high prices for beef.”

Screwworm was detected in America at a time when inflation was at its peak. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that inflation rose 4.2% year-over-year in May, reaching the highest annual mark in three years.

The parasite is a fly larva that lays its eggs in the open wounds of animals. The larvae feed on flesh and can be extremely harmful or fatal to cattle. Once detected, movement of animals and supplies to affected areas can be restricted. Screwworm infection is treatable if caught early, and it is not a contagious disease that can be transferred to meat.

Since the US cattle herd is already low, the cost of beef is at risk of rising even higher due to this pest.

Dallas Fed, in one can reportsaid that if an outbreak of the magnitude of the 1972 infection occurs, which saw the highest number of screwworm cases in the US, it could cause losses of about $3 billion.

“Sickening or killing cattle could lead to screwworm shortages and increase beef prices. This means equilibrium prices could fall in the short term, followed by a rise in the medium to long term,” the report said.

As of Wednesday, six cases of screwworm have been found in the US in Texas and New Mexico. The USDA is rushing to stop the spread, releasing swarms of sterile flies that will mate with female screwworm flies and produce infertile eggs. The agency is also enforcing quarantine zones, increased trapping, surveillance and outreach.

As yet, it is too early to say whether screwworm will spread completely or whether the USDA will be able to defeat it. Experts say the right prevention protocols are in place, but they are urging people to report any cases they see in animals.

“We are hopeful that the infestation will be contained,” said Philip Kauffman, a professor and head of the entomology department at Texas A&M University, where we are testing all animals in the area, providing treatment to those who need it, and releasing sterile flies to eliminate small populations in that area. “What we don’t want is for people not to report; the fly will continue to breed and grow in numbers, and then it becomes a much larger infestation that becomes more challenging.”

And while Rollins’ response has drawn some blowback from Republicans, including Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, he has retained the support of key Republicans.

“I greatly appreciate the work done under Secretary Rollins’ leadership,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson, R-Pa. “We’re going to move on from this thing, we’re going to end it, the sooner the better.”