An uncomfortable description of a threatening parasite by a Trump administration official is drawing startled reactions.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins spoke at an oversight hearing on Thursday about the spread of the New World Screwworm that threatens cattle ranches.
"It's a vexing challenge that we thought we had beaten in the 1970s," Rollins said. "You need about 400 million sterile flies per week to mate with the bad flies...the larva [of the screwworm] is what actually eats the flesh."
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) called the confirmation of screwworm "alarming."
Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles McCall noted that cattlemen across his state are "extremely nervous, and for good reason."
"NEW WORLD Screwworm. Totally fine," political commentator Owen Shroyer posted on X.
The account FactPost dug up and posted a Fox News clip of Sec. Rollins saying in November that, "We have screwworm under control."
"This is what Trump and his cabinet members ALWAYS do," wrote Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI). "Tell you that a problem is going to resolve itself by a certain time and then hope you forget once that turns out not to be true."
"Did the screwworms buy a pardon from Trump?" joked writer Grant Stern.
We are treating the confirmed case of New World Screwworm in a Texas cattle ranch with the utmost seriousness and are responding aggressively alongside our state partners @TAHC.
USDA's proactive actions bought us nearly a year to prepare, as models had projected New World… pic.twitter.com/Ws5ceLc9ew
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) June 4, 2026