The USDA lost 20,000 workers to DOGE cuts. Then a flesh-eating parasite showed up in Texas

When the Elon Musk-affiliated Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) swept through Washington in 2025, slashing the workforce of federal agencies, the ramifications were far-reaching.

Those decisions are now drawing renewed scrutiny as the New World screwworm, a parasitic threat to livestock and other animals, resurfaces in Texas, and questions emerge about whether federal agencies have enough resources to contain it.