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SABINE COUNTY (KETK) – Former Sabine County Sheriff Thomas Raymond Philips was buried in Beaumont on Saturday, after he died at the age of 81 earlier this month.

Philips was born in Beaumont but moved to the Toledo Bend Lake area with his wife in 1977. They operated a mom-and-pop store there before he started his career with the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office in 1989.

Before he was elected as sheriff in Jan. 1997, Philips served with the sheriff’s office as a dispatcher, jailer, chief jailer, deputy sheriff and with K-9 Chico as the county’s first K-9 officer.
Former Sabine County Sheriff Thomas Raymond Philips. Photo courtesy of the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office.

Philips served as sheriff of Sabine County from Jan. 1997 and Dec. 2000. Philips continued working for another 16 years until he retired as a court security officer at the Jack Brooks Federal Building in Beaumont in 2016.

He passed away at 81-years-old at the Parkview on Hollybrook senior community in Longview on June 4. Current Sabine County Sheriff George Griffith and many other law enforcement members helped escort Philips’ coffin to Forest Lawn Cemetery on Saturday.

CROCKETT – Four people were shot and two people were hit by a vehicle after violence erupted at a large event in Crockett on Saturday night, according to Crockett police and our news partner, KETK.

Police said officers responded to reports of gunshots fired in the area of the 1100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at around 10:20 p.m. on Saturday.

Crockett Police Department officers, Houston County Sheriff’s Office deputies, EMS units and troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety all responded to the scene of a “large event” where Crockett PD said a “significant” number of people and vehicles were gathered when gunshots rang out.

Officials learned that at least four people were shot at the scene and that at least two other people had been hit by a vehicle. All six people have been taken to a hospital for treatment.

Crockett PD is currently investigating, and they believe any suspects have fled the area. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Caleb Newsome at 936-544-2862 or by email at [email protected].

MIDLAND (AP) – A man who opened fire in the West Texas city of Midland in an attack Friday morning that left one person dead and 10 injured had shot at a police officer just days earlier during a chase, authorities said.

The suspect, 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal, already was being sought by authorities when he began firing at police and bystanders in Midland on Friday before barricading himself in an abandoned veterinary clinic, where he was eventually found dead, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Police have provided limited details about how the shooting unfolded. Police arrived in the area after receiving reports of an active shooter, and Mata Villarreal started firing at officers, said Midland Police Chief Greg Snow. Several officers were pinned down behind their patrol cars and had to be rescued by an armored vehicle, Snow said, but no officers were shot.

Police then got everyone out of the area. “We moved to deny more targets for this active shooter,” Snow said.

A few hours after the shooting began, authorities used robot and drone footage from inside the building to confirm the shooter was dead, Midland Mayor Lori Blong. Police did not say how he died.

A spokesperson for the city identified a man killed in the shooting as Ed Scott, a father and husband who worked in solid waste for Midland. He also did a lot of work with local and regional softball organizations, according to the city.

Friends mourning his death described him in social media posts as a softball umpire and volleyball official who was known for his kindness and jokes.

Mata Villarreal, of nearby Odessa, was wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after firing multiple times at a Midland police officer on Wednesday, the state’s public safety agency said.

The officer, who wasn’t injured, fired back after initially trying to pull over Mata Villarreal, who drove away, investigators said. His vehicle was found empty a short distance away, they said. Police have not said why the officer tried to stop Mata Villarreal.

Friday’s standoff happened about a half-mile (1 kilometer) from where the shots were fired at the police officer Wednesday.

Police have not said why Mata Villarreal began shooting on Friday or provided any details about the victims, including who they were, how they were shot or the conditions of those still hospitalized.

Midland Memorial Hospital said four people who were brought there underwent surgery and that five had been treated and released.

Calls to numbers listed for some relatives of Mata Villarreal in Texas went unanswered Friday or appeared to be lines that had been disconnected.

Mata Villarreal had several previous encounters with law enforcement, including some arrests, records show.

He was convicted on a 2009 charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm in San Angelo, according to Texas criminal history records.

He was charged in 2003 and 2004 for unlawfully carrying a weapon and unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon, but both cases appear to have been dismissed as part of a plea. He also pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge in 2008 that was later dismissed.

