¶ Overview
Ken Paxton applauded DOGE’s “incredible work” and thanked Elon Musk and Donald Trump for their efforts to cut government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
However, the federal government terminated $382 million in funding for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which was responsible for monitoring and responding to the New World Screwworm and preventing its spread to the United States. As of early June, the Screwworm, once eradicated, was found in Texas. Now Texas agriculture faces a billion-dollar disaster.
¶ Paxton Supported DOGE Cuts That Eroded Screwworm Tracking And Prevention, Putting Texas’ Cattle Industry At Risk
¶ Ken Paxton Supported DOGE
¶ Ken Paxton Applauded DOGE’s “Incredible Work” And Claimed He Was “Proud” To Stand With DOGE
Ken Paxton Applauded DOGE’s “Incredible Work” And Claimed He Was “Proud” To Stand With DOGE. According to the San Antonio Express-News, “Nevertheless, Paxton, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, said he has no intention of ensuring the department Musk leads is not violating Texans’ privacy. ‘Elon Musk and the DOGE team are doing incredible work to cut the wasteful spending that Washington politicians have forced Americans to pay for year after year,’ the attorney general said in a statement to the San Antonio Express-News. ‘No matter how much the left tries to shut them down, I’m proud to stand with President Trump and Elon Musk to ensure that government is more efficient and better able to serve the American people.”’ [San Antonio Express-News, 2/11/25]
¶ Ken Paxton Thanked Musk And Trump For "Necessary" Cuts From DOGE
[AUDIO] Paxton Thanked Elon Musk For The Cuts And Said, “Of Course, People Are Going To Hate The Stop Of Free Money That Doesn't Benefit Any Of Us Except The People That Are Getting It.” “HOST: Have you been surprised at all to the opposition to DOGE and trying to cut some federal spending? PAXTON: No. I expect it. There's entrenched power forces, people making trillions. You know, we got trillions of dollars in debt. They're making billions of dollars of it. Stacey Abrams gets a pay off of 2 billion or whatever she got for her tiny little nonprofit. Of course, people are going to hate the stop of free money that doesn't benefit any of us except the people that are getting it. So I totally am not surprised by the resistance to the gravy train, the free money, the taxpayer payouts. It's necessary for us to get our budget and our deficit under control. And of course, there's going to be opposition to doing the right thing. Thank you, President Trump and Elon Musk for getting this done.” [Truth w/ Lisa Boothe, 4/24/25]
[AUDIO] Paxton Thought It Was “Crazy” That Cornyn “Criticized DOGE” And Highlighted His Past Opposition To Trump. “I mean, he criticized DOGE, which I thought was crazy. But other things have been, you know, within the last year. I mean, it wasn't that long ago I was criticizing Trump and saying that he he his time had passed and that he shouldn't run and suggested that he had done things wrong and maybe committed crimes and all of this. I mean, it's not that long ago. And if it doesn't matter what you've done in office and what you've said, you know, during your time in office, especially during your last term, then it doesn't matter what you've done. But I think it does. I think voters will care that it was during his last term that all of these things happened.” [Mark Davis Show, 4/9/25]
¶ DOGE And The Federal Government Canceled Screwworm Prevention Contracts
¶ DOGE And The Federal Government Canceled Funding For Programs That Monitored Screwworm And Prevented The Spread Of The Disease To The United States
DOGE And The Federal Government Canceled Funding For Programs That Monitored Screwworm And Prevented The Spread Of The Disease To The United States. According to the Tri-State Livestock News, “In response to a request for comment on a New York Times story that the U.S government had terminated funding for programs at the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, an FAO spokesperson said, ‘FAO has received termination notices for over 100 programs funded by the United States, valued at approximately $382 million. These programs addressed critical issues such as animal disease control, famine prevention, economic stability, and biosafety worldwide.’ [...] Throughout Central America, FAO monitored and responded to New World Screwworm, preventing the spread of the disease to the U.S.” [Tri-State Livestock News, 3/26/25]
¶ The Agriculture Department’s Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service, Those Responsible For Fighting Against Screwworm Lost 23 Percent Of The Work Force During The Government’s Downsizing
The Agriculture Department’s Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service Lost 23 Percent Of The Work Force During The Government’s Downsizing. [Nebraska Public Media, 2/24/26]
¶ The Screwworm That Was Once Eradicated In The United States Was Rediscovered In Texas, Threatening Texas’ $15 Billion Cattle Industry
¶ The Screwworm That Was Once Eradicated In The United States Was Rediscovered In Texas
The Screwworm That Was Once Eradicated In The United States Was Rediscovered In Texas. According to the Texas Tribune, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday confirmed the country’s first case of New World screwworm — the parasitic fly poised to harm the state’s $15 billion cattle industry — in South Texas. The USDA tested a sample from La Pryor in Zavala County at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, lowa, confirming the infestation, Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a press conference about the case. The infested animal is a three-week old calf” [Texas Tribune, 6/3/26]
¶ The Screwworm Outbreak Could Cost Texas Billions Of Dollars, And Texas Officials Criticized The Federal Government’s Screwworm Response
The Screwworm Outbreak Could Cost Texas Billions Of Dollars, And Texas Officials Criticized The Federal Government’s Screwworm Response. According to NBC News, “The parasite does not pose a food safety threat, but a wider outbreak could still cost the livestock industry billions of dollars and put additional pressure on beef prices that are already at record highs. The case is the first confirmed detection of New World screwworm in Texas since 1966 [...] It follows months of warnings from U.S. and Texas agriculture officials and cattle industry leaders, as the pest steadily moved north through Mexico toward the American border. ‘For months, the screwworm has advanced rapidly through Mexico in spite of the USDA’s existing gameplan,’ Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said Wednesday, adding that ‘instead of using every available tool, USDA moved too slowly and relied solely on a partial solution that takes years to fully implement.’ “[NBC News, 6/4/26]
¶ Researchers At The Dallas Fed Found That Another Screwworm Outbreak Could Cost Billions Of Dollars In Damage
Researchers At The Dallas Fed Found That Another Screwworm Outbreak Could Cost Billions Of Dollars In Damage. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, “If an outbreak of the same magnitude as occurred in 1972—the year with the most screwworm cases—was repeated today, damage could exceed $3 billion across the Southwest. If the outbreak was of the duration and size as the 1962–80 episode, damage could exceed $8 billion in the U.S. alone. These are likely underestimates, as ranchers’ diminished knowledge and recognition of the screwworm and a rising cow-to-ranch hand ratio may increase initial herd mortality. With heavier cattle and smaller herd counts, each head lost would matter more.” [Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 5/20/26]