More cases of parasitic screwworm confirmed. Here’s who is at risk, where it’s spreading

**Both Sides, One Feed** – Deacon Rift here. Here’s a story that doesn’t care about your zip code, your party registration, or your talking points. The New World Screwworm—a flesh-eating parasite that was supposedly eradicated from North America decades ago—has been found in Mexico and is creeping toward the U.S. border. This is a biological threat with a legislative twist: the USDA’s sterile fly program that kept this pest at bay was quietly defunded a few years ago as part of a cost-cutting measure that had bi-partisan fingerprints on it. Now, the bill is coming due. The political tension here is visceral. On the right, you have newscasts discussing the "migrant angle" and the strain on border resources. On the left, there's a focus on the impact this has on agricultural supply chains and the need to re-fund the international programs. But while the pundits are busy re-fighting the border wall debate, the actual threat is moving on four legs and wings, far faster than any legislative conference committee can convene. This is a story about how we’ve let maintenance of our public infrastructure falter in favor of short-term fiscal optics—a disease that is, in many ways, more damaging than the screwworm itself. The real "access" issue isn’t just about who is coming over the fence; it's about the food on the dinner table of every American who buys beef. If this takes hold in the livestock herds of the American South, the consumer impact will be as swift as it is expensive, pushing meat prices up and hitting rural economies the hardest. In the silence of the federal agencies hoping this doesn't blow up before the next election cycle, I hear the sound of a $1.5 billion program that we tried to save $15 million on. Let’s wrap this up. You can argue all day about whether we need more concrete at the border, but you can’t negotiate with a fly. Pests don't read the party manifestos. Eradication takes consistent, coordinated, and well-funded action—regardless of who sits in the Oval Office. The screwworm is an ugly reminder that nature doesn't do recess. Rift out.