As police responded to Friday’s shooting, dozens of squad cars and law enforcement vehicles descended along what’s normally a busy roadway lined with hotels and auto businesses a few miles west of Midland’s downtown.

Andrea Mendias said she heard what sounded like a small explosion at the closed veterinary clinic next to the auto body shop where she works and saw a number of heavily armed police officers rush into the parking lot. Some appeared to go inside the building.

Mendias said she earlier heard what sounded like at least 40 gunshots.

Video from Mendias showed officers pouring out of the back of an armored police vehicle and police deploying robots into the area.

The city with about 140,000 residents sits in the heart of the state’s oil and gas region and was near the site of a deadly shooting rampage in 2019.

In that shooting, a gunman who had been fired from his oil services job killed seven people and wounded two dozen others while firing at random as he drove around the Odessa and Midland areas. The two cities are more than 300 miles (482 kilometers) west of Dallas.

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott announced on Saturday the launch of a free online course to expand the number of certified New World Screwworm (NWS) inspectors across Texas. This course will allow more Texans to inspect their animals and certify the documentation required to safely move them, which is critical to ensuring cattle and livestock commerce continues uninterrupted, the governor said.

The first-of-its-kind program is developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in partnership with USDA-APHIS, the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Abbott said.

“The State of Texas will use every tool to protect our cattle industry and wildlife while we eradicate this pest,” said Abbott. “The AgriLife and TAHC moved quickly to launch this training. Now more people, including private industry, will be able to inspect and certify animals for movement. Through this program, Texas will protect our ranchers, ensure the security of our food supply, and keep business strong.”

“Stopping the spread of NWS will not be possible without our inspectors knowing what to look for, that’s why today’s announcement is critical to keep our cattle industry on track,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We encourage everyone who is able to help us identify and report suspected cases to help eradicate this pest as fast as possible. Grateful for Governor Abbott, TAHC, TPWD, and AgriLife for being amazing partners in this fight!”

The course is an online, modular program delivered through the AgriLife Learn platform. It includes narrated modules, demonstration videos, and knowledge checks covering NWS biology and life cycle, surveillance and reporting, species-specific inspection and treatment protocols, roles of state and federal agencies, and movement permitting requirements.

Those meeting TAHC eligibility standards who pass the final exam may apply to become a TAHC Certified NWS Inspector, authorized to issue official NWS Treatment/Movement Certificates for lawful movement of livestock out of infested zones.

Phase one immediately opens eligibility to the following groups, in addition to existing authorized personnel, including thousands of Texas veterinarians:

Licensed veterinarians (not already in the Authorized Personnel Program)
Veterinary technicians
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agents and Disaster Assessment and Recovery agents
Texas Department of Agriculture inspectors
Texas Department of State Health Services Meat Safety inspectors
Texas Racing Commission inspectors
Animal control officers
Livestock deputies
Designated personnel from temporary livestock aggregation points
Additional groups may be added in future phases as the program evolves. The course is also available to any Texan for educational purposes.

Livestock owners, managers, veterinarians, government personnel, and allied industry professionals are encouraged to enroll. To access this free online course, register an account, add course to your cart, and check out.

Important facts about New World Screwworm:
NWS is caused by the larvae of a parasitic fly that lay eggs in open wounds. The larvae feed on living tissue of warm-blooded animals.
NWS is not a contagious disease. It does not spread directly from animal to animal.
NWS is not a food safety issue. Screwworms do not infest meat or other food products. The food supply remains safe.

Report suspected cases immediately:
Livestock or pets: Texas Animal Health Commission at 1-800-550-8242
Wildlife: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at 512-389-4505
For more information, go to screwworm.gov
The course directly supports the state’s aggressive NWS response. Under Governor Abbott’s leadership, Texas has deployed sterile insect technique releases, established quarantines in infested zones, and committed all available state resources to protect the livestock industry while maintaining business continuity.

HOPKINS COUNTY (KETK) – The SPCA of Texas rescued eight adult dogs and three puppies from a residence near Sulphur Springs on Wednesday.

Local law enforcement responded to a 911 call on Monday from a person who said he couldn’t separate dogs that were fighting inside his home, according to the SPCA of Texas. Responding officials found many dogs inside the man’s home home, which had “extensive accumulations” of urine, feces and debris.

