Texas Observer
@TexasObserver@texasobserver.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago
Zhi Zhu 🕸️
@ZhiZhu@newsie.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago
Text from article: It’s evident that the Trump administration hasn’t given much credence to the cautionary tale. The president lowered the drawbridge for screwworms last year when Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed federal contributions to a robust U.S. Agency for International Development partner program with Panama, where the insects were confined to a remote isthmus for many decades. His DOGE initiative made deep staffing cuts to the USDA, under which the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is housed. APHIS employees represent the first line of defense against incoming parasites, inspecting the cattle awaiting import from Mexico to ensure no screwworms are hitching a ride. In one year under Trump, APHIS staffing has been drained of 1,885 employees, a 23 percent reduction. Screwworms specialize in exploiting these sort of free-bleeding cuts.
Text from article: It’s evident that the Trump administration hasn’t given much credence to the cautionary tale. The president lowered the drawbridge for screwworms last year when Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed federal contributions to a robust U.S. Agency for International Development partner program with Panama, where the insects were confined to a remote isthmus for many decades. His DOGE initiative made deep staffing cuts to the USDA, under which the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is housed. APHIS employees represent the first line of defense against incoming parasites, inspecting the cattle awaiting import from Mexico to ensure no screwworms are hitching a ride. In one year under Trump, APHIS staffing has been drained of 1,885 employees, a 23 percent reduction. Screwworms specialize in exploiting these sort of free-bleeding cuts.
Text from article: It’s evident that the Trump administration hasn’t given much credence to the cautionary tale. The president lowered the drawbridge for screwworms last year when Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed federal contributions to a robust U.S. Agency for International Development partner program with Panama, where the insects were confined to a remote isthmus for many decades. His DOGE initiative made deep staffing cuts to the USDA, under which the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is housed. APHIS employees represent the first line of defense against incoming parasites, inspecting the cattle awaiting import from Mexico to ensure no screwworms are hitching a ride. In one year under Trump, APHIS staffing has been drained of 1,885 employees, a 23 percent reduction. Screwworms specialize in exploiting these sort of free-bleeding cuts.
Zhi Zhu 🕸️
@ZhiZhu@newsie.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago
Heading and text from article: Posted, Then Deleted USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed a second New World Screwworm detection — a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, 5.6 miles from the first case. She posted the announcement at 6:45 PM yesterday, detailing strike teams on the ground, sterile fly releases at 2 million aerial and 4 million ground per week, and active movement control zones. Then she deleted it. Texas Rep. Jonathan Richie caught the deletion and posted the full original text publicly. This is the same regime that’s been removing the detection experts and surveillance infrastructure that were specifically designed to catch outbreaks like this one before they spread. Now there are two confirmed cases, and instead of transparency, we get a post and a quiet delete.
Heading and text from article: Posted, Then Deleted USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed a second New World Screwworm detection — a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, 5.6 miles from the first case. She posted the announcement at 6:45 PM yesterday, detailing strike teams on the ground, sterile fly releases at 2 million aerial and 4 million ground per week, and active movement control zones. Then she deleted it. Texas Rep. Jonathan Richie caught the deletion and posted the full original text publicly. This is the same regime that’s been removing the detection experts and surveillance infrastructure that were specifically designed to catch outbreaks like this one before they spread. Now there are two confirmed cases, and instead of transparency, we get a post and a quiet delete.
Heading and text from article: Posted, Then Deleted USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed a second New World Screwworm detection — a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, 5.6 miles from the first case. She posted the announcement at 6:45 PM yesterday, detailing strike teams on the ground, sterile fly releases at 2 million aerial and 4 million ground per week, and active movement control zones. Then she deleted it. Texas Rep. Jonathan Richie caught the deletion and posted the full original text publicly. This is the same regime that’s been removing the detection experts and surveillance infrastructure that were specifically designed to catch outbreaks like this one before they spread. Now there are two confirmed cases, and instead of transparency, we get a post and a quiet delete.
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