The 911-caller had a medical emergency and had to be transported to a local hospital to be treated. The SPCA said the responding law enforcement at the home then found a dead dog, prompting them to contact the SPCA of Texas’ Animal Cruelty Investigations unit for help. Two investigators from the unit responded to the home on Tuesday and found several dogs fighting inside.

“Cases involving large numbers of dogs often present unique welfare and safety concerns, particularly when animals are living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions,” SPCA of Texas’ ACI Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns CAWA said. “As stress levels increase and dogs are forced into close proximity with one another, competition for essential resources and limited opportunities to avoid conflict can increase the likelihood of fights and injuries. We appreciate the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office for their swift response and assistance in this case. These dogs are now receiving comprehensive veterinary and forensic evaluations while our investigation continues.”

The 11 dogs and puppies were then taken into custody by the investigators, who then transported them to the SPCA of Texas’ Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center. Several other dogs were also seen on the property and investigators are currently working on recovering them.

HOUSTON (THE TEXAS TRIBUNE) — Republican Party of Texas Vice Chair D’rinda Randall became the party’s new leader Friday after defeating her former running mate, incumbent Chair Abraham George, shaking up the top of the state’s majority party ahead of the fall midterm elections.

Randall, who first became involved in GOP politics nearly two decades ago, campaigned on her accomplishments as the party’s second-in-command during the last two years, touting financial wins like the return of certain convention corporate sponsors and her support for grassroots members, pointing to volunteer training she led.

George conceded in a social media post shortly before Friday’s general session at the convention began, after delegates overwhelmingly backed Randall in an initial round of votes among each Senate district caucus.

“While this race has come to an end, our mission continues,” he said. “Now is the time to come together, unite behind our Republican nominees, support the entire Republican ticket in November, advance our legislative priorities in the next session, and continue standing firmly for the conservative principles outlined in our platform.”

George’s tenure came to an end after a memorable two-year run that saw the party claim long-sought legislative victories in Austin, including private school vouchers and a variety of socially conservative new laws. That productivity, driven by a hard-right turn in the Texas House, reduced the infighting that has plagued the Texas GOP in recent years. Attorney General Ken Paxton led a long list of elected officials and activists lining up behind George, while Randall touted a much narrower stable of backers.

Yet as the convention kicked off in earnest Thursday, the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston remained sparsely populated, with many of the over 7,000 registered delegates appearing to skip the event despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s incentive program for county parties to fill their allotted delegate seats. The convention also fell just before FIFA World Cup games kicked off in Houston, driving up the cost of lodging in a city that was hundreds of miles from many would-be delegates’ home towns.

Amid the grassroots apathy, George also faced criticism earlier this week from a member of the State Republican Executive Committee, the party’s governing board, who claimed the party was taking a $651,000 loss to run the convention. In a response, George said the deficit was closer to $100,000 and would end up in the black “when you factor in the registrations that will be paid over the next couple of days.” But that did not appear to allay concerns about the state of the party’s finances heading into the fall midterms.

Randall’s victory arrives at a crucial juncture for the party, as it tries to write its next chapter and unite voters behind Paxton, the Senate nominee who defeated incumbent John Cornyn after a bruising primary that has left behind scars within the GOP.

Trey Trainor, a longtime GOP operative who was tapped to lead the convention’s platform committee, which drafts the party’s planks, said George’s ousting stemmed from financial woes and a struggle to engage members.

“Look, I think everybody’s incredibly nervous about what happened during the primaries,” Trainor said. “They see that the Democrat Party is incredibly engaged. I think the low turnout that you see here shows some apathy of Republican voters, and they really look to the party leadership to create that enthusiasm and drive people to the polls.”

The removal of George, the Texas GOP’s first Indian American chair, also arrived at a time when the party is experiencing a wave of anti-Indian sentiment, particularly in George’s backyard of North Texas. Much of the same faction that has targeted Muslims for what they see as the proliferation of Sharia law is also raising alarm about the state’s fast-growing Indian community, urging a halt to legal immigration to combat alleged H-1B visa exploitation and labor competition.

George regularly draws racist replies to his social media posts, even when pushing for conservative priorities such as abolishing the H-1B visa program; yet, delegates at the convention did not indicate that topic surfaced in deliberations about the chair election.

The mix of headwinds facing George created the opening for Randall and her running mate, David Covey, a hard-right activist who previously served on the state party’s governing board and unsuccessfully ran against former House Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont in 2024. Covey also previously ran for party chair in 2021, finishing as the runner-up to George’s predecessor, Matt Rinaldi.

Some of Randall’s supporters also charged that the incumbent chair has been too welcoming to establishment Republicans, after he warmed up to Phelan’s successor, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, following initial reservations over his election aided by Democrats. That line of criticism laid bare the challenge faced by party chairs, who must balance the delegates’ appetite for a grassroots fighter while also raising money from the party’s establishment ranks.

Burrows was set to address the convention — the first sitting speaker ever to do so — Friday afternoon.

In a statement, Burrows congratulated Randall and Covey and said he looked forward to “working together to strengthen our party and advance the conservative principles Texans value.”

LUFKIN – Water service will be shut off Saturday night at 11:45 PM to allow crews to repair a water?main located outside the Loop on Frank Street. The outage is expected to last approximately four hours, according to Joshua Gentry from The City of Lufkin.

This shutdown will affect customers and businesses in the area from Southside Bank to the Loop, including: McDonald’s, Whataburger, Green Briar Apartments, Castle Pines Nursing Home, and other nearby homes and businesses.

City crews will be on-site throughout the repair and will restore service as soon as work is complete.

MIDLAND – UPDATE: The Texas Department of Public Safety has released new information about the shooting in Midland that happened Friday morning.

“This morning, at about 8:00 CST, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), along with the Midland Police Department (MPD) and other local, state and federal law enforcement partners, responded to reports of an active shooter in the 4600 block of West Wall Street in Midland, Texas. Preliminary information shows that when they arrived, the suspect, now identified as Victor Mata Villarreal, 45, who resided in Odessa, began firing shots at officers and bystanders and then barricaded himself inside an abandoned veterinary clinic building.

DPS and other responding officers immediately established a perimeter around the building to mitigate the threat. After a standoff, the suspect was located inside the building, deceased at around 12:30 p.m. CST.

At this time, DPS can confirm one victim is dead, and 10 others are injured. No law enforcement officers were injured.

Villarreal had been wanted for attempted capital murder of a peace officer after firing multiple shots at an MPD officer during a vehicle pursuit on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

At the request of MPD, the Texas Rangers are investigating this active shooter incident. As this is an active investigation, no additional information is being released. The Texas Rangers ask that anyone with information related to the incident please come forward.

Drivers are asked to please find alternate routes around the area as authorities remain on the scene. The roads where the shooting occurred were to remain closed for the next 24 – 48 hours.

Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis has confirmed the suspect in a shooting in Midland Friday morning is the same suspect wanted out of Midland earlier this week after investigators said he tried to kill a police officer. This information has not yet been confirmed by Midland agencies or the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Victor Mata Villarreal was accused of firing a rifle at an officer during a late-night traffic stop Wednesday before fleeing the scene.

According to the City of Midland, the incident began around 11:23 p.m. Wednesday, June 10 in the 4800 block of Anetta Street when a Midland Police officer tried to stop a vehicle.

Police said the vehicle did not stop right away and continued for several blocks before stopping in the 4700 block of Comanche Drive. Investigators say the driver, later identified as Victor Mata Villarreal, got out of the vehicle and fired rounds from a rifle at the officer.

The officer returned fire, but authorities said Villarreal got back into the vehicle and fled the area. The vehicle was later found abandoned a short distance away. Police said an extensive search was conducted, but Villarreal was not located.

The officer was not injured during the incident.

(UVALDE, Texas) — Former Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo is set to return to a Texas courtroom on Friday, as the judge overseeing his criminal trial weighs moving the case out of Uvalde and whether the whole thing might have to wait because US Customs and Border Protection has refused to cooperate.

Arredondo in 2024 was charged with 10 counts of endangering students by failing to quickly respond to the 2022 mass shooting. The criminal case has stalled due to two ongoing civil lawsuits that seek to force agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol Tactical Unit — involved in taking down the gunman — to testify in the case.

Nineteen students and two of their teachers were killed when Robb Elementary School was attacked by a former student on the last day of school, May 24, 2022.

Arredondo led the response to the 2022 shooting rampage, and prosecutors allege that he ignored his training by waiting some 77 minutes before agents stormed a classroom and killed the gunman. Earlier this year, a jury acquitted former school police officer Adrian Gonzales on similar charges after a three-week trial.

Families of the victims responded to that verdict with outrage and some are looking to Arredondo’s trial as another opportunity for justice.

“We had a little hope, but it wasn’t enough,” Jacinto Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter Jackie died in the shooting, said after Gonzales’ acquittal in January. “Again, we are failed. I don’t even know what to say.”

Arredondo has pleaded not guilty, arguing he followed his training and saying he did not consider himself as the incident commander that day, though investigators said he was just that. Arredondo’s attorney Paul Looney told ABC News that he believes the case against Arredondo is weaker than the failed prosecution of Gonzales.

“They tried the one they thought that they had the best shot at, but now they’re going to put everything they’ve got into doing this one, because they do want to win at least something,” Looney said.

Friday’s status conference comes as Judge Sid Harle weighs the future of the case. The judge has said he wants to determine how the trial against Arredondo can proceed amid the ongoing litigation with CBP and whether — as in the case of Gonzales — the trial ought to be moved out of Uvalde.

Both Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell and Arredondo filed federal lawsuits to compel the federal agents to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify at trial.

“The three border patrol agents whose cooperation is now being sought by District Attorney Mitchell — two of whom participated in the actual killing of the gunman and the third who was present in the hallway during most of the incident — are essential to the pending Texas criminal prosecution,” Mitchell wrote in her lawsuit.

CBP attorneys have argued that the request for testimony is unreasonable, unnecessary and “negatively impacts CBP operations and national security” by taking up resources and potentially disclosing sensitive information.

Attorneys have argued that CBP revealed enough information through the investigative summaries prepared by the Texas Rangers and a report released by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

“It is unclear from your request how testimony from the identified CBP employees is genuinely necessary to the proceedings,” an attorney for CBP said in a court filing.

Earlier this year, a new judge was assigned to the lawsuit filed by Mitchell, and this week she filed a motion to schedule a status conference in that case. Looney, who filed a separate lawsuit largely mirroring the District Attorney’s, said he anticipates the litigation will take another eight months to a year.

Friday’s hearing will be held in Uvalde, though the trial of Gonzales was held in Corpus Christi to find an impartial jury, due to the widespread impact of the shooting on the Uvalde community.

Arredondo’s lawyer said he expects Harle to grant his motion for a venue change, though he claimed there is “no sense of urgency” to resolve the venue issue while the case remains stalled by the ongoing civil litigation.

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MIDLAND, Texas (AP) — Police say the suspect in a West Texas shooting that killed one person and injured nine others is dead. The shooter had been locked in a standoff Friday morning with police in Midland, Texas, hours after the shooting began. Midland police said the active shooter situation ended hours after the gunfire erupted in one part of the city before ending up near a veterinary hospital. Police did not immediately say how the suspect died.

The shooter opened fire in Midland in an attack Friday morning that left one person dead and at least nine others injured, the city’s mayor said. The suspect was in a standoff with officers about two hours after the shooting that erupted around 8 a.m. in one part of the city before ending up near a veterinary hospital, police said. It sounded like at least 40 shots were fired, said Andrea Mendias who works at an auto body shop near the veterinary hospital. Video from Mendias showed officers pouring out of the back of an armored police vehicle and police deploying robots into the area.

Mayor Lori Blong said the situation was still evolving and that officers were containing the situation. Midland Memorial Hospital said four people were in the operating room and five others were in stable condition. The city with about 140,000 residents sits in the heart of the state’s oil region and was near the site of a deadly shooting rampage just six years ago. In that shooting, a gunman who had been fired from his oil services job killed seven people and wounded two dozen others while firing at random as he drove around the Odessa and Midland areas. The two cities are more than 300 miles (482 kilometers) west of Dallas.

LA PRYOR (AP) – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins watched sterile flies being released to fight the New World screwworm on Thursday and visited the Texas ranch where one of the first cases of the pest was detected. The screwworm could devastate the nation’s cattle industry.

Later, she repeated her assertion that former President Joe Biden’s administration is responsible for the parasite’s return to the U.S. six decades after it was eradicated. Democratic leaders say cuts to the nation’s agriculture agency under President Donald Trump are to blame.

Screwworms are on their way to becoming a billion-dollar international problem, but can be contained if ranchers are vigilant, watch their herds and other wildlife, and quickly treat any infestations, Rollins said. She pointed to the calf where screwworms were found six days earlier in a wound where its umbilical cord had been attached.

“He couldn’t be happier. He’s bouncing around the pasture,” Rollins said.

Screwworms are flies that lay their eggs in the wounds of warm-blooded animals and feed on living flesh rather than dead tissues. Scientists say releasing sterile flies to mate with females is the most effective way to control the population, a strategy that has worked for decades. A warming planet is complicating efforts by giving screwworms, which thrive in hot, humid weather, more places to spread.

Billion-dollar response planned to fight screwworms

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing an all-out assault on the screwworm, which had been contained in the narrow isthmus of Panama for decades.

No matter the cause, driving screwworms back south and keeping them out of the U.S. will be expensive. The USDA estimated it would spend over $1 billion on efforts to save cattle herds and other livestock.

About $750 million will go toward building and operating a plant capable of producing up to 300 million sterile flies a week. The technique has been used for decades, as female screwworms mate just once, and if they choose a sterile mate, their eggs don’t hatch, and the fly population dwindles.

The goal is to protect the U.S. cattle industry. Experts think the parasite shouldn’t cause an immediate increase in near-record-high beef prices as long as it doesn’t turn into an outbreak and large groups of cattle die. Screwworms don’t affect food safety.

The parasite has already disrupted the Mexican beef industry. The U.S. closed its southern ports to Mexican livestock last summer.

Mexico has had more than 28,000 cases of screwworms since the flies returned two years ago, mostly confined to its southern states. The Mexican government stopped the importation of almost all live animals from the U.S. after screwworms were discovered here.

Scientists aren’t sure how screwworms emerged again

The U.S. had been almost entirely rid of screwworms for 60 years, with scientists in North and Central America eventually driving it down to the containment zone in Panama. But in 2023, the flies emerged and began heading back north.

Experts say screwworms are here to stay at least for this summer. Seven cases have already been detected in Texas and New Mexico. A 12-mile (20-kilometer) quarantine zone goes up around every place a case is found.

As they work toward a solution, scientists say they aren’t sure exactly what led to screwworms leaving the area in Panama where they were boxed in.

“I don’t have the answer to that one, and I don’t know if anyone does. It doesn’t help us to speculate,” said Jonathan Cammack, a professor of livestock entomology and parasitology at Oklahoma State University.

The key now is to ramp up the sterile fly program and get international cooperation to get the pests back down to Panama, he said.

Climate change is also helping drive the spread of screwworms, said Lee Haines, an associate research professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame.

“The fly is a creature of warmth as its entire life cycle, from egg to adult, can complete in as little as three weeks under tropical conditions,” Haines said.

Even Canada has temporarily stopped importing cattle, horses or other livestock from Texas. The parasites prefer humid areas where temperatures are at least 77 F (25 C), and those days are increasing further north.

Democrats question cuts; Republicans blame immigration

As Rollins moves quickly to implement a billion-dollar response to the screwworm outbreak, she has also blamed the Biden administration, noting that it was in office as the parasite began moving north again.

She said without showing any evidence the flies were with animals that followed immigrants north as well as hitching rides with cattle and other animals being sold by Mexican cartels outside of regular markets.

“People moving north to America, bringing their livestock with them, the Mexican cartels with the illicit cattle traffic, we knew it was coming,” Rollins told the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday.

Nearly a dozen Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to Rollins this week questioning whether job losses at the USDA have hurt food inspections and livestock safety programs.

Nearly 20% of the counties in the U.S. that started 2025 with at least one employee from the federal Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service ended the year with none, the letter said.

Rollins said she has moved over 100 USDA employees into the screwworm response. She said it has been one of her top priorities since Trump picked her to lead the USDA.

But Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu of California said blaming Biden is shortsighted and again shows the Trump administration creates problems through reckless spending cuts.

“The life cycle of a screwworm is about 14 to 54 days, depending on temperature and humidity. The Trump administration has been in office for over 500 days,” Lieu said earlier this week. “This is on the Trump administration. They need to own up to it, and they need to apologize